Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

'Today is gonna be a good day.' Steven thought to himself while preparing a bathtub to heal some bubbled corrupted Gems with. After filling up the tub with water, he took three bottles resembling Yellow, Blue, and White Diamond out of the medicine cabinet in his mirror and poured them in the water, followed by covering his finger in healing spit for a final touch.

"Happy welcome back day, you two." Steven said to the inactive gemstones in a sing-song voice. He then placed the bubbles in the tub, before the bubbles popped and the gems were submerged in the special water. The corrupted Gems were reformed, but this time they were cured of corruption and with no idea of their surroundings.

One was a large Cherry Quartz who had red & peach spots on her body and three horns on her head. The other was a Teal Zircon who had a green monocle, a star-shaped cravat and her iridescent gemstone resting on her chest.

"Whoa, what happened?!" the Zircon exclaimed, a long tongue suddenly leaping out of her mouth as she asked in shock. "Huh, that's a new one."

"Where am I?!" Cherry Quartz panicked before she looked at Steven. "Who are you?!"

"That used to be a loaded question," Steven answered brightly. "but now I can say with confidence that I'm Steven Universe! And you two are in my bathroom."

"Hey, nice star!" Teal Zircon commented on the design of Steven's black shirt while gesturing to her cravat. "I got a star too, since I'm a Crystal Gem. We're total twinsies! Hey, are Rose, Garnet, Bismuth and Pearl still around? I wanna catch up with them, like old times!"

"Oh, about that." Steven said sheepishly. "Garnet, Bismuth and Pearl are still on Earth but as for Rose, that's a funny story. You wanna know something?" he asked Teal Zircon. "She was actually Pink Diamond the whole time, and now she died giving birth to me." Steven then pulled up his shirt to reveal the diamond on his stomach. "Crazy, huh?"

"SAY WHAAAAAT?!" Teal Zircon yelled. "Okay, I have so many questions!"

"Save your questions for later!" Cherry Quartz grumbled, looking at herself in the mirror. "What happened to me?!" She tried looking for the first thing she could use as a weapon in the bathroom, but she got a plunger and threateningly held it up to Steven's face. "What is this?!"

"You two were corrupted in a Diamond blast, but now you're all better!" Steven said, trying to ease the tension as he lowered the plunger. "And that is a plunger. Come on, let me fill you two in on what you missed."

"Missed?" Cherry Quartz asked before she and Teal Zircon were handed some pamphlets in the main area of Steven's house. One of them was titled 'Era 3 and Me!', while the other was called 'You and Your New Horns'. "We have some reading material for you guys." Steven said. "Available in both English and Gem Glyph. Spanish translation forthcoming."

After taking the two newly-healed Gems outside, Steven opened up his Dondai Supremo for him to drive them in. "Watch your heads." He said to the pair as they got in, Cherry Quartz curling up in a front seat next to Steven while Teal Zircon sat in the back. "Ooh, is this one of those fancy human inventions?!" Teal gasped in awe of the car. "Rose was right, your species is really something else!"

"Thanks." Steven blushed to Teal, before he turned the car on and drove off. "Life is a little different these days. The Diamonds have stopped their reign of terror, the intergalactic war is done for, and Earth is now independent from what's left of their empire." He began recapping. "We're all safe to explore our dreams."

As Steven continued talking, he drove past Lars sweeping outside his new bakery called Spacetries, who stopped to wave at Steven. "Lars opened up his own pastry shop, and it's got this really cute space theme going on. Sadie's been touring with the Suspects & promoting their new album, and Connie's got a head start on college prep. She won't be applying for another two years, but she did say it never hurts to start early."

Steven stopped for a moment to gaze at a picture of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl taped above his head. "And speaking of higher education, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and I have been cooking up a dream of our own."

"I have no idea what you just said." Cherry Quartz bluntly stated. "I have to agree." Teal Zircon added. "I mean, who's Amethyst?"

"Don't worry about it." Steven chuckled while the car drove closer to a small walled town with a large whirlybird-like structure at the top. "You'll learn all that, and more, at Little Homeschool."

Once the three disembarked from Steven's car, Cherry and Teal saw many Gems all around them enjoying the day and learning how to live on Earth. Many of the students were Gems that Teal recognized. "Hey, I think I can see Larimar over there!"

"Pay attention." Steven instructed the cheerful Zircon. "Here at Little Homeschool, you have the chance to rediscover yourself and learn to live on Earth if you like." He explained. "You can forge a new identity, grow your own ideas, and find your inner Morp!"

Steven continued giving the pair a tour of the school, showing them a forge where Bismuth built weapons, a greenhouse that was home to a gardening class taught by Peridot, Yellow Pearl modeling for an art class taught by Vidalia, and Lapis Lazuli helping a Nephrite build a statue.

"I think I like that sculpturing class the most." Teal claimed.

"I think I'm leaning more towards that gardening class." Cherry responded. "By the way, what's a Morp?" she asked again, the funny word causing Teal to giggle. "That's exactly the question we love to hear!" Steven exclaimed happily.

"Find your center, your very core." Garnet instructed her yoga class of a Ruby, a Topaz fusion and a Zebra Jasper. "Remember, your body isn't just a projection of life. But also a reflection of your inner soul."

Steven followed along with the class to demonstrate. Teal Zircon was posing upside down with the other Gems, but Cherry Quartz was still hesitant.

"Check me out, I'm upside down!" Teal chattered while doing a handstand. "What do you think about that?"

"You're doing very good for a new student." Garnet complimented the new Gem's sudden aptitude.

"Garnet teaches all kinds of stuff!" Steven explained to Cherry Quartz.

"Hello, Pearl speaking." Pearl spoke on the phone to a Holo-Pearl, as a display of communication technology to Larimar, Snowflake Obsidian and Orange Spodumene.

"This is Holo-Pearl." The Holo-Pearl answered over another phone.

"Oh hi, Holo-Pearl." Pearl greeted her hologram. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your calling?"

"Just calling to see how you are." Holo-Pearl answered before she vanished, leaving the real Pearl alone with her students. "That was an example of the short-range human communication device, also known as a phone."

"Pearl will teach you all about human technology." Steven said to his pair of guests. "Who's Pearl is that?" Cherry Quartz asked him. "No no no, no one owns her anymore!" Teal corrected her fellow healed Gem. "Well, she did belong to Pink Diamond, but when Pink became Rose Quartz, she must've brought her Pearl along."

"Yeah, you can put it like that." Steven smiled at Teal's comment. "But that's not how things work here anymore. On Earth, you can decide for yourself what YOU want to do."

Finally, Steven took Cherry and Teal to Amethyst teaching her own class with Onion, Ocean Jasper & Biggs Jasper as students, while also wearing a pair of glasses and standing next to some paper to complete the professor look.

"Hello, I'm Professor Amethyst." She introduced herself to her class while the new students sat down with them. "Go on, take a seat wherever. I'll be teaching 'How to Decide for Yourself 101'. Today's lesson is, there is no lesson! Just do whatever you want for an hour!" Amethyst took off her glasses and threw them away before looking at Steven. "Hey Steven, wanna grab some lunch?"

"Sure." Steven accepted the offer, and the two left, leaving Cherry Quartz very confused. "Hey Steven, is this part of the tour?!" Teal Zircon yelled as she raced after the pair. "I want to come too!"

Later that day, Steven, Amethyst and Teal Zircon sat down on a bench at the boardwalk to eat some fry bits from Beach Citywalk Fries. Teal looked enamored with the snacks before her and chowed down on whatever Steven didn't grab. "Oh, these are so neat!"

"Glad you like them newbie." Amethyst said while slurping down some soda, and then turned to Steven. "This school thing is so great." She sighed. "I love being a teacher. No one's ever looked up to me before, y'know? Except for little baby Steven!" Amethyst began tickling Steven's belly and making him laugh, but then he stopped her. "Seriously dude, things have been awesome! Everyone wants to come to Earth and learn how to be themselves!"

"Uh, not everyone." Steven guiltily admitted, much to Teal's confusion. "Who's not part of everyone? Who we talkin' 'bout here?" the Zircon, now with a mouth full of fry bits, asked her new teachers. "It's a long story." Steven answered, putting a hand on her boxy shoulder.

"Forget her!" Amethyst scoffed and continued with her drink. "We tried to give her a second chance once, and look where that landed her. Think she might be pretty pissed at you for what happened."

"Seriously, who is it?" Teal continued asking. "Was there someone you couldn't help and had to put down?!"

"No, not like that!" Steven yelped at Teal. "But still, I'm worried. We healed all these Gems, and built the town and the school, because I wanted to fix the bad things the Diamonds did." He explained dejectedly. "Knowing there's still someone out there hurting because of what they, because of my mom, did just makes me worried. I know it's not really my fault, but if there's a chance I could make things better between us, shouldn't I try?"

Amethyst just stared emotionlessly and continued drinking her soda. "You know, I think you should stop trying to fix everyone." She suggested. "Maybe there should come a time where you find someone who doesn't want to be fixed, and you should just let them be."

"Yeah, you're right." Steven sighed, but then Teal Zircon raised her hand. "You think you could bring me along to see 'The Gem Who Refused'?" she dramatically asked. "Alright, you can come." Steven accepted. "By the way, is it okay if I give you a nickname?"

"Okay!" Teal exclaimed. "I'm Teal Zircon, but how about you just call me Teal, or even TZ?"

Later that day, Steven and TZ embarked on a journey throughout the outskirts of Beach City, passing by various scenes of disrepair in the forest surrounding them. "Yep, I'd recognize this much destruction from anywhere." Steven said to himself as the two marched deeper into the woods, eventually coming across a cave with a simple drape as a door, surrounded by a stack of boulders and no sign of organic life.

When Steven took a step forwards in this desolated patch of the woods, a loud voice called out for him. "Hold it!"

High above the pair on top of the cave, a bizarre shape covered in some kind of cloak towered above them. The shape tossed off the cloak, revealing itself to Steven as Jasper underneath it, and she was not happy to see him. "What do you want now? And is that another stupid Gem from that school over there?"

"Jasper, I just want to talk." Steven called for Jasper from below. Jasper grumpily complied and jumped down from her perch to chat with him. "Hey, I know you!" TZ exclaimed. "What up Jasper? Remember me from the Rebellion? I'm pretty sure you don't, but I did catch a few glimpses of you back then, and my oh my, you were a beast!"

"Can you please get your little friend to shut it?" Jasper murmured, leering threateningly at the Rebellion veteran. Almost on command, Teal shut her mouth and nervously walked backwards to give the two some space.

"So as I was gonna say, how's it going?" Steven timidly asked Jasper. "I know it's been a while since we last talked." However, a little beetle that had crossed onto Jasper's territory quickly distracted Steven. "Aw, it's a cute little-"

Before he could finish, Jasper crushed the life out of the little bug with one stomp, right before Steven's eyes. "Why did you do that?!"

"Any Earthling that comes in here will perish." Jasper snarled before gesturing to the ground beneath them. "Took me ages to get all those little green ones out."

"You mean grass?" Steven corrected Jasper. "I don't know their names!" Jasper roared. TZ on the other hand turned to gaze at the grass that Jasper didn't pluck out, and took a single blade of it for her to look at. "I think I'll call this one Mini-Teal."

"So what's with the rocks?" Steven asked, pointing to the neat pyramid of boulders next to Jasper's cave. "Training." The orange soldier revealed, grabbing another boulder to add to the pile. "Oh. I thought maybe-" the half-Gem boy replied before Jasper shoved him out of the way. "I thought you were gonna get into art. That pile really ties the place together. In fact, Peridot and Lapis teach their own art classes. Maybe you could learn from the-"

"Don't you dare say their names around me." Jasper growled, kicking the rock pile and making one roll towards Steven. "Especially Lapis, not after what she did to me." As Steven inched out of the rock's way, he made a mental note to try and help tie up their loose end before he continued. "Now what are you even training for? You know there's no one else left to fight."

"There's always someone to fight!" the perfect Quartz shouted. "There's just no one left worth fighting. And even if someone comes along wanting revenge on Pink Diamond yet again, you can count me out."

"In that case, maybe you could come to Little Homeschool!" TZ shouted from afar, before Steven nodded in affirmation. "What did I tell you?!" Jasper yelled at Teal. "And by the way, the answer is no."

"Aw, come on, we're all learning and growing together." Steven tried convincing her, while slowly growing more irritated. "And you should be part of that. Who knows, maybe you could make some new friends there, like TZ here."

Teal Zircon waved cheerfully, only to be shut down by an angry glare from Jasper. "Sounds dumb." Jasper said. "The day I decide to become a peace-loving loser who's forced to hang around with a bunch of other Gems who hate my guts and brainwashed by the son of the Diamond who basically ruined my life." She taunted. "On THAT day, I'll send your stupid Earthling butt a call saying I give up."

"Y'know, half of those Gems were soldiers who fought by your side before they were corrupted and turned into monsters." Steven began getting angrier. "They're lost, confused and still a little messed up, but they're getting the help they need!"

"Who cares?" Jasper talked back. "And if you bring up that Zircon over there one more time-"

"I care!" Steven shouted. "And if I didn't, you'd still be just like them!"

"And what, now I owe you?" Jasper argued. "You think that just because you did something without telling me, I'm just going to obey you?! You can't just force people to change!"

"That's not-" Steven was on the edge of breaking when Jasper cut him off. "Kind of like how you forced all of Homeworld to change."

It was here that Steven finally snapped. "AAGGGH! I only came here because I felt sorry for you, but you're your own worst enemy here! You tried using Gems that were corrupted by the Diamonds, only to get corrupted yourself just to beat me, and you lost! No one is going to make you stay here forever waiting for a war that will never come! Are you just going to be alone in the universe without a purpose?! Because I'm trying to give you one!"

"Ooh, he's got you good." Teal Zircon whispered while spectating on Steven and Jasper's argument, now hiding behind a tree.

"Listen brat, you may have Pink's diamond, but you can't control me!" Jasper yelled back, pointing a finger to Steven's forehead. "And I will never take orders from a sappy, useless little piece of dirt who thinks everything can go his way if he just cries enough! If you think you can tell me what to do, then prove it by fighting me!"

Jasper turned around and strolled off, but Steven stopped her in her tracks with one word. "Fine!" With just one word alone, Jasper turned to face Steven with a genuine, if somewhat unsettling for someone like her, smile on her face. "Really?"

Steven took a deep breath before getting into a fighting stance, a sight that excited TZ. "Ooh, this is gonna get good!"

"Huh, well then." Jasper grinned, beckoning Steven to come at her. "Why don't you throw the first punch?" Regretfully, Steven threw a punch at Jasper's arm, and that punch sent her flying a few feet away.

"And Steven throws the first punch!" TZ yelled excitedly, like she was narrating a sports game, even though she was only healed today and barely had any idea what sports are. "Oh, but Jasper is looking to strike back!"

As Jasper charged at Steven in response, Steven just murmured, "I guess we're doing this." He summoned a bubble to protect himself with, but Jasper hit the bubble and he rolled through the woods.

"And Jasper hits like a Quartz should!" Teal shouted. "But what's this? Steven's still in the game baby! He's running like the wind!"

Steven kept on rolling while Jasper gave chase and tried to hit him. "And now Jasper's in hot pursuit!" Teal Zircon cried as she chased after the two. "How can Steven save himself?!"

"I appreciate how excited you are Teal, but what's the point of all this commentary?" Steven asked his new friend.

"What? I was bored." Teal answered. While Steven was distracted, Jasper landed a kick that made his bubble crash into a tree, causing a bird's nest to fall from the branches.

"No no no, babies!" Steven yelled, reaching for the nest and forming a bubble around it & the birds inside before tossing it to safety. "Touchdown!"

"And in a show of goodwill, Steven has just saved those little creatures from h-" Teal began, but then Jasper's landing knocked her off her feet and shut her up. Steven immediately formed a shield to block his opponent.

"STOP TRYING TO HELP THOSE TINY, FLAPPING EARTHLINGS AND FIGHT ME!" Jasper roared.

"I'll never stop trying to help them!" Steven replied just as loudly. "Or you!" Jasper didn't listen, and kicked Steven's shield into a tree. "I don't need your help." She declared before stomping on Steven. "You're the one that needs help here! You think you've beaten me, but you've never done it alone! You always had your friends and fusion to back you up, because you're nothing on your own! You think everyone needs help because you want to be seen as oh so perfect!"

"I-I just wanted to patch things up with you." His opponent's words shook Steven's confidence, and he began to cry.

"Is this true? Is Steven really crying?!" Teal Zircon got back to her commentating.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Jasper shrieked in the other Gem's face, the force of her voice making Teal fall to the ground before she turned back to Steven. "But it's only you. You're absolutely pitiful!"

Angered by Jasper's bullying, a pink aura began covering Steven's body. This new power began to manifest as he pushed Jasper's foot back and launched her in the air, and he took a moment to examine his current state. "Whoa. This is new."

"Where did this come from?" Teal continued. "This came right outta nowhere, but that doesn't matter cause Steven is gaining on her!"

After discovering this new ability, Steven formed a bubble around his hand and charged straight at Jasper. "I'm, not, PITIFUL!" he yelled, punching her hard enough to send her flying into some trees, knocking them all down like bowling pins.

"Not bad." Jasper landed on the ground and spin-dashed at Steven, but now Steven caught her mid-spin in his hand. "Nice catch." She complimented him. "Thanks." Steven replied. "You should see my throw!"

Jasper laughed heartily as she was thrown into the air and Steven leaped up after her, unleashing a flurry of attacks on the mighty Quartz, who just kept cackling in amusement.

"STOP LAUGHING!" Steven screamed and with that, he spiked Jasper into the ground like a volleyball, creating a massive Jasper-shaped crater in the earth. "Jasper!" Steven yelled as he returned to his senses and ran to check on her.

"THREE, TWO, ONE!" Teal Zircon cried like a wrestling referee and hoisted Steven's arm into the air. "AND THE WINNER IS STEVEN!"

"What did I tell you?" Jasper snarled at TZ as she emerged from the ground with nary a scratch. "Hmph, didn't know you had it in you."

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what happened!" Steven tried to apologize, only to be ignored by Jasper. "Don't apologize." The bigger Gem rolled her eyes in disgust. "I think I got you all wrong." Steven realized. "Maybe you don't need to learn from me. Maybe I could learn from you." Jasper raised an eyebrow at this moral. "Hey, I got an idea. Maybe you could teach at Little Homeschool?"

"Me, a teacher?" Jasper scoffed, but then Steven corrected himself. "Not just teach other Gems, but maybe you could teach me as well. You brought out something in me I didn't know I had."

For a few moments, Jasper remained silent as the two looked at each other. Teal Zircon opened her mouth to speak, but this time Steven was the one to keep her quiet.

"Consider our fight your first, and only, lesson." Jasper declared and began walking away. "Any chance I could come back sometime?" Steven asked her. "Do what you want." Jasper replied. "But only if she doesn't come along next time." After pointing at Teal Zircon, Jasper finally left.

"I don't know about you Steven, but I think she doesn't like me." TZ whispered to the boy as they walked back to Little Homeworld, with Steven happy that he reached some form of reconciliation with Jasper while he went along fixing the damage they've done to the woods.

Once they were back at Little Homeworld, Teal Zircon excitedly told the story of Steven & Jasper's fight to many of the other Gems. Steven on the other hand found Cherry Quartz by herself with a schedule in hand. "Oh hey, Cherry Quartz was it?" he asked. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk more. Had some personal business I needed to wrap up."

"It's okay. I took some time to think, and this place may seem scary at first, I'll try to fit in with the others." Cherry declared. "You wanna sign my class schedule?"

"Good on you Cherry." Steven said before shaking the Quartz's hand. "I learned something today. There are fundamental things about ourselves that we know to be true. It's important to remember those things when in a tough situation, or you can make decisions from the heart. But it's equally important to know you can surprise yourself too. I thought I finally figured out what I want to do, but it seems I still have lots more to learn. Life is a wonderful mystery, am I right?"

"Uh, yeah." Cherry replied, not knowing how to react to Steven's filibuster. "Now, can you sign my schedule already?"

"Okay, sorry." Steven quickly apologized and signed his name at the bottom of the schedule, marking Cherry Quartz as one of Little Homeschool's newest students.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Episode 2: Guidance

On another lovely day in Beach City, Amethyst was walking along the boardwalk with a blindfolded Steven into Fish Stew Pizza. "Okay, two steps to the left." Amethyst instructed him as the two stepped into the pizza shop. "There's a chair right behind you." Steven did as he was told and sat down across from his sister figure. "Sit down aaaaand….okay."

When Steven undid his blindfold, he found himself inside Fish Stew Pizza with Amethyst in front of him and another Gem making pizza for them. "TADA!" Amethyst exclaimed with her arms excitedly spread out.

"Fish Stew Pizza? What a nice surprise." Steven giggled amusedly. "I mean, it has been a while since we last been here."

"No, that's not the surprise." Amethyst corrected him. "Notice anything different?" She gestured over to the Gem working with Kiki Pizza, perfectly slicing the toppings to pieces with utmost grace, laying them atop a crust that was put into the oven by Kiki.

"Oh, hi Steven!" the crab-like Gem greeted Steven.

"Bixbite? Is she working here?" Steven asked Amethyst.

"Yeah dude, and she's crushing it!" Amethyst answered. "Bixbite is an expert on slicing and dicing, and now she can put those skills to good use in a pizza parlor."

Another pizza came in fresh from the oven courtesy of Kofi, and Bixbite obediently brought it over to her friends. "Order up you guys!" she declared while setting the pie down. "So, any thoughts?"

"That's awesome!" Steven gasped at the pizza in awe of how well-made it was.

"Check out that 'za brah." Amethyst agreed, shapeshifting her hand into a ruler and a protractor to measure Bixbite's cuts. "Each slice exactly the same length, 45 degrees." She concluded, and then took a slice to eat. "Wow, pure perfection! I almost feel bad for eating this! You made me proud Bixie."

"Thanks for the compliments you guys." Bixbite thanked the pair. "And I couldn't have gotten here without you Amethyst."

As Bixbite walked away, Steven took a slice of the perfect pizza too. "I didn't even know she wanted a culinary career."

"Yeah, we talked a lot about her interests and experiences the other day." Amethyst revealed. "Then I set her up with Kofi, and here we are. Bixie is just the beginning y'know. I've been wanting to do something big for the school, so I've been helping Gems get human jobs, and everything is going amazing so far! I call it Gem-Human Excellence Mentorship, or G.H.E.M for short."

"I get it, like Gem." Steven came to a realization, much to Amethyst's mild frustration.

"No, I said Gem-Human Excellence Mentorship." Amethyst corrected. "Anote the H."

Suddenly, a Ruby clad in a suit and sunglasses burst through the door and let out a war cry while tearing off her sleeves, revealing the gemstone on her left shoulder before regaining her composure. "All clear my mayor."

Another Ruby dressed in the same clothes entered Fish Stew Pizza, wearing her shades over a yellow visor, by somersaulting into the room and stood alongside her compatriot. "All clear too." She repeated before allowing Mayor Nanafua to enter the pizza joint.

"You got Rubies in your program too?" Steven asked. "And why those Rubies in particular? I mean, they didn't try to kill me like Eyeball and Navy did, but they're still a little intense. Especially Army."

"I just found them to be a little more agreeable compared to those two." Amethyst replied while Doc & Army surveyed the area and Leggy helped the mayor to a chair. "Anyway, I got them working as bodyguards for the mayor."

"How many other Gems have you given jobs?" Steven asked again.

"Glad you asked!" Amethyst replied with a smile, and took Steven outside to show him her progress.

Amethyst took Steven from Fish Stew Pizza all the way to Beach City Funland, where she showed him just how many Gems she got to work there.

"Blue Lace Agate?" Steven gasped, seeing Blue Lace working at the ring toss booth and using her horns as targets, before discovering Biggs Jasper operating the Ferris wheel and Crazy Lace Agate handing out balloons. "Biggs? Crazy Lace? Have the Quartzes taken over Funland?"

"Yeah, I've been understaffed for so long so it was about time I had a few extra hands." Mr. Smiley said as he appeared behind the two Crystal Gems. "It could take a whole army to keep this park running!"

"An army?" Steven became worried, but then became distracted by what was going on in the sky.

"Hey check it out, Nephrite's doing some skywriting!" Amethyst cheerfully pointed out Nephrite drawing Steven's face in the sky with the smoke from Steven's cousin Andy's plane. "With all her experience flying dropships, it was only natural she do skywriting. Heck, she might even be better at flying than Andy! Still a bit of a perfectionist though."

As Nephrite crossed out her drawing, Steven began getting a little concerned with Amethyst's idea while they walked through Funland. "Um, Amethyst, isn't this a little on the nose?" he asked.

Amethyst however didn't pay him any mind, and instead pointed towards a pair of Gems giving a snowcone to the mayor. "Oh oh, look! Snowflake and Larimar found an ice-related job on the boardwalk!" she shouted while Snowflake Obsidian summoned a large pillar of ice for Larimar to scrape at, and the shavings formed a snowcone for Nanafua to enjoy.

"I still don't know about this." Steven muttered bemusedly.

"About what?" Amethyst asked him. "Everyone's doing pretty fine here."

"I mean, ice Gems doing ice jobs, pilot Gems piloting and guard Gems still guarding." Steven pointed out. "These are basically the exact same jobs they did on Homeworld."

"I swear Stee, these are totally different!" Amethyst nervously assured Steven, only for Leggy to walk by and prove her wrong.

"Wow, these jobs are exactly like what we once did in the old days." Leggy said before she high-fived Army.

"Thanks for the help Amethyst!" Army yelled to Amethyst.

"These are the jobs they wanted, I swear!" Amethyst continued nervously.

"Well sure, maybe they think they want to do this stuff," Steven explained. "but it's still up to us to get them out of their comfort zones!"

"I dunno man." Amethyst objected. "Comfortable can be good too."

"Bear with me for a bit here." Steven declared, and walked towards Snowflake and Larimar. "Hey you two, I just wanted to know what your duties were back on Homeworld."

"I dug ice trenches for the army!" Snowflake answered.

"And I made ice sculptures for the Diamonds!" Larimar added. "You should've really been there for some of my finest work, it was some of the best I've ever car-"

"So is ice kinda your default mode?" Steven cut Larimar off.

"Uh, yeah." Snowflake stated, sharing a look with the smaller Gem. "I mean, with a name like Snowflake Obsidian, what else do you think I do?"

"That's not the point I'm trying to make." Steven said. "Did you ever try doing something else?"

"Like filling ice trenches?" Snowflake answered, just as Nephrite coincidentally flew overhead on Andy's plane, giving Steven an idea.

"How about flying a plane?" Steven suggested.

Steven and Snowflake followed the plane to an open meadow where it landed. When Nephrite noticed Steven waving her down, she jumped out to see what was up.

"Hey Steven, what do you need?" Nephrite asked him.

"I'm gonna need you and Andy to talk with Snowflake here for a bit." Steven said, bringing attention to the Obsidian behind him. "I want to get her out of her comfort zone for a bit, so I think maybe she'd like to fly a plane."

"You sure about this kiddo?" Andy asked his cousin worriedly. "I mean, I already got a fine pilot right here." He patted Nephrite on the back, which gave her a smile. "But then again, I'll try anything once. Come on big guy."

Snowflake sheepishly got on the plane with Andy and began for take-off. "I don't snow about this." She punned while the flying machine quickly flew away.

"What's that, can't hear you!" Steven cried over the sound of the engine turning on and the plane finally leaving for the skies. "Have fun!"

Next, Steven took Larimar by the hand to the Appalachian, where Cherry Quartz was currently working. "I have an idea for you Larimar." He said to the little ice-carver. "You could operate the Funland roller-coaster. It's a great job, and you get to help people have fun."

"He's right, though I'd really like to actually ride it myself." Cherry agreed with Steven.

"Oh, what is that wonderful noise?!" Larimar asked excitedly while the coaster riders cheered from the adrenaline.

"That's just the screams of joy from everyone on this old thing." Cherry answered proudly.

"Human screams are my favorite of Earth's delights!" Larimar exclaimed happily. "I'll take his job, so I can hear them screaming forever!"

"Okay, that's a little creepy." Steven beamed nervously at Larimar's off-putting enthusiasm. "But I'm glad your heart's in the right place."

"One day, I shall make you scream Steven." Larimar said, before she was taken to the coaster's control room. "I suppose this must help it function, correct?"

"Yeah, you just pull the lever up and down to either speed it up or stop it." Steven instructed. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

"Give me the screams!" Larimar shrieked eagerly, pulling the lever up and making the riders yell louder, while Steven returned from the control room to see Amethyst waiting for him.

"See Amethyst? With just a few small changes, your plan is working even better than before!" Steven claimed, but the overcooked Quartz wasn't buying it. "Don't look so worried, let's go help more Gems!"

Much to Amethyst's dismay, Steven went around the town assigning the Gems new jobs far more different than the ones Amethyst gave them.

Instead of working at Funland, Ocean and Zebra Jasper were taken to work at Fish Stew Pizza. Bixbite, meanwhile, was now selling balloons. Army was now selling flowers, Teal Zircon was dragged out to become a taxi driver, Nephrite now worked selling snow cones, and Amethyst was still powerless to stop Steven.

"Wow, sure feels good to be helpful." Steven congratulated himself as he sat at a table at Fish Stew Pizza. "Hopefully everyone can get more experience outside of their comfort zones, but for now, I think I'm beat."

But just when Steven thought he could relax after a job well done, he instead got a pizza to the face. "Order up!" Zebra Jasper cried while she tossed more pizza at Steven and began messily cutting the pies up.

"Delivery, delivery, delivery!" Ocean Jasper yelled as she delivered pizzas by throwing them at passerby's outside.

"Here you go, and I'll take that." Leggy said to a downed person, handing him some flowers and taking his wallet. "Here you go." She added to a woman covered in pizza before taking her purse, and then triumphantly holding up the valuables while setting them on fire. "Yeah, mission complete!"

While Bixbite was handing out balloons, Ocean Jasper threw some pizza at her head, causing her to pop some of her merchandise and let the rest fly away. "Oh no, not the balloons!"

The balloons floated towards Andy's plane, giving Snowflake a shock and causing her to cover the aircraft in ice, making it lose control while the two screamed in fear.

Back on the ground, a car driven by Teal Zircon beeped loudly while it crashed into a lamppost, to the anger of her passenger. "Apologies sir, I have no idea how cars work." She apologized to her customer, who simply walked away in a huff. "Aw come on, not even a hug to make it up to you?!"

As Steven witnessed all the chaos he had accidentally created, he had only one thing to say. "I've made a huge mistake."

"Hit me with another Nephs." Amethyst ordered Nephrite to make her a syrupy snowcone at the arcade, oblivious to the chaos outside, when Steven came running in. "Oh hey Steven, want some?"

"No Amethyst, I need your help!" Steven panted in resignation. "Our brilliant plan is basically kaput. I tried to help all the Gems get out of their comfort zones, and look what happened!"

"See Steven, this is what happens when you don't listen!" Amethyst declared accusingly. "You didn't listen to any of my ideas today!"

"That's not true; the Gem mentorship thing is a great idea!" Steven tried assuring his friend.

"It was a great idea when the Gems were doing what they thought they were best at," Amethyst continued. "but then you came in and told everyone what you think they should do! Even me!"

"I was wrong." Steven admitted. "I should've put more trust in you with the program. I don't know why I thought I could just take it over like that! I'm so sorry for today."

"Well, I'm glad you came around Steven." Amethyst accepted his apology with a hug. "Cause right now, I think we have our work cut out for us."

Outside, Teal Zircon was trying her hardest to fix the car she crashed, but to no avail. When she noticed Steven and Amethyst looking at her, TZ changed her tune immediately. "Hey guys! Don't worry, I have this totally under control!" The car then burst into flames. "I'm being serious. Totally under control."

"Yeah, I can see." Steven replied sarcastically to Teal. "So what do you say Amethyst? Want to help me unhelp everyone I've helped?"

"Yeah, alright." Amethyst replied before noticing that Snowflake and Andy were close to crash-landing. With no time to lose, she dragged Steven by the arm out of the arcade, and they formed the chubby half-human fusion Smoky Quartz. "SMOKY!"

Summoning their yo-yo, Smoky Quartz tossed it at the plane and wrapped the string around its tail, but they accidentally cause the tail to break off and make everything worse. "Uh, oops."

While the plane kept spiraling out of control, Smoky bounded off Teal Zircon's destroyed car and summoned another yo-yo to keep them airborne. A third yo-yo was tossed soon after, forming a net that caught the plane and allowed Smoky to return it to the ground safely. "Hey guys, you cool?" Smoky giggled at their pun. "Get it, because of the ice?" The giggling soon ceased and they started panicking. "Anyways, I'm so sorry! You okay?"

"I'm fine." Snowflake answered while clambering out of the plane. "Except that I now have a fear of flying, so there's that."

"Seriously, my life flashed before my eyes for a bit." Andy added, adjusting his flight cap. "Good thing you came in for the save."

"Phew, thanks Uncle Andy." Smoky let out a sigh of relief before they turned to the havoc at Funland. "Gotta run, roller coaster on the fritz!" With that, Smoky made a run for the amusement park, in the process putting out the flaming car with the wind, where the Appalachian had now spun out of control.

"These are not the screams I was hoping for!" Larimar cried, unable to regain control of the ride.

Smoky Quartz began running faster as the coaster started to fall apart, all while having an inner argument with themselves. "Seriously, we're not gonna make it in time! C'mon, faster!"

"If you can save the universe Steven, then I can sure save a roller coaster!" Amethyst declared through Smoky.

"But saving the universe took time!" Steven replied hastily. "I don't have any time, and I sure won't take thousands of years to save this!"

As more of the coaster began falling apart, Smoky was in full panic mode. "Agh, what do I do?!"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Steven replied through their fusion, just as panicked. "Just give me a second!"

Suddenly, Smoky began turning pink thanks to the parts of them that came from Steven, and they suddenly started going even faster than before. Or rather, everything became slower.

"Whoa, cool!" Smoky gasped in amazement at their new form just as they made it to the Appalachian in time and jumped onto the broken rails. "Gotcha!" they exclaimed, but then they noticed how slow-moving everything and everyone had now become. With this sudden new power of slowing down time, Smoky decided to use it to their advantage.

At the front were Sour Cream and the ex-Mayor Dewey, whose hat was flying off his head from the intense speed. "Whoa okay, that goes there." Smoky muttered, putting the hat back on Mr. Dewey while borrowing Sour Cream's phone to take a picture of the three of them with, before returning the device to its owner. "Okay everyone, last stop!"

Smoky quickly got to work, taking all the humans out of the coaster, and safely returned them to the ground. As they were all tossed out of the ride and back onto the pier, they were dropped incredibly slowly due to the intense slowing of time. When Smoky rescued the last of the riders & safely returned them to the ground, time finally returned to its normal flow and they were no longer pink.

"Everybody's all safe and accounted for!" Smoky stated. "Now onto saving that coast-" They were too late to save the roller coaster as it went off the rails and launched off the broken rails into the ocean. "Ah well." They muttered. "Sometimes you can save the people from the roller coaster, but you can't save the coaster itself."

The coaster then combusted in the water, leaving a massive mushroom cloud in its wake. "And that's okay."

Later that day, Steven and Amethyst had successfully returned everything to normal and treated themselves to snow cones as a reward. Steven was mostly silent throughout, but Amethyst was ecstatic at how they had controlled time earlier as Smoky Quartz.

"Dude, that was intense!" Amethyst exclaimed. "We basically slowed time just like in one of those manga Lapis reads, but I'm bummed that it didn't come with the power to summon steamrollers. We were going so fast; everything almost came to a screeching halt!"

"Yeah, that was pretty nuts." Steven giggled anxiously.

"It was awesome!" Amethyst added, still super excited. The two of them looked around to admire what they fixed. Bixbite was back to working at Fish Stew Pizza, Nephrite was flying with Andy again, Teal Zircon swore never to drive a car again and the Rubies had now returned to defending the mayor.

"Now that I look at it, you were pretty spot-on with everyone's jobs." Steven confessed. "It just makes me wonder, you think I'm a bit too controlling?"

"Okay, maybe a teeny bit." Amethyst admitted to Steven. "As for me, I didn't just guess what everyone wanted to do. I actually sat down with all these Gems and asked what they wanted. Everyone has had a crazy history, so I felt they should be able to choose how they feel and what they should do in the future. I feel like I finally know what I needed to do; I just needed to figure it out for myself. But now, I feel like I'm just as good at helping Gems decide that for themselves."

"Yeah, you're right." Steven agreed.

"So, what about you?" Amethyst asked Steven. "Now that things are starting to settle down, what do you want to do? Come on, let's talk about your future! The doc is in, first session is free!"

"Thanks Amethyst." Steven laughed lightly. "But I don't know. I still want to help people, but I think I might be losing my touch."

Just then, Steven felt someone tap his shoulder, and he turned to see Larimar standing before him, with a large stuffed bear poorly hidden behind her. "Hello Steven, it's me, Little Larimar!" Larimar greeted Steven. "I got you a surprise. Can you guess what it is?"

"Uh, no." Steven answered, clearly noticing Larimar's bear, but he decided to play dumb to humor her.

"It's a teddy bear!" Larimar announced as she presented the bear to Steven, who took the toy kindly.

"That's so nice Larimar, thanks." Steven thanked Larimar. "But why did you get me this?"

"I got this for you as a way of saying thank you." Larimar responded. "I know I'm not great at handling the roller coaster, but I find myself excelling at giving things to others, like handing prizes to children! Oh, their joyous laughter warms me so. It sounds kind of like screaming!"

Steven and Amethyst were a little weirded out by Larimar's comparisons, but they were still happy she found something that made her happy.

"I think these Earth children quite like me too." Larimar continued. "I never felt so happy in my life."

Steven and Amethyst's nervous expressions turned into sweet smiles, but as the destroyed roller coaster drifted past them in the ocean, Steven made a shocking realization. "Oh my gosh, we forgot Onion!" he panicked seeing Onion still in the coaster, and Onion gave him a little wave, which eased Steven's nerves. "Eh, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Episode 3: Cracks and Buds

"Thanks for stopping by to help me with this painting while I help some of these Gems today TZ." Steven, wearing a doctor's uniform, thanked Teal Zircon while she stood before a painting of her former leader Rose Quartz. "Seeing this after all I've been through recently is kinda making me uncomfortable, so I want it moved somewhere else."

"Can do Steven!" Teal exclaimed while keeping her eyes on the painting, contemplating what to do with it. "Now where to put this."

First, Teal tried hanging the portrait above the temple gate. "Naw, no good."

Next, Teal went up to Steven's conservatory and thought Rose's serene expression would fit well among the greenery, but then changed her mind. "Hm, needs to be more grandiose."

Then, she tried going up to the temple's hand and hung it on one of the fingers. "Nice view, but I'm not sure."

Warping back down to Steven, Teal Zircon carried the Rose Quartz painting over to the kitchen and leaned it against the trashcan. "Hey Steven, you think this is a good spot?!" she called to Steven, who had just wrapped up healing a Ruby.

"Wait, in the garbage?" Steven asked as he walked over to the painting near the trash. "Why would you choose that place?"

"Well, it's simple really." Teal explained. "Y'all think Rose is trash now so therefore, she belongs with actual trash."

"No, it's not like that!" Steven objected to the Zircon's decision. "Rose may have done some highly questionable things, like faking her own death as Pink Diamond and lying to both sides for thousands of years, but that doesn't mean she should just be thrown away like that!" Before Steven could continue, there was a knock at the door. "Hang on, gotta take this."

When Steven opened the front door, he was greeted with tons of Quartzes with cracked gems and physical deformities. "Volleyball must've gotten real wild, eh?"

"You said it!" Biggs Jasper replied, sticking out a finger that had an eyeball at its tip.

A few minutes later, all the Quartzes were back to normal thanks to Steven, and they returned to their volleyball game while he waved them off. "Come again!" Steven cried. "But not like, too soon. Remember, volleyball isn't a contact sport!"

"Yo Schtu-ball!" Steven's father Greg called for him while he walked towards the beach house with Amethyst in tow. "Did you and that crazy Zircon find a good place for that painting yet?"

"No can do." Teal answered with a shake of her head.

"What she said." Steven agreed. "After everything that's happened lately, I don't know if I still want her hanging over us, y'know?"

"Hey, speaking of pink Gems, I think someone might wanna talk with you." Amethyst said, and she & Greg moved out of the way to reveal Pink Diamond's former Pearl standing behind them.

"Oh, it's you!" Steven exclaimed, recognizing Pink Pearl from when he managed to free everyone from White Diamond's control, including her. "What brings you to Earth?"

"I came here because I heard you might be able to help with this." The Pearl said, stepping forward while gesturing to her hideously cracked eye that extended to parts of her face and even a small portion of her hair.

"Well step right on in!" Teal Zircon exclaimed before she and Steven walked Pink Pearl into the house and sat her down. "You came to the right guy. You should've been here earlier. He was able to fix up all these Quartzes, including one that had an eye growing on her finger!"

"Thanks TZ, but let me take care of this." Steven said. "I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy." He began to lick his palm, which grossed Pink Pearl out. "Don't worry, it may seem gross but it gets the job done." He placed his healing saliva-covered palm on his patient's gem and waited for her eye to be healed. But sadly, nothing happened.

"Did it work?" Pink Pearl quietly asked.

"Maybe you should try touching her eye?" Teal suggested.

"That's exactly what I was going to say." Steven stated before he licked his hand again. This time, the spit went on Pink Pearl's injured eye. But just like last time, nothing happened. "This can't be right!" he said to himself. Steven rushed over to a plant and plucked off a leaf to double-check. He tapped on the stem the leaf came from, and out of it came a bouquet of flowers. "It's alright, my powers are fine."

"But what if there's something more to this?" TZ guessed, sitting down where Steven once sat right across from Pink Pearl. "Tell me, I've been told you were controlled by White Diamond once. I know this might be a touchy subject, but is there anything you remember from that time?"

"Nope!" Pink answered. "8,000 years just, blip! Gone!"

"So you don't remember getting cracked in the first place?" Steven asked.

"Oh no no." Steven's patient corrected him. "This was from before."

"So White must've hurt you at some point!" Teal guessed earnestly. "Is that right?"

"Oh stars, no!" Pink Pearl stated. "This was all Pink Diamond's doing!"

"My mom?!" Steven yelped at this revelation and began tensing up, turning a little pink in the process.

"Told you." TZ muttered, unintentionally making Steven more nervous already until Pink Pearl let out a gasp.

"Are you okay?" Pink Pearl asked Steven, who began to ease up more thanks to her.

"Sorry, it's just baggage." Steven let out a sigh of exhaustion. "And thanks a lot Teal."

"Oop, sorry!" Teal giggled nervously. "No hard feelings?"

"It's fine." Steven said to Teal and turned back to Pink Pearl. "Anyway, I think I know just the Pearl to help us fix you!"

As Steven took Pink Pearl outside, Amethyst joined the two as they began searching for Pearl. "So, I take it fixing her eye was a no-go?" she asked.

"You're right, and that's why we're looking for Pearl." Steven said. "You know where she is?"

Before Amethyst could answer, a stray volleyball zoomed past her, Steven and Pink Pearl. Right in front of them, the same group of Quartzes Steven healed earlier were playing a very aggressive round with Pearl serving as the referee.

"Think fast!" Angel Aura Quartz yelled before she spiked the ball towards Zebra Jasper's head, followed by Pearl blowing the whistle.

"Next set!" Pearl declared before she noticed Steven. "Oh, if it isn't my favorite medical professional. How's your clinic going?"

"Hey Pearl, you got a moment for she and Steven here?" Amethyst asked, pointing to Pink Pearl.

"Sure." Pearl accepted as she looked at Pink Pearl. "Did you come to compete?"

"Pardon?" Pink Pearl asked confusedly.

"I mean, in the volleyball tournament." The other Pearl blushed awkwardly.

"Actually, we came here because we need your help." Steven said.

"Okay, what can I do for you?" Pearl asked the two.

"So, this is Pearl." Steven introduced Pink Pearl to Pearl. "She was Mom's, I mean, Pink Diamond's Pearl too, a long time ago." Unfortunately for Steven, introductions quickly got confusing. "And Pearl, you remember Pearl? She was also Pink Diamond's Pearl, AGH! That's too many Pearls!" he snapped in befuddlement. "We should probably give you a nickname."

"A nickname?" Pink Pearl blushed in surprise.

"Yeah, a nickname." Steven repeated.

"Like how Steven calls Teal Zircon stuff like Teal or TZ." Amethyst said. "Maybe we could put an eyepatch over that eye and call you Captain Pearl!"

"Oh, I know what a nickname is." Pink Pearl stated. "It just reminds me of how Pink Diamond once gave silly little names to everything." She added, reminiscing on her former owner with a longing stare. "She was so funny like that."

"Looks like someone's still holding a torch, am I right?" Amethyst snarked. "Now if only I had an eyepatch lying around."

"How about-" Steven began just before a volleyball hit him in the face, and an idea hit him just as hard. "Volleyball!"

"Volleyball? You're so funny!" Pink Pearl, now known as Volleyball, blushed with a cute giggle. "You're just like her."

"No, I'm not like," Steven yipped in surprise. "Anyway, we're here because of the crack on-"

Steven was cut off however by the beach growing darker as a large rumbling sound rang out, and an equally large dagger-like silhouette descended towards them.

"Uh guys, is that who I think it is?" Greg rushed to join the Gems, as the shape grew closer to the Earth.

"Um, is whoever's in there with you?" Volleyball asked nervously.

"Yep." Steven answered, before the Human Zoo docked itself right in front of him. "They're with us."

"Ste-Van, greetings!" Wy-Six, one of the humans inhabiting Pink Diamond's former human zoo, merrily greeted Steven alongside Jay-Ten through the communicator in Steven's conservatory.

"Jay-Ten, Wy-Six, how did you get your space station all the way to Earth?" Steven asked just as cheerfully.

"We took the Zoo ship and made it into a cruise ship!" Jay-Ten answered.

"Um, I don't think I was told there were humans that made it to space." Volleyball stated.

"You were still under White's control when Pink had this human zoo made for her." Pearl suggested to Volleyball just as Greg, Amethyst and Teal Zircon arrived in the conservatory. "I'll fill you in later."

"Oh hey Jay-Ten. Hey Wy-Six." Greg nervously greeted the two Zoomans, whose pleasant expressions turned sour in his presence. "I haven't seen y'all since the Choosening!"

"You mean since you DIDN'T choosen us?!" Wy-Six said angrily. "Don't you have any sound discs to listen to in your wheeled conveyance?"

"Yes, yes I do." Greg replied as he nervously walked away from the conversation.

"Now that he is gone, we'd love it if you came by for a visit." Wy-Six offered.

"Sure thing." Steven accepted the offer. "Is it okay if Amethyst came along and saw the Famethyst?"

"You're right, I gotta introduce the Quartzes to them!" Amethyst exclaimed before preparing to run off. "Oh we're gonna have such a ball!"

"As long as she is not Ga-Reg, she is welcome." Jay-Ten smiled.

Since Steven had last been there, the Human Zoo had received a massive overhaul. Now that Era 3 came with the end of the caste system, the Famethyst and the Zoomans essentially took over control of the zoo from Holly Blue Agate and turned it into a paradise for themselves.

"Ste-Van, welcome to our cah-ruse!" Wy-Six declared, introducing Steven, Pearl, Volleyball, Amethyst and the Little Homeschool Quartzes to the new & improved Human Zoo.

"Wow, it looks so much different that last time." Pearl gasped in astonishment at how much change they brought to the space station.

"Um, was it always like this?" Volleyball asked the Zoomans.

"Kind of." Jay-Ten said to the Pearl. "We were descended from humans that were taken here and choosened, but it's all different now for us while the Amethysts and Jaspers laze around like delinquents! Am I right Holly Blue?"

"Stop relaxing and get back to your posts, you low class twits!" Holly Blue yelled orders to the relaxing Amethysts, despite the fact that she no longer had power over them. "How can anyone function with this total lack of order?!"

"Aw come on Holly, chill out." A Carnelian the size of Amethyst said while another Amethyst put a flower crown on the angry Agate's head. "You know you want to."

"I give up. No one answers to me, and I answer to no one." Holly Blue kept ranting, unaware that Steven and Volleyball were standing behind her. "I'd give anything for an order from the Diamonds, but all they ever talk about is Steven, Steven, Steve-STEVEN?!"

"Hi Holly!" Steven casually greeted Holly Blue. The Agate gave a stink-eye to Volleyball before nervously shuffling away while performing the Diamond salute, and ran off as her former subordinates laughed at her expense.

"Soon boy. Soon." Holly growled under her breath as she ripped the flower crown off her head and the doors slowly closed behind her. "That Pearl we made into a sleeper agent better work."

"Bye Holly." Steven said just as casual, unaware of what Holly Blue murmured.

"Yo, Famethyst!" Amethyst called to her fellow Quartzes. "Meet some of my new homies!"

"AMETHYST!" the Famethyst cried out happily before Amethyst spin-dashed towards the group and knocked them all down like they were bowling pins.

"Hey, you came here with Amethyst here?" a very skinny Jasper asked Zebra Jasper as she held up Amethyst. "You guys are gonna love it here."

As the large group of Quartzes laughed and played together, Steven looked on with a grin. "What a weird, happy family."

"Ste-van, we have some special friends we'd like you and your Pearls to meet." Wy-Six said to Steven and the Pearls before he led them out of the Zoo.

"They wanted to meet us?" Pearl asked in total confusion.

"Yes, it is they who wanted to come with us to Earth." Jay-Ten replied before they stood in front of the door that led to a room where so many Rose Quartz gems were bubbled by the Diamonds. "We cannot wait to see the look upon your faces when you see their faces! Ooh, here they come!"

The door opened, and standing before Steven, Pearl & Volleyball was a Rose Quartz with a face and hair eerily similar to the Rose that Pink Diamond had disguised as. While Steven and Pearl stood wide-eyed in shock, Volleyball was still left in the dark.

"Yes, that's the look we wanted to see!" Wy-Six exclaimed.

"I suppose she looks familiar to you?" Volleyball asked her friends, who were still silent in alarm as two more Roses, a medium pink-colored messy haired Rose with her gem on her shoulder and another with her gemstone on her chest and slightly straighter hair of a lighter color, rushed out of the room, where tons more formerly bubbled Rose Quartzes frolicked about.

"S-s-so many Rose Quartzes." Steven finally stuttered in surprise. "But how?"

"Now that it's Era 3, we were all unbubbled, so now we're making up for lost time!" the shoulder-gem Rose revealed excitedly while shaking Steven's hand. "Hi, I'm Rose Quartz! And you, you must be Steven!" she added while picking the boy up. "You're so much smaller than I thought you'd be! Is it because you're half-organic? Isn't he amazing Rose Quartz?"

"It's, like, we were bubbled but, like, now we're not." The chest-gem Rose pointed out while speaking like a hippie while her super-excitable companion presented Steven to her.

"Uh yeah, it's really great." Steven laughed awkwardly. "I'm glad to see you're adjusting well."

"Oh, isn't Steven just the best?!" the hyperactive Rose exclaimed. "You're so kind and friendly and brave and smart and handsome and gentle, and we haven't seen the Earth since we first emerged! Tell us, what's it like living there?"

The familiar-looking Rose Quartz peeked out from behind the hippie-like Rose, continuing to make Steven & Pearl nervous while Volleyball still looked befuddled.

"I'm sorry, what?" Pearl stuttered.

"You know, the planet you live on, Earth!" the happy Rose shouted as she lowered Steven to the ground. "What's a day in the life like for a hero like you?"

"Well, most days I am pretty busy." Steven answered shyly. "I wake up pretty early and-"

"Where's your house at?" the hippie Rose interrupted with a question of her own.

"Oh, we have a beautiful view of the ocean." Pearl answered.

"I've never seen the ocean before!" the exuberant Rose said, placing a hand on Steven's shoulder.

"I've never smelled it before." Her relaxed friend added as she placed a hand on Steven's other shoulder, making him even more disturbed. "Speaking of smell, what's it like breathing?"

"It's mostly nitrogen." Steven explained. "My friend Connie says-"

"I bet you sleep ALL the time!" the Rose that had pretty much become Steven's new number one fan cheered.

"Well, not all the time." Steven replied. "I only need eight to ten hours of sleep at night at my age."

"What's it like eating food?" the fangirling Rose squealed eagerly.

"W-w-w-well why don't you come to dinner and find out?!" Steven blurted out while looking at the shy Rose with a massive degree of unease. "That is, if you want?"

"I'm still lost. Why are Rose Quartzes such a touchy subject for you?" Volleyball piped up, breaking up the tension.

"Oh ye of little faith." Pearl declared as she put a hand on her fellow Pearl's shoulder. "You have so much to learn."

Just then, the Quartzes suddenly arrived via conga line led by Amethyst; seemingly unaware of what just happened. "Yo Steven!" Amethyst cried, before she turned catatonic at the sight of the Rose Quartzes with Steven and the Pearls. "Uh, what did I miss?"

"Family reunion." Steven answered meekly before the Quartzes conga-lined away. "So what do you say girls?"

"I'd love to Steven!" the shoulder Rose cheered and gave Steven a big hug. "Come on guys, Steven's having us over!"

"Like, wow man." The chest Rose replied. "You really are a real sweet guy Steven."

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up later!" Volleyball laughed while Steven and Pearl walked away with the Roses. When she was left completely alone, Volleyball hesitantly knocked on the wall and a peephole opened up. "I've come to report Holly Blue."

"Excellent, at least I have one bright spot." Holly Blue sighed happily from the other side of the wall. "Can you give me any important info?"

"Yes. Apparently this Rose Quartz they once spoke so highly of is a rather uncomfortable subject for the Crystal Gems." Volleyball said nervously. "I could see it in Steven, the Pearl and the Amethyst's eyes when they met those Rose Quartzes."

"The boss will like this." Holly Blue purred mischievously. "Return to that boy at once and see what else you can gather."

"That reminds me, I think I'd like to back out of this revolution." Volleyball murmured. "I know it's because of Pink Diamond that I'm like this, but Steven is barely anything like her! He even gave me a nickname!"

"You one-eyed moron!" the Agate yelled at the Pearl. "Our master has brought us together in the first place because Steven bent all of Homeworld to their knees by being a controlling brat, just like how Pink constantly threw tantrums because she didn't get what she wanted! Is that clear Pink Pearl?!"

Volleyball didn't listen however, and instead walked faraway from Holly Blue. "I still won't have any part in this." She declared hotly. "And by the way, they call me Volleyball now."

"What kind of stupid nickname is that?!" Holly shrieked furiously. "Get back and do as you're told, like the slave you are!" Her yelling fell on deaf ears and Volleyball was gone, leaving Holly to panic. "The master will not like this."

"He's cutting one of those carrot beans again." The excitable Rose announced as she, her fellow Roses, Garnet and Pearl watched Steven cut up some carrots on his dinner plate. "Going up…..into…his mouth!" she continued before Steven picked up a piece of carrot to eat. "Ah, and it's gone! No one can eat a carrot bean like you!"

"I've been doing this for most of my life now." Steven said, still unnerved by the Roses' obsession with him. "I'd hope that-"

"Hey Scthu-Ball!" Greg cheerfully greeted his son as he entered the beach house. "Any idea when the Zoomans will leave? I haven't had this many of my exes visiting since-"

"You must be Steven's human dad!" Shoulder Rose exclaimed. "Hi, how are you?!"

Greg completely stopped in his tracks at the sight of the three Roses, especially the one that looked almost exactly like his late wife. "I can feel the rest of my hair falling out."

Just as Greg was about to leave, Steven tried to stop him. "Don't go Dad. You wanna join us for dinner?"

"Nope!" Greg answered without hesitation, and left just as quickly as he came. As Mr. Universe left, Volleyball finally returned to Steven.

"Hi everybody, sorry I took so long." Volleyball fibbed. "Amethyst wanted me to stay a while."

"Uh…" Steven muttered.

"Okay, now back to this eating thing!" Shoulder Rose continued while she took Steven's plate for herself. "So, you take this food stuff and you put it in your face hole like this, right?"

"Yeah, that's basically it." Steven laughed nervously.

"Y'know, if I had my own Pearl, I'd totally, like, want it to be just like you." Chest Rose said as she gazed at a very unnerved Pearl. "You tried this butter stuff? It's real groovy."

"It's okay, but thanks anyway Roooooose." Pearl answered very uncomfortably.

"Excuse me Pearl, but are you alright?" the shy Rose Quartz asked Pearl.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Pearl abruptly declared and, as she stated, moved away to the bathroom.

"Yo, you're lookin' kinda tense." Chest Rose said to Garnet with a hand on the fusion's shoulder. "How about I give you a nice relaxing message while we talk?"

"I'm also in need of the bathroom!" Garnet stated and got up to follow Pearl to the john.

"Okay Steven, I think I got this eating thing down." Shoulder Rose proclaimed while holding a carrot from Steven's plate in front of his face like he was a little boy. "Here, open your face hole." With that, Steven reluctantly took the carrot and ate it. "Good job!"

"I, uh, should probably see how Garnet and Pearl are doing." Steven nervously said. "Why don't you talk to Volleyball here while I chat with them?"

As Steven left for the bathroom after Garnet & Pearl, the three Roses stared at Volleyball.

"So, what was it like as Pink Diamond's Pearl?" Navy Rose asked Volleyball.

"They're not her." Steven whispered to himself as he watched the Pearl talk with the Quartzes, with a hand on the doorknob. "It's not weird at all."

Steven found Garnet and Pearl waiting for him in the bathroom as he closed the door behind him. "So, how's it going?"

"Don't you think this is super weird?" Pearl asked her son figure. "I mean, we've lived without Rose for sixteen years now, and then here come these Rose Quartzes that were bubbled because of her! And one of them even looked like her!"

"Of course it's super weird Pearl!" Garnet answered bluntly.

"Come on guys, we can't all be like this." Steven tried to calm the two down. "It's like Pearl said, they were bubbled because they looked like Mom. Now they're finally free, and all we're doing is hiding away in the bathroom whispering to each other about the same thing."

"I know it's wrong," Garnet stated. "but I'm overwhelmed."

"You know what? They don't just look like her, they are here!" Pearl exclaimed. "Because she made them!" The ex-servant took a deep breath and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "I thought I'd be more prepared for this."

Just then, they heard someone rushing down the stairs, followed by a familiar voice. "Hey Steven, where are you?! I still need help with the painting!"

"That's gotta be TZ." Steven recognized the voice and prepared to go back outside. "You two wait here, I'm gonna go back out to make sure they're having a good time. And that they don't see the painting."

"Oh Steven, come out come out wherever you are!" Teal Zircon called for Steven around the house while she hauled the painting around on her back, when she noticed Volleyball and the Roses. "Oh hey Pink Pearl, who are your new friends?"

"Oh, you're that Zircon from earlier." Volleyball said. "I was about to tell these three Rose Quartzes about how I got my eye cracked when you came around. How are you doing?"

"I still can't find a good place to hang this doohickey that won't make Steven freak out." Teal explained as she flipped the painting off her back to show Volleyball. "I understand why he doesn't want it within his line of sight, but it's a very nice lookin' "meep morp" as I've heard some Gems call art."

As Steven finally emerged from the bathroom, he saw that Teal Zircon was presenting Rose's painting to Volleyball while the Roses looked on.

"I think we should leave." Navy Rose suggested. "We wouldn't want to overstay our welcome."

"But we're having so much fun!" Chest Rose complained, and the trio looked at Steven with hurt on their faces.

"Do you not want us here?!" Shoulder Rose asked Steven sorrowfully.

"N-no, you're totally welcome here!" Steven stuttered bashfully, taking a brief moment to glare at TZ for bringing up the painting at such a bad time as he slightly began to turn pink. "I-in fact, I think there's still something we should t-t-t-t-took, I mean talk about, like Volleyball! We haven't brought up your eye yet!"

"Oh yes, it's a real shame what White Diamond did to this poor thing!" Pearl dramatically agreed as she impulsively burst from the restroom, realizing far too late what she just did and covered her mouth in shame. "Oh, darn it!"

"Yeah, I mean, Steven's healing powers won't work on her eye." TZ replied. "Hey Pearl, you know a place where she can get fixed?"

"Well, when a Pearl was damaged, they're usually taken to the Reef." Pearl explained. "It's located on one of Saturn's moons

"Yes, that's exactly what Pink would do!" Volleyball chirped happily.

"Ooh ooh, can we come too?!" Shoulder Rose asked Steven and Pearl. "I always wanted to know how Pearls are made!"

"Oh sure, the more the merrier!" Steven accepted.

"That's so awesome!" Shoulder Rose yelled, and she dropped down to the floor. "I'm dying, I'm dying, I am dead! I am dead Rose Quartz!"

After they all had a good laugh, Steven, Pearl, Volleyball and the Roses all left for the Reef via Warp Pad, leaving Teal Zircon all alone in the living room. At least until Garnet peeped out of the bathroom. "I predicted you would play a role in screwing the pooch TZ." She coolly stated.

"Was it something I said?" Teal said meekly.

Far from Earth, past Saturn & Jupiter and on the moon called Titan rested the Reef, a Gem facility that was essentially the birthplace of Pearls. And it was just the place that Steven was looking for.

"Here we are." Pearl announced as the Warp Pad took her, Steven, Volleyball and the Roses to a clamshell-like building surrounded by water.

"So this is the Reef." Steven declared as he looked around the place.

"This is where Pearls are made, right?" Navy Rose asked.

"Were, but you're right." Volleyball answered. "It also serves as a luxury boutique and center for refurbishment & repair."

"Repair, yes!" Steven exclaimed. "Just what I needed to hear." When Steven pressed his hand on a nearby pedestal, the facility turned on and a voice similar to Pearl's spoke to the group.

"Welcome, Pink Diamond." The voice greeted Steven.

"No, my name's Steven Universe." Steven corrected the voice.

"Welcome, Steven Universe." The voice corrected itself. "My name is Shell, your guide to the Reef."

"Wow, it sounds just like Pearl!" Shoulder Rose chirped eagerly.

"Well, this is a place for Pearls." Pearl stated with a chuckle. "Anyways, tell Shell why we're here Steven."

"Okay." Steven said, and then he turned to Shell. "My friend Volleyball here has a big crack on her face, and we'd like to get it fixed. Can you show us where you can help?"

"Understood." Shell obliged as a path to the center of the facility was lit up. "Please follow the illuminated path to the Care Center."

"You really didn't need to go all this way for something so trivial." Volleyball smiled.

"It's not so trivial Volleyball." Steven assured Pink's former Pearl. "Soon, we'll all be able to put this behind us."

"And don't you worry." Pearl added while taking her fellow ex-slave's hand. "I'll be with you the whole way."

Steven and his Gem friends began following the lit path to the Care Center while they examined all the boutique's accessories and holograms of Pearls.

"This is like, so cool." Chest Rose commented. "Pearls are so lucky to get all this cool stuff."

"Please feel free to take your time looking at the boutique's latest offerings as we make our way to the Care Center." Shell instructed. One offering in particular caught Volleyball's eye.

"Look at these darling fans!" Volleyball exclaimed, pointing to an assortment of fans.

"I'm taking one of these for the road." Chest Rose snickered while taking one of the fans for herself.

"What about you Pearl?" Steven asked Pearl. "Any memories rushing back into you?"

"Please, nothing like examining all these glitzy tchotchkes to get you remembering the simpler days." Pearl scoffed when she found a ribbon wand on display. "I mean, who even needs something as tacky as a ribbon wand, right Volleyball?!"

"What a sweet ribbon wand!" Volleyball gasped at the wand on display. "It looks just like mine!" To demonstrate, she summoned a ribbon wand of her own just like what was displayed and began twirling it around. "It was a gift from Pink. Isn't it exquisite?"

"Ooh!" Shoulder Rose whooped in excitement.

"Takin' this one too." Chest Rose declared as she snatched the ribbon wand from its stand.

"It's sweet she gave you all these keepsakes." Pearl laughed sardonically. "But I don't think there's any need to get attached." She tried to remove the ribbon wand from Volleyball's grasp, but the other Pearl refused to lose it.

"Guys, can we keep moving already?" Steven said impatiently.

"Yes, let's." Pearl obliged grumpily before she stomped away to the Care Center. "I've had enough of this old circus of objectification."

"Welcome to the Care Center." Shell introduced the almost featureless round room to its guests as they stepped into it. "We have everything you need here to update and repair your Pearl."

"If only I had something to help us remember this trip by!" Shoulder Rose whispered to her fellow Quartzes as Volleyball stepped onto a panel in the middle of the Care Center.

"Hey, I got these." Chest Rose replied, holding up the trinkets she took from the boutique. "Can't wait to show everyone at the Zoo."

"Scanning in progress." Shell informed as the one-eyed Pearl was scanned for any injuries to her form.

"So how do I look?" Volleyball asked Shell, but the answer she got was nothing like she expected.

"I am sorry." Shell apologized. "There is nothing I can do."

"But I thought this place was for fixing Pearls!" Navy Rose exclaimed. "There's got to be some kind of misunderstanding!"

"That's right! What's wrong with her?" Steven agreed.

"There is no visible damage to her pearl." Shell analyzed. "Perhaps the damage was severe enough to impact her even if her gem shows no signs of disrepair."

"So, it's psychological?" Steven gulped at the AI's answer.

"That's absurd!" Volleyball laughed creepily while turning to the others. "I'm totally fine!" The forced smile on her face and the worsening cracks on her eye, on the other hand, told a completely different story.

"How could White be so careless?!" Pearl shouted furiously at Volleyball.

"Oh no Pearl, you got it all wrong." Volleyball revealed. "This was all Pink's doing."

"What did you just say?!" Pearl yelled in Volleyball's face, as Steven watched in horror.

"Ah dudes, I don't think Steven's looking too hot." Chest Rose muttered while she noticed Steven sweating very nervously.

"It's a real funny story." Volleyball said. "Once, Pink got so fed up with Yellow and Blue Diamond refusing to give her a colony that she went straight to White Diamond. Of course, White told her that she wasn't fit to have one, and that set her off."

"Set her off?!" Pearl shouted, currently unaware of the stress Steven was under at the moment. "What kind of crazy talk is that?!"

"You know how Pink's powers were so destructive, how she threw tantrums left & right and that her screams could crack walls!" Volleyball continued explaining, accidentally earning her more of Pearl's ire. "But she didn't mean to hurt me! I was just standing a little too close during one tantrum and-"

"It doesn't matter!" Steven yelled while averting his ears from more of his late mother's dark secrets. "I don't want to hear anymore, I just want to fix this!"

"Destructive powers? Tantrums?!" Pearl exclaimed in disbelief of what Volleyball was saying. "The Pink I knew was a healer who kept her feeling secret!"

"The Pink I knew couldn't keep a secret to save her own gem." Volleyball admitted.

"Are you kidding?!" Pearl replied as Steven's angst reached a boiling point. "If anything, she was too good at keeping secrets! In fact it was because of one secret that we're even here today!"

"STOP IT!" Steven finally screamed as he fully turned pink and his shout knocked the Roses off their feet, catching the Pearls' attention. "I've had enough with hearing about all the horrible things she did! I get it already, she was the absolute worst, can we just cut it out already?! I don't want to think about it anymore!"

"Steven, please!" Pearl cried out, shocked at both Steven's outburst and how it changed his body.

"I just want to fix it!" Steven exploded, causing a room-wide shockwave created by his fury, forming a crater beneath where he stood. Pearl rushed to the traumatized Volleyball's defense as the pink-colored Pearl curled up into a ball on the floor. When Steven finally calmed down, he gazed at his reflection in the broken floor and immediately regretted what he just did.

"I am terribly sorry for the troubles these defective Pearls have caused you." Shell coldly apologized while the whole Care Center turned an ominous red. "Rejuvenation is required to contain these two."

Suddenly, a pair of oyster shells emerged from the ground and began trapping the Pearls inside of them right before Steven and the Roses' eyes.

"Zoinks man!" Chest Rose yelled, a complete 180 from her usual hippie-like persona. "What do we do?!"

"We have to use our heads!" the panicking Shoulder Rose suggested, and her two sisters turned to face her. "Uh, what are you looking at me for?"

"When the process is complete, they will obey you without fail." Shell continued while pulling up a viewscreen showing the Pearls inside the clam-like trap.

"What have I done?!" Steven yelled frightfully while banging on the shells. "Please, let them out!"

In the midst of the chaos, a loud clanging noise was heard from the other side of the shell, which came from Chest & Navy Rose trying to use Shoulder Rose as a battering ram to help free the Pearls. "I didn't mean use my head!"

"Do not worry Steven Universe, your Pearls are about to be better than new!" Shell assured the boy while presenting him the viewscreen. "Feel free to examine this process from the outside using this screen."

While Steven was forced to watch as Pearl & Volleyball were writhing from the pink energy they were zapped with coursing through their forms, the Roses kept on using Shoulder Rose's head to try breaking them out.

"What are you three still doing?!" Steven cried out at them.

"We're just trying to help, uh doy!" Shoulder Rose yelled while rubbing her head.

"Can't you all take a hint?" Shy Rose stated. "He doesn't like us because we look like his mom, and us coming here made it worse!"

"There's no way that's true, right Steven?" Shoulder Rose began sobbing in disbelief.

"That's not important!" Steven replied. "What's important is that we have to save them!"

"Wow dude, not even considering our feelings?" Chest Rose said. "That's just cold!"

"Never meet your heroes." Shoulder Rose began crying.

"No please, don't leave me like this!" Steven yelled for them while they tried to escape the Reef. "You can still help me, it's just that you guys look so much like my mom! I thought I could finally move on from her, but then here you three come and start making feel all twisted up. I've been pretending I'm fine this whole time, but to be honest, I'm not."

"We've been pretending to be fine too." Navy Rose confessed.

"But not pretending to have fun with you!" Shoulder Rose added.

"And not pretending to take all this cool stuff." Chest Rose also stated.

"Your mom created us, and then we were bubbled because we looked like her." Navy Rose said. "Because we were Rose Quartzes. I don't really expect you to understand."

"But I do understand." Steven responded softly. "If anyone knows where you're coming from, it's me."

While Steven and the Roses were still outside, Pearl and Volleyball were on the verge of being rejuvenated into completely new Pearls, and used these last moments of their current selves to confide in one another.

"I'm sorry for not believing you!" Pearl apologized quickly to her fellow Pearl. "I just can't stop making all these excuses for her!"

"Is that what you've been doing?!" Volleyball asked while twitching in agony. "Like I said, she didn't mean to do this to me!"

"But you were hurt!" Pearl yelled. "Badly hurt!"

"You were badly hurt too!" Volleyball exclaimed. "But how did you stop all the hurt?!"

Pearl simply responded by hugging Volleyball tightly and proclaiming, "I didn't." When Volleyball hugged her back, the two began glowing in harmony.

"Don't worry Pearls, we got you!" Steven exclaimed as he and the Rose trio raced to the viewscreen just as it disappeared. "Oh no, are we too late?!"

Thankfully for Steven, his question was answered in the form of the clamshell exploding and from its remains came a fusion of Pearl & Volleyball, standing calm and confident. The fusion had a single gold eye while the other got its cracked eye from Volleyball, and was dressed in very regal attire.

"You fused!" Steven exclaimed joyously. The Roses were just as amazed, particularly Shoulder Rose who just kept squeeing in amazement.

"WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY SIGHTED!" Shell roared in alarm while activating the Reef's defense systems. "FACILITY DEFENSE PROTOCOL INITIATED!"

"We can cheer later dudes, we gotta bounce!" Chest Rose cried out as claws emerged from the walls. The Pearl fusion, however, detained all of the claws with elegant ease using a weapon that was Pearl's spear combined with Volleyball's wand.

"That's so awesome!" Shoulder Rose cheered. "Go Mega Pearl! Yeah, that's what I'm gonna call her, I call dibs!"

"Hang on everyone!" Mega Pearl exclaimed as she rounded up her four friends and sliced the Care Center's door open immediately after it was shut. Laser began firing from the walls, which Mega Pearl nimbly maneuvered through. But as one last defense, smaller clamshells tried to block the exit while tendrils emerged to keep Mega Pearl restrained.

"We were almost there!" Steven groaned in frustration, before Mega Pearl picked him and the trio up in her hand.

"You four take it from here." Mega Pearl said before she turned her ribbon spear in a lance that pierced straight through both the clams and the exit. She then tossed Steven, Shoulder Rose, Chest Rose & Navy Rose forward, and Steven used his shield to slide on as he reached for the pedestal to shut down the facility once again.

With the defense systems finally off, the door opened and Mega Pearl was lying gracefully on the ground, now free from the tendrils, and gazing tenderly at Steven.

Steven smiled back just as Shoulder Rose rushed up from behind him. "That, was, SO AWESOME!" she squealed and squished her cheeks in excitement.

"Best day ever." Chest Rose declared with her face to the ground and a thumbs up in the air.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Navy Rose sighed, exhausted but relieved that everyone was okay.

Unbeknowst to all the Gems as they left the deactivated Reef, a peculiar device left out some dying beeps in the Care Center, and then finally shut down.

Night fell by the time Steven and the Gems returned to Earth, and they all gazed out at the ocean together.

"Wow, everything looks so pretty at night." Shoulder Rose muttered in awe.

However, Steven was silent for most of the night, until he turned to Mega Pearl and the Roses. "I'm sorry that this whole trip was for nothing." He apologized to the fusion, and then turned to the trio of Quartzes. "And I'm sorry I made you guys feel bad."

"Nothing personal Steven." Chest Rose accepted the apology. "And like you said, no one could understand us more than you."

"Yeah. Guess that kinda makes us siblings in a way." Steven admitted.

"What does that mean?" Navy Rose said shyly.

"Well, my mom created you, just like how she created me." Steven guessed. "I think that would make you my sisters in a way."

"That sounds awesome!" Shoulder Rose cheered, and she gave Steven a big hug. "Siblings forever!"

"I'm glad to be related to you." Chest Rose agreed with the sentiment.

"I can't wait to tell all the other Rose Quartzes about this." Navy Rose said. "It was very nice getting to see Earth."

"This whole endeavor wasn't for nothing." Mega Pearl finally said softly. "Your mother's Pearls just never knew the whole story. One knew your mother as she was trying to change, but didn't know why. The other never expected her to change at all. But now, I can understand it all, and they can have each other."

With that, Mega Pearl unfused back into Pearl & Volleyball, holding hands and gazing out at the night sky. As Volleyball leaned on Pearl, Amethyst and the Little Homeschool Quartzes suddenly returned.

"Yeah, Famethyst for life!" Amethyst cried, accidentally ruining the mood as the others stared at her from behind. "Hey, what did I miss?"

"Oh, Steven!" Teal Zircon yelled as she raced towards Steven. "First things first, sorry for making your guests feel bad. And second, I think I finally found a place to put Rose! And no, I won't put her in the trash this time."

"That's great TZ." Steven smiled at the Zircon. "What did you have in mind?"

Later that night, Steven was lying peacefully in bed with Lion by his side. And within Lion's mane, Rose Quartz's painting leaned against the tree within its pocket dimension, no longer hanging over everyone.

"So she just up and left?!" a voice barked at Holly Blue Agate from a computer screen in a hidden room at the Human Zoo. "Why didn't you stop her?!"

"I tried your clarity, but she refused to listen!" Holly Blue pleaded on her knees. "Please forgive me, I can do better on whatever assignment you give me next!"

"Okay, I'll let this slide." The voice sighed, bringing joy to Holly Blue's face. "Return to Homeworld at once, I have another assignment for you. But in the meantime, what about that tracking beacon we planted on the Pearl?"

"It seems to have short-circuited, last I checked." Holly Blue declared. "Last known location was the Reef on Titan."

"And that's why you never send a Pearl to do, well, anyone else's job!" a slim, black figure wearing a white cape complained on the other end of the call via a green visor, pinching the gemstone replacing her nose in irritation as she arrived via Warp Pad at the Reef. "I'm already at the designated location. I'll keep you all updated with further orders."

Pushing the pedestal, the facility suddenly reactivated, to the figure's delight.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Episode 4: Bluebird

"Hello there, all you Gems out there in the universe!" Steven announced as he warped into Little Homeworld as part of a commercial for Little Homeschool. "Has this new era for our universe gotten you all lost and confused? Well, come on down to Little Homeschool!"

"Are you used to destroying things?" Steven continued speaking as he walked in on Lapis making a sculpture, and Lapis just turned her head to him. "Then try learning to be constructive instead!"

Next, Steven stood with Peridot in a cornfield. "Are you used to plotting? Then come tend to this big plot of land!"

Finally, the camera closed in on Steven's face. "Feeling lost without the Diamonds telling you what to do?" he asked as the camera zoomed out to show him doing a yoga pose with Garnet. "Then we can help you find your inner center!"

As the ad concluded, Steven posed with Peridot, Little Larimar, and Angel Aura Quartz at Little Homeworld. "Everyone deserves an opportunity to grow, so come on down to Little Homeschool today!" he exclaimed. "And cut! Thanks for helping out everyone."

"I'm an actor." Larimar said.

"I'll get home and get some editing done." Steven said, preparing to walk away with the camera when Peridot stepped up from behind. "Anything you need now, Peri?"

"Steven, you smell good." Peridot innocently complimented Steven with two thumbs up, much to his confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" Steven asked the green Gem.

"That's what your back told me to do." Peridot explained before she took a crudely written note with that exact message off Steven's back. "See, you wrote this yourself!"

"No, I didn't." Steven claimed as he took a sip from a box, but realized too late what he was drinking. "Tomato soup?!" he gagged.

"I thought you loved that stuff!" Peridot assumed.

"Yeah but, where did my juice go?" Steven wondered. Suddenly, a roll of toilet paper rolled away from the Dondai Supremo, and it was covered in more rolls. "Oh no!" Steven yelled in surprise. "The Dondai's been….covered in toilet paper?"

The mystery prankster was nowhere to be seen, with only their cheeky laughter as a calling card.

"Okay, whoever's pranking me, you got a really weird idea of how to do it!" Steven called out for his new opponent. "Where did they even get this much toilet paper?"

A little while later, Steven drove his now toilet paper-free car back home, where he noticed the front porch all decorated and music coming from inside.

"Another welcome party?" Steven muttered while noticing the welcome banner above his front door. "Oh, a new Gem must've come!"

As Steven walked inside, another banner saying 'Welcome Bluebird' hung over him and a piñata in his image were not too far away. Speaking with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl was an unknown Gem with a burgundy bowl-cut, four legs, a pair of wings, and a suit jacket that was red on one side & blue on the other.

"Oh, hello Steven, our new friend here really wants to meet you." Pearl greeted Steven.

"Yeah, come over here and introduce yourself!" Amethyst added.

"Welcome to Earth." Steven greeted the new Gem politely. "My name's-"

"Of course I know who you are. Everyone does!" the new Gem interrupted him in a Cockney accent as she turned around to reveal that she was a fusion and had both her components' gems on her face. But they were two Gems that Steven recognized a little too well. In place of the fusion's left eye was a Ruby, and beneath it was an Aquamarine. "The old Gem savior himself, Steven Universe. Bluebird Azurite at your service." she declared before hugging him. "Come on now, give us a hug!"

"Cute." Garnet grinned.

"Oh, you like food, yes?" Bluebird asked a very unnerved Steven.

"Uh, yeah?" Steven replied sheepishly.

"Well sit tight then, I'll be right back!" Bluebird said before she flew away.

"What?!" Steven yelled.

"Yeah, she's just got here and already knows what she wants to do in life." Topaz said as she appeared next to Steven. "Isn't that great?"

"Don't you find this weird that the Gem who treated you like trash is suddenly all nice now?" Steven asked the big yellow fusion. "Why are you so chill?!"

"That was the past, Steven." Topaz assured Steven. "This is now, all thanks to you."

Just then, Bluebird returned to Steven with a plate of food. However, all of them were known to cause allergic reactions in people, as he observed.

"What's all this?" Steven asked.

"Why, it's food, of course!" Bluebird said as she presented the platter. "Clams, peanut butter, with a side of grass! Go on, try it."

"Yeah, don't wanna keep her waiting." Amethyst convinced Steven to try the dish.

"S-sure, I'll just dip this here." Steven reluctantly obliged, and took a bite of the grass. "Mmm!"

"Is it good?" Bluebird asked him.

"Yeah, I love it!" Steven fibbed in an attempt to keep their guest happy.

"Brilliant." Bluebird added with a cheeky grin.

"Can I see you guys in the bathroom?" Steven asked the Crystal Gems.

Greg was busy combing his hair in the bathroom when his son knocked on the door.

"Dad, it's Steven." Steven called for his dad. "We're gonna need you to let us in, emergency meeting."

After Greg let his son and friends in, Steven sat the Gems down to tell them what he thought of Bluebird. "Gems, I don't want to alarm you, but I think Bluebird may be a fusion of Aquamarine and Eyeball!"

"Uh, duh!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"It was incredibly obvious." Garnet added.

"Well, why are you guys so blasé about this?" Steven asked his guardians. "Did you suddenly forget when Aquamarine & Topaz came down to capture all my friends, and I had to surrender myself to save them? Or what about when Eyeball tried to kill me when we were stuck in space together? She also ratted me out during my trial!"

"Like Topaz said, that was then, and this is now." Pearl calmly assured him. "Besides, aren't you contradicting yourself a bit right now? I mean-"

"But I'm pretty sure they pranked me earlier at Little Homeworld." Steven explained. "They put a sign on my back saying I smelled good, switched my drink with tomato soup, and covered my car with neatly-stacked toilet paper."

"None of that seems particularly malicious," Garnet said. "Heck, Amethyst probably did one of those things at some point."

"It's true!" Amethyst responded. "There was this one time before you were born where Rose and I threw toilet paper all over town because Greg told us about it!"

"Besides, don't you like tomato soup?" Greg asked his son.

"Yeah, but don't you find it weird that she knew where I lived?" Steven asked.

"Steven, you've literally invited all problematic Gems across the universe to come to Earth and learn a better way of living." Pearl bluntly said.

"Listen Schtu-ball, if you don't like this new Gem, that's perfectly okay." Greg stated. "Just don't be so upfront about it and hurt her feelings."

"No, you're right guys." Steven agreed. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

"But if she really is more than she seems," Garnet declared. "we'll come in and squash her!"

"Thanks Garnet." Steven smiled at his favorite fusion before returning to the living room.

As Steven walked out of the bathroom, while the other Gems and Greg poked their heads outside, he found Bluebird chatting it up with Topaz by the couch. "Hey Bluebird!"

"Oh, hello Steven!" Bluebird cheerfully greeted him. "I was just reconnecting with an old chum and thought 'Hey, I should've given him something to wash all that food down with!' Want a drink?" she asked, offering him a soda.

"I'd love one." Steven accepted Bluebird's offer. "Y'know, maybe you two have changed." Just as Steven opened the can, soda squirted back in his face.

"Oh my, how did that happen?" Bluebird cheekily asked.

"YOU obviously shook it!" Steven accused the fusion of his old foes, when Garnet cleared her throat behind him.

"Chance to change." Garnet told Steven.

"You obviously shook it," Steven grumpily corrected himself. "By accident."

A while later, the party was over and everyone had left the beach house. As Steven walked downstairs to the living room, he discovered Bluebird holding a knife while Pearl was looking for something in the fridge.

"Pearl, watch out!" Steven cautioned Pearl. "Bluebird's got a knife!"

"Of course I did." Bluebird menacingly answered, but then immediately changed her tune. "Because I wanted to help cut this cake Pearl made for you!"

"Surprise!" Pearl exclaimed, presenting a cake with vanilla frosting that she got out of the fridge. On top of the cake was Steven's portrait, but his facial features were replaced with a butt. "Bluebird chose the design for me. You like it?"

Steven glared suspiciously at Bluebird as he stuck his finger in the cake, and licked the frosting off it.

Later on at Little Homeworld, Steven walked around to collect his thoughts when he discovered Bluebird grabbing Garnet and putting her in a wrestling hold. "Oh no, someone help! Bluebird's got Garnet!" he shrieked. "You let Garnet go this instant!"

"Don't fret Steven." Garnet calmed Steven's nerves as she was let go. "Bluebird was helping me do some stretches before I could teach her some yoga."

"Always important to stretch." The other fusion informed, eliciting an angry moan from Steven.

Back at home; Steven was angrily eating some Chaaaaps when he felt something that wasn't a chip inside the bag in his lap. In the bag, Steven discovered a poorly-drawn purple sketch of him with stink-lines surrounding him. "Ugh."

"What's up dude?" Amethyst asked him.

"Bluebird's really getting to me!" Steven complained as he showed the drawing to Amethyst. "I mean, look at this terrible drawing of me!"

"Steven, I-" Amethyst recognized the drawing as Steven scooped out more of them from his jacket.

"All of these too!" Steven cut Amethyst off. "I've been finding these awful scribbles all over!"

"Steven, these were all my drawings of you!" Amethyst began sobbing, and she ran away in tears.

"Amethyst, I'm sorry!" Steven tried apologizing to his Gem sister when Bluebird walked into the house.

"Aw, dry those tears, love, and tell me what's wrong." Bluebird comforted the bawling Quartz.

"Steven killed my art career before I could even get it off the ground!" Amethyst cried while Bluebird picked up her drawings.

"I don't know what art is," Bluebird said as she examined Amethyst's art. "but these are really good! They do need a little work, but I can help."

"Awww, thanks Bluebird!" Amethyst immediately cheered up. "In fact, I'm gonna do some more art right now! Wanna come?"

"Lead the way Amethyst!" Bluebird agreed, and the two left the house while Steven dropped his bag of Chaaaaps to the floor and angrily crushed it flat.

"Come on you flying rat; you can't be far." Steven growled as he searched Beach City for Bluebird, looking for something that would expose her components for being more than they seem, when he came across his father's car wash. "Oh, hey Dad!"

"AAAAAH!" Greg screamed from his Mister Universe van, catching Steven off-guard as he raced to the van.

"Dad, are you okay?!" Steven cried, finding the source of Greg's screaming to be him and Bluebird watching movies together.

"Hey Steven." Greg calmly greeted him. "I was just showing Bluebird my old-timey sci-fi horror flick collection."

"It's hilarious how poorly made they are!" Bluebird cackled at the flick she was currently watching. "Some of these 'special effects,' as he calls them, are so old-fashioned!"

"So what's going on, son?" Greg asked Steven, who forced a fake smile on his face. "And what's with your face? You're kind of creeping me out."

"I'm fine, Dad." Steven assured him as he walked away with creepy fake smile and all. "Everything's fine."

"And to make matters worse, they think those two have changed even after all the horrible things they did to us!" Steven later vented his feelings on Bluebird to Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth at Little Homeworld. "Please, you guys, I need someone to be on my side for once!"

"Oh, we're on your side Steven." Lapis assured her half-human pal, much to his relief. "After what Navy pulled, I don't really trust those Rubies all that much, especially her and Eyeball! Those other three working for the mayor, they're just meh."

"I don't trust Aquamarine either." Peridot added. "That blue runt's high and mighty attitude just keeps rubbing me incorrectly!"

"Don't you also hate Aquamarine because it's basically because of her we separated for a bit?" Lapis asked Peridot, who was just silent as she nervously looked away. "It's okay, you can open up to me."

"No way, she's not that petty!" Peridot said as she tried to hide her distress. Despite what the little Gem was saying, her body language told a whole different story.

"I just find Bluebird really creepy." Bismuth stated. "There's just something about that voice combined with her facial expressions that really give me chills."

Just then, a very loud clanging came straight from Bismuth's forge, and Cherry Quartz rushed out to see the four. "Bismuth, it's your forge! Someone's made a huge mess of the place!"

"Oh no!" Bismuth cried as she rushed to her forge to discover that the whole floor was now covered in all the weapons she helped build. "How could this have happened?! I was so careful to organize everything today!"

"Maybe Bluebird didn't like that you called her creepy." Peridot guessed.

"Well, I know something I hope they really won't like." Bismuth growled with determination. "Of course those little runts realize, this means war!"

Later that day, Bluebird had returned to Little Homeworld and was currently being given a tour of the town by Lapis, yet the fusion was unaware she was being led into a trap.

"Y'know, I'm feeling pretty parched." Lapis remarked sneakily. "You want a drink too?"

"Golly, I thought Gems didn't need sustenance." Bluebird wondered aloud.

"They don't really need to, but some Gems on Earth just like to eat." Lapis answered as they walked up to a conspicuous cooler filled with soft drinks. "Now then, which would you like? We got soda, OJ, purple stuff, two kinds of this other type of orange juice."

"I'll have the purple stuff!" Bluebird cheerily answered. Lapis took a purple soda can from the cooler and gave it a good shake, giggling all the way, before handing it to Bluebird and then turning away from her while plugging her ears.

After a few seconds, nothing happened, and Bluebird didn't drink the purple stuff. "Where's the kaboom?" Lapis wondered as she turned back to Bluebird. "There was supposed to be a big carbonated kaboom!"

"Oh, there seems to be something wrong." Bluebird observed the can slyly before handing it back to the terraformer. "Do you think you can help?"

But as Lapis realized, Bluebird didn't even open the can at all. "What the?!" she stuttered while taking the can from the small fusion. "You didn't even open-" When Lapis opened the can of purple stuff herself; she got a face full of the drink squirting directly in her face instead. As Bluebird laughed heartily, Lapis angrily crushed the can and glared back as Bluebird flew away.

"I already tried that trick Lazuli!" Bluebird cackled. "Try something original next time!"

Lapis's eye began to twitch as she dropped the can to the ground, fighting the urge to just launch Bluebird into space with a water fist.

"This is something humans like to do with their disposal units." Peridot explained to Bluebird as they stood by a metal trashcan atop the hill where the lighthouse sat. "You just insert yourself into the unit and just roll it down this hill. Now then, would you like to go first?"

"No, maybe you should go first." Bluebird suggested while offering Peridot a pair of rather unusual looking gloves from one of her gemstones. "And take these too. Safety first!"

"Where did you get these gloves?" Peridot asked as she put the gloves on. "They seem like old Homeworld equipment."

"Just found them lying around one day, nothing too important." Bluebird fibbed just as Peridot entered the trashcan. "Okay, are you ready chum?"

"Let 'er rip!" Peridot yelled from within the can before Bluebird kicked it, and it rolled down the hill with Peridot inside it. "ISN'T THIS FUN BLUEBIRD?!"

"Oh yes, plenty of fun." Bluebird snickered and walked away backwards from where the trashcan once stood.

"Wait, where are you going?" Peridot called as the can continued rolling. She tried to stop it with her ferrokinesis, but they didn't seem to work. "My stars, these old gloves are nullifying my powers!" she realized, and turned her attention to Bluebird in anger. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS YOU CLO-"

However, Peridot couldn't finish when the can finally collided with a wall, and her head poked out in a daze. "You're despicable." She hissed hatefully while stars danced around her head.

"Well, guess it's all up to me now." Bismuth declared to herself with Lapis and Peridot's failures to prank Bluebird. She now stood alone at the Warp Pad at the center of Little Homeworld where the barn once stood, in front of a mixer filled with lava. "She ain't ever gonna know what hit her."

"Who isn't going to know what hit her?" Bluebird asked rhetorically before she poured the lava in the mixer on Bismuth, though Bismuth barely felt a thing.

"You know this literally does nothing to Bismuths, right?" Bismuth asked as Bluebird took her leave.

"What happened to you guys?" Steven asked the soaked Lapis, dizzy Peridot, and mildly irritated Bismuth as they reported back to him on their efforts in the prank war.

"Bluebird saw my prank coming since she already tried it herself." Lapis answered.

"My mental powers were nullified by these old Homeworld gloves." Peridot added as she presented the gloves. "I think I'll keep them for further study."

"I barely got to do anything before Bluebird turned my own prank against me!" Bismuth whined in defeat.

"Oh, come now, put a smile on your face." Bluebird said as she landed behind the four. Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth turned around to see the little fusion before them, and immediately dropped to their knees with hands out and heads bowed. "Now, what's all this for?"

"We now recognize you as a superior prankster." Lapis declared.

"And now we must grovel in your presence!" Peridot theatrically added.

"We shall concede from this prank war, in recognition of the superior tricker." Bismuth stated.

"Guys, you can't just give up this easily!" Steven yelled angrily before he noticed his body taking on a slight pink hue. "That's four times now." He said to himself. "This can't be healthy."

"Oh, well, thank you all for the compliments!" Bluebird thanked the other three Gems. "Hopefully we can get up to more mischief together someday!"

As Bluebird flew away, Steven stomped to the Warp Pad and used it to return home with barely a word.

"Steven wait, we're sorry!" Peridot cried as Steven vanished from Little Homeworld.

"He's right. We gave up a little too easily." Lapis agreed with her Beach Summer Fun Buddy. "Maybe we should go apologize to him in the morning. You wanna come with Bismuth?"

"Sorry, I got a whole day of cleaning up the forge ahead of me." Bismuth rejected the chance. "But be sure to tell me if things turn out okay."

The next morning, Steven woke up in his room, the events of yesterday still fresh in his mind. From Bluebird's arrival, to almost no one believing him when he claimed that she was up to no good, and finally the help of the B-team proving pretty much useless, it was a very hectic day for him.

When Steven went downstairs to the bathroom, he discovered Bluebird's gemstones drawn on his face in the mirror. "Oh, haha." He muttered. "Very funny Bluebird."

Just then, the Warp Pad activated, followed by the sound of tires screeching. As Steven rushed out of the bathroom, he found Greg's van somehow in his living room, a trail of tire tracks left behind in its wake. "How did the van?" Steven asked himself in sheer confusion. "Oh, gotcha. I guess Bluebird and Dad must be having a ball." Just then, he heard someone cry out. "I guess they're watching another of his horror movies. I'm sure everything's fine."

Greg's cries for help proved otherwise, and Steven bolted outside to search for his human father. "It's okay Steven. Bluebird is cool." Steven assured himself. "Dad?"

"Up here son!" Greg screamed as Bluebird dangled him by the ankle on the roof.

"Are those screams of fun?!" Steven called.

"No they ain't!" Greg exclaimed. "Please help me, you were right!"

"An era ago, there were two Gems worshipped on Homeworld for their attempts on the life of their greatest traitor!" Bluebird declared. "But when he brainwashed everyone into worshipping him, those two were cast out and now have come to Earth for revenge!"

As Bluebird leaped into the air, she began to unfuse. "And now he shall rue the day he ever crossed-" To cap off her speech, Bluebird's components finally revealed herself.

"Aquamarine!"

"And Ruby!"

Steven and Greg didn't have anything to say to the two old foes.

"Well, it's us!" Aquamarine cried impatiently.

"Yeah, it was us all along, and no one ever knew!" Eyeball added.

"I always knew. Everybody knew." Steven replied. "You were really poor at hiding it."

"Well if you knew, why was everyone so nice to us?!" Eyeball yelled.

"Because we're nice!" Steven argued. "Something you don't know about!"

"Nice people, my facet!" Eyeball shouted. "You left me to rot in space!"

"And it's because of you that I'm a disgrace to our kind!" Aquamarine agreed. "Ugh, enough of this!" she groaned angrily before grabbing Greg again, this time by the hair, while Eyeball pulled her chisel from her gem.

"Hey, careful with my dad!" Steven cautioned the pair of angry Gems as he summoned his shield. "If this is another one of your pranks, then I'm not laughing, so you better cut it out!"

"That was just something to soften you up." Eyeball declared menacingly. "Now, the real torture begins!"

"We learned so much about you and your life Steven," Aquamarine taunted. "especially how you love My-Dad so much! But if you want him alive, you'll have to agree to our demands. Like destroying your home!"

"Yeah!" Eyeball added.

"Bubbling your friends and handing them over to us!" Aquamarine continued.

"YEAH!" Eyeball began getting more sadistically pumped up.

"And burning that silly Little Homeworld to ashes!" the little blue Gem stated.

"DO IT!" Eyeball shouted.

While Aquamarine and Eyeball were threatening Greg's life, they were caught off-guard by a few water droplets from above, coming from Lapis's wings as she and Peridot flew to see Steven.

"Oh crack, those two." Eyeball growled at the barn-mates while Lapis touched down to where Steven was standing.

"Hey Steven, we wanted to stop by because we didn't get a chance to apologize for yester-" Lapis began explaining to Steven, but immediately got distracted by the current situation. "Um, did we miss something?"

"It's Aquamarine and Eyeball!" Steven panicked. "They're out for revenge and they want me to do horrible things or else Dad gets killed!"

"Of course you'd sink that low, you filthy outcasts!" Peridot snarled at the other short Gems. "First, you took Steven away Aquamarine, and that led to some of the worst days of my life! Now, I'm gonna make you pay dearly!"

"Oh, here are some friends you can poof boy." Aquamarine told Steven. "Go on, listen to us for once."

"Never!" Steven rejected.

"Then My-Dad gets it!" Aquamarine threatened, but Eyeball was a little confused.

"Gets what?" the Ruby asked quizzically.

"Gets it!" Aquamarine scolded her partner. "It's like in those movies he showed us."

"Oh right!" Eyeball realized with a malicious laugh, and prepared to kill their human captive. However, Greg wasn't going to take this lying down.

"That's enough!" Greg yelled as he snatched Eyeball's chisel from her hand and used it to free himself by cutting his hair short, causing him to fall from Aquamarine's grasp.

"No!" Steven yelled.

"I got you!" Lapis exclaimed, summoning forth a water hand to catch Mr. Universe with. "Are you alright?"

"Just bereft of my glorious locks." Greg said mournfully when Aquamarine dropped the remainder of his hair next to him. "Oh my baby!" he cried before rushing to comfort the clump of hair.

"How could you let this happen, you meager soldier?!" Aquamarine yelled at Eyeball.

"You were distracting me!" Eyeball argued.

"I was directing you, My-Dad just caught us by surprise!" Aquamarine talked back.

As Steven, Peridot and Lapis watched the two enemy Gems bicker, Steven turned to his mourning dad. "Father, get inside."

"I'm sorry, Steven." Greg said boldly. "But after how they dangled me off the roof and made me lose my hair, I want in!" Just then, he got an idea. "In fact."

After whispering something into his son's ear, Greg fist bumped Steven, and it caused the two to glow right before everyone else's eyes. And as a result, the father and son fusion Steg was reborn, this time with a mullet in addition to his massive pompadour.

"He can fuse with humans?!" Aquamarine shrieked in surprise. "We were never told this!"

"Oh my stars!" Lapis and Peridot gasped in unison.

"This one goes out to all awesome hair across the stars." Steg boomed while summoning a double-necked guitar that he began playing. "I call this one, 'We Ain't Gonna Let You Get Away With This!'"

"Three against two?" Eyeball said nervously. "Y'know, I think maybe it's time we-" She was cut off by Steg braining her with his guitar while he turned pink.

"If you're saying we should run or surrender, you are sorely mistaken!" Aquamarine yelled while dodging attacks from Lapis. "They fused just now, somehow, so we must fuse in order to win!"

"Fine, whatever." Eyeball groaned as she noticed Peridot scampering into the house and racing back out with a kitchen knife to match the Ruby's chisel.

Eyeball raced away from the green Gem in fright and grabbed onto the fleeing Aquamarine's hand in an attempt to fuse, but it was cut short by the combined forces of their disharmony and Steg throwing Steven's shield between them that sent them flying face-first into the sand.

"What was that?" Eyeball asked.

"That was bad form you corun-dummy!" Aquamarine insulted. "Try again!"

The two of them attempted to fuse again, and again, and again, but every time resulted in failure. "That's it!" Eyeball yelled. "I've had it with you!"

"Tsk tsk tsk." Steg tutted smugly as he returned to his normal self and approached the arguing duo. "You guys only fused to get revenge on me, didn't you?"

"Yes, that's exactly it!" Aquamarine replied. "The only problem is she's too much of a moron to keep us together!"

"Me the moron?!" Eyeball shouted. "You're way too much of a bossy-boots!"

"If that's the reason, then I can see why you can't keep it together." Lapis stated from experience.

"What are you three talking about?!" Aquamarine asked scornfully.

"There are so many other reasons to fuse." Steg explained. "Like friendship, responsibility, maybe even love."

"Imagine how much better your lives would be if you fused to support each other instead of wanting to ruin someone's life." Peridot agreed with the massive fusion.

"She's right." Steg continued. "Your life would be filled with so much love and joy and friendship and warmth and-"

"Yes yes, blah blah blah!" Aquamarine rudely cut Steg off. "Ugh, love is so annoying!"

"I hate it as much as I hate Steven!" Eyeball agreed, but then the two realized something they had in common.

"Yeah, me too!" Aquamarine and Eyeball declared to each other as they fused back into Bluebird, much to Steg's irritation.

"This is bad comedy." Steg facepalmed as Bluebird triumphantly returned.

"Ah-ha, back in business!" Bluebird announced before summoning a cutlass made out of ice to attack Steg with, but he blocked the sword with his shield.

"En garde!" Bluebird cackled with a swing of her sword, spawning ice projectiles that turned into smaller cutlasses landing on the ground.

"Steven, why is the van inside the house?" Pearl asked while she, Garnet, and Amethyst emerged from the beach house as the fusion fight went on.

"Whatever Greg did, can you tell him to stop?" Amethyst asked before she let out a loud scream at what they were seeing. "Hey, is that Steg?!"

"We can explain everything, honest!" Peridot tried to apologize for everything that's happened.

"No need." Garnet boomed stoically while glaring daggers at Bluebird, continuing to swipe at Steg's shield.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Bluebird shrieked violently when she noticed a certain group of three angry Gems. "Oh, if it isn't my favorite trio!" she exclaimed while innocently hiding her cutlass behind her back.

The Crystal Gems responded by fusing together into a very grouchy Alexandrite who towered over Bluebird Azurite and raised one hand forward.

"Oh no." the rogue fusion whimpered before she was squashed flat by Alexandrite. As Alexandrite un-fused back into Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl, Steven & Greg un-fused and gazed at the groaning Aquamarine & Ruby.

"Are you two okay?" Steven asked while Greg raced to collect his cut hair.

"Oh no, we have been defeated!" Aquamarine theatrically declared. "Now we'll be forcibly indoctrinated into your lifestyle like every Gem before us!"

"Yep." Eyeball replied as she rubbed her head.

"I've completely learned my lesson." Aquamarine stated. "I'm sorry Steven. Please accept my apology so that we may become defenseless pacifists just like you." When she extended a hand to Steven, Steven brought his out too, expecting to give her a handshake, but she childishly snatched her gloved hand away. "GOTCHA!"

"Don't you run away you runts!" Peridot yelled while Aquamarine took Eyeball's hand and they flew away.

"You rebels may have gotten us this time, but we'll be out there!" Aquamarine declared haughtily.

"Hating you!" her Ruby partner added.

"Forever!" Aquamarine concluded as they flew far away from the Gems, presumably never to be seen for a long time.

"You smell!" Eyeball jeered as loud as she could.

"Think we'll really see them again?" Lapis wondered.

"Who knows Lapis?" Garnet replied. "But if they pull off what they did just now, we'll be there."

"I guess there are Gems out there who still hate your guts." Amethyst contemplated.

"Well, I'm not the only one they wanted to hurt." Steven replied while looking at Greg, sitting by the ocean with his hair in his arms. "I'm really sorry, Dad." Steven apologized to his father while sitting by him. "I never should've given Bluebird a chance."

"I love how you believe in everyone." Greg sighed to his son while drying his tears. "You stuck to your principles, and that made me proud. But sometimes, some people don't want to change."

"Yeah." Steven sighed as well, before Greg let his hair drift in the water.

"See you around, old friend." Greg bid farewell to his locks. "You're finally free."

Later that day, Aquamarine and Eyeball continued giggling as they found somewhere safe to hide in the woods close to Beach City.

"You have to admit, it was hilarious how that My-Dad was so attached to his hair." Eyeball admitted to her blue cohort.

"I mean, it's just hair!" Aquamarine agreed. "But enough about mocking others' misfortune, give me the communicator."

"You got it." Eyeball obeyed and began searching around her person for what her new friend requested. "Uh, where is it again?"

"In your gem you dolt!" Aquamarine yelled.

"Oh, right." Eyeball realized, pulling a black, octahedral object from her gemstone and handing it to Aquamarine. After Aquamarine gave it a few turns, the object slowly rose above the two and transformed into a screen displaying a coded message.

"Your clarity, we have garnered some minor success on our espionage mission." Aquamarine announced to the screen while positing her arms in a rectangular salute. "Though our cover was blown, we now know that he can somehow perform fusion with humans. Tell us, do you have any further orders?"

The screen replied by giving a coded message to Aquamarine that Eyeball couldn't understand. "Uh, what's it saying?" Eyeball asked.

"It's saying we must return to headquarters and await further instructions." Aquamarine translated the message. "A craft is being sent to our current location to bring us back."

As Aquamarine declared, a small, orb-like white space pod with a single red window at the entrance instantly warped to Earth via lightspeed and opened its door for the two Gems to board.

"Haha, just you wait Steven!" Eyeball shouted to the sky. "Your precious little family will soon be done for!"

The two little Gems cackled evilly as they entered the pod, and it blasted off back into space. But they didn't realize that a certain orange Gem was watching close by, and had a disgruntled look on her face all the while.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Chapter 5: Snow Day

On one freezing winter's day in Beach City, snow began to fall from the sky at Little Homeworld, marking another snow day for many of the Gems living there and the first for those just joining Little Homeschool, including one Gem in particular.

"Hey, what's with all this white stuff that's got so many Gems excited?" Teal Zircon wondered, reaching out to try and grab some snowflakes in her hands. Unfortunately for her, the snowflakes instantly melted with her touch. "Aw!"

"That's what they call snow TZ." Little Larimar informed her fellow corruption victim as she helped Snowflake Obsidian build an igloo. "It's what happens what water in the clouds gets super cold and drops from the sky like rain. It's where Snowflake here gets her name from."

"Hey, snowball fight!" Snowflake cried out as she bundled together a large amount of snow to make into a snowball, and she tossed it straight at Teal Zircon. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"Okay?" Teal asked as she slowly emerged from the giant snowball. "I'm better than okay!" She then began to form a snowball of her own from Snowflake's snow to make hers. "I wanna fight!"

Unfortunately, TZ's snowball was incredibly poorly made and fell apart when she threw it.

"Come along; I'll show you how to make a good snowball." Larimar said to the Zircon. "But in the meantime, I have my own battles to fight."

Larimar picked up some snow of her own to form into projectiles, and manically tossed them everywhere with a creepy grin on her face. "YES! YES, TREMBLE BEFORE MY SUPERIOR THROWING SKILLS!"

Elsewhere, Steven woke up from a good night's sleep and turned off the alarm on his phone. "All right, Little Homeschool, what's on the itinerary today?" he muttered while picking up his phone and examining the schedules he had lined up. "Let's see, Gem-Teacher Association meeting this evening from 4:00 to 5:00, clinic tomorrow at 3:00, interpretive dance class today at noon; might have to find someone to cover for me there, baseball practice tomorrow morning and volleyball game next week."

After reading off the schedule, Steven gave himself a good stretch before getting out of bed. "You can do it!"

After getting dressed and heading downstairs, Steven immediately got to work on preparing for his day by pouring some water when Amethyst came strolling in with fried eggs over her eyes.

"You really gonna skip the most egg-ssential meal of the day?" Amethyst cracked a pun while pointing to the eggs.

"Of course not." Steven stated, barely even noticing her joke. "I've got all the nutrients I need in my protein shake."

As Steven walked away, Amethyst sadly poked at the yolks on her face. "Dude, you're making me sad."

"Steven," Garnet called with a backpack shaped like a cheeseburger in her hands. "I packed everything you need for today in your old cheeseburger backpack."

"Uh, I don't really need that thing anymore." Steven abstained from taking his childhood bag while presenting the satchel he packed. "Besides, I already got one."

"At least pet this cat." Garnet replied, cuing her one-eyed Calico Cat Steven to emerge from the backpack with a meow.

"Why was I going to need-" Steven began getting more miffed before stopping himself. "Never mind, I gotta go."

"Hold it!" Pearl stopped Steven in his tracks while gazing at her phone. "According to my weather application, we're expecting quite a bit of snow today and tomorrow." She revealed while showing the current temperature off and held out some winter clothes to put on him. "You're going to freeze if you don't put on a puffer, a hat and two scarves. Okay, maybe three would do."

"Pearl, I need to go!" Steven muffled beneath the scarves, preventing Pearl from wrapping a third one around his neck.

"But classes don't start for another couple of hours." Pearl said.

"Wait for us." Garnet suggested as she took the scarf from Pearl and wrapped it on her neck. "We can come with you."

"Why even take that old Dondai when you can just use the Warp Pad?" Amethyst pointed out as she slurped the eggs off her face.

"Because I have errands I need to run before class." Steven revealed. "Now then, can I please go now?"

"You got it." Garnet beamed before putting a hand in Steven's hair. "Go get 'em, champ."

"Yeah, see you soon!" Amethyst and Pearl said in unison while putting their hands in Steven's hair as well, much to his chagrin.

As Steven finally left the beach house and drove away, the Gems took a few moments to talk as they gazed out the frosted window.

"Hey guys, you think Steven's become kinda boring lately?" Amethyst asked Garnet and Pearl.

"It must be because he's got so much to do." Pearl suggested morosely. "How about we surprise him when he gets back?"

"I think I know just what to do." Garnet stated coolly.

One of Steven's errands took him all the way to Little Homeworld. What he was unaware of, however, was the massive snowball fight its inhabitants were waging, and now he was going to be caught in the crossfires.

Upon stopping his car and setting a foot outside, Steven was immediately pelted with snow from all sides. "Whoa guys, settle down!" he cried out while protecting himself from the cold onslaught with his shield. "I said, settle down!"

However, not a one was paying attention to Steven, and they were too busy having fun to notice he had arrived.

"Uh, can I have your attention please? Anyone?" Steven began getting more desperate for someone to notice him while watching Lapis heave an entire pyramid of snowballs with her water powers at a few of the Quartzes, which gave him an idea. "Okay, you all tried my hand."

Steven picked up some snow of his own and formed it into a ball of his own, which he used to throw straight at Snowflake Obsidian.

"Ooh!" Snowflake grunted as she felt the snowball hit her back, and turned to discover that Steven had thrown it. "Steven! Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Just wanted to get someone's attention." Steven admitted before Snowflake turned to her fellow Gems.

"Hey everyone, Steven's here! Let's get to class!" Snowflake announced.

The moment everyone else realized Steven had come, they slowly stopped their snowball fight and began preparing for classes.

"Hey, you don't need to stop what you're doing." Steven tried convincing them otherwise. "I'm only here for a few errands. Besides, classes don't start for another few hours."

However, nobody listened to Steven, and they continued preparing, just as he decided to continue on with his errands.

That night, Steven had finally returned home after a long day and was ready to eat dinner, go to bed and prepare for tomorrow. But when he turned on the house lights, he found his three guardians all sitting on the couch, anticipating his return.

"Surprise!" the three Gems cheered.

"We were sitting in the dark!" Amethyst admitted in addition.

"Hey, everyone." Steven greeted the trio. "Uh, what are you all so excited about?"

"Guess what we got lined up for tonight?" Amethyst said, holding a DVD in her hands. "Pupcopter's Sky-High Adventure!"

"Sheet masks with cute animal faces!" Pearl added, demonstrating the masks by putting a panda one on her face.

"And most importantly, pizza." Garnet declared as she opened up a pizza box with a pie inside. "Straight from Fish Stew."

When the Gems expected Steven to be all over these activities, he was a bit more reluctant. "Uh guys," Steven said. "I've been a vegetarian for six months, Pupcopter is for six-year-olds, and I got a skincare routine now. You all should've known by now. Anyways, I already ate, but it's cool you want to have fun. Later."

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were left disappointed as Steven walked upstairs to his room.

"Well, guess we can watch the movie with Cat Steven, if that counts." Amethyst said.

"My bad." Garnet apologized as she examined the pizza and then dumped it in Amethyst's mouth like the smaller Gem was a trashcan. "I thought we were in the pepperoni timeline."

The next morning, Steven was woken up by his phone once again. When he raced down the stairs to start his day, the Gems were sitting around the table with waffles covered in whipped cream, syrup, popcorn, and a strawberry on top.

"Look Steven, Together Breakfast!" Pearl called to Steven, in an attempt to bring his attention to a familiar food. "Just like old times."

"Too much sugar for me, but thanks." Steven hurriedly stated as he opened the front door. "See you at work guys!" But surprisingly for Steven, a massive pile of snow dropped down on him. "Okay, just gotta take the warp then."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Amethyst cautioned Steven as he made his way to the Warp Pad, and just like the door, he was greeted by snow covering him from head to toe by the warp tunnel.

"Looks like we have to cancel Little Homeschool for the day." Steven realized. "Pearl, can you send everyone a mass text?"

"Already on it!" Pearl declared as she whipped out her phone to give everyone at the Gem village the news.

"Hold up!" Amethyst yelped. "Are you basically saying we get the day off?"

"Great, we can re-read No Home Boys!" Pearl replied, excitedly looking up from her phone.

"And I can do the voices again." Garnet added.

"No, I don't need anyone reading to me right now." Steven said firmly while taking out a notebook. "If anything, I need to get the calendar organized. This snow-mageddon is definitely going to put a damper on third-quarter plans."

As Steven got out his calendar, some post-it notes, and a pen to organize plans for Little Homeschool's third quarter, Amethyst sat down at the same table he was working at across from him. "You used to have a better work ethic when we were constantly at risk of Homeworld and the Diamonds attacking Earth." Amethyst remarked. "Now, with Era 3 in full swing, you've become kinda boring."

"That was then Amethyst. This is now." Steven responded without even looking up from his work. "And what makes you think I'm getting boring?"

"Well, I mean, you didn't eat Together Breakfast with us, didn't laugh at my egg pun yesterday, and didn't want to put on your cheeseburger backpack." Amethyst listed off. "I get that you want to be more responsible now, but sometimes it's fun reliving old memories." Suddenly, a great idea flickered to life over the purple Gem's head. "Hey, you know what we haven't played in ages?"

"I don't know, what?" Steven asked before Amethyst abruptly shapeshifted into his 14-year old self and jumped onto the table.

"STEVEN TAG!" the now Steven-like Amethyst yelled and attempted to tag Steven, much to his alarm.

"Amethyst, what the heck?!" Steven cried out.

"You know the rules buster!" Amethyst cackled. "You get tagged; you have to turn into Steven! Or, in this case, Classic Steven!"

"Wait, Classic Steven?!" Steven said incredulously before he started running from the pursuing Amethyst all around the living room. But even when Steven rushed into the bathroom for safety, Amethyst was still on the hunt.

"Steeeeveeeen, come out to plaaaaay!" Amethyst laughed as she began clacking glass bottles together. "I always wanted to reference that old movie."

"I'm not playing!" Steven insisted as he blocked up the bottom of the door with a towel and sat on it. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Dangit, got me with the towel one-two!" Amethyst groaned as she failed to break into the bathroom. "Fine, maybe we don't always need Steven to play Steven Tag."

As Amethyst seemingly walked away in defeat, Steven peeked out of the bathroom to check if she was truly gone. While he sneaked out into the living room hoping to get some work done, Steven instead found Garnet looking around on the floor.

"Hey Garnet, lose something?" Steven asked the perma-fusion.

"I've been looking for Cat Steven." Garnet answered. "Haven't seen her all morning. I think she may be in the cabinets."

"Like, in here?" Steven asked as he pointed to one of the cupboards.

"That's the one." Garnet cheekily replied while she held Cat Steven in her arms. As Steven opened the cabinet, Amethyst leaped out at him, still in the shape of Classic Steven.

"GET READY FOR STEVEN TAG!" Amethyst yelled in another attempt to tag Steven, but she instead tagged Garnet by accident.

"What an unexpected turn of events." Garnet flatly declared as she laid on the floor, and obediently turned into Classic Steven as well. The two Gems stared menacingly at Steven, who was trying fruitlessly to escape.

"Uh, see ya guys!" Steven stuttered before making a run for it, but then accidentally tripped on a pillow. As Garnet and Amethyst leaped up and prepared to tag him, Steven prepared a bubble to protect himself from them.

"You can't hide in there forever!" Garnet yelled as she prepared to break the bubble open with a punch. Thinking quickly, Steven got up and began running towards the temple gate, accessing the cloud-like room that his mother once used when she was alive, and tossed the pair inside before making his way out.

"That should keep you guys busy for a while." Steven huffed as the door closed behind him, and he returned to the calendar on the table. "Now I can finally get these schedules done in peace."

However, Steven was quickly proven wrong as Garnet raced out of the nearly empty Burning Room, with Amethyst in hot pursuit.

"Thank you so much for helping me shovel off the snow Lapis." Pearl thanked Lapis at Little Homeworld as they finished work on cleaning all the walkways.

"No big Pearl, it's just frozen water." Lapis remarked coolly. "Anyways, how's everyone doing back at your place?"

"Well, Steven said he wanted to get some scheduling done for Quarter Three with all this snow, and-" Pearl answered, but then felt a disturbance somewhere. "I feel like my Steven Sense is tingling."

"Your Steven what-now?" Lapis asked with an eyebrow raised. "I get that you're essentially a mom to Steven, but what's that for?"

"Feels like something's happening back home." Pearl realized as she marched back to the Warp Pad with snow shovel in hand. "Anyways, thanks for the assistance; I'll see you all again soon!" she said her farewells before the Warp Pad took her back to the temple.

When Pearl returned home, she found Steven in a panic as he was being chased by Garnet and Amethyst shapeshifted into him. "Steven, what are you doing? Has cabin fever took you over already?!"

"It's Garnet and Amethyst!" Steven answered hastily as he continued running from the aforementioned Gems. "They're only playing Steven Tag to mess with me!"

"Steven Tag?" Pearl began to reminisce. "That sure takes me back to the old days. I'm sure they-AH!"

Before Pearl could finish, Garnet officially tagged her, and she began to keel over.

"Ha, the joke's on you!" Steven yelled. "Pearl doesn't like to shapeshift!"

Unfortunately for Steven, he was instantly proven otherwise as Pearl began to glow, and her shape changed into that of Classic Steven.

"The power of Steven Tag COMPELS ME!" the now Steven-esque Pearl declared, sparking delight from her fellow veteran Gems as they giggled and tossed her into the air.

"Wow, good for her." Steven chuckled, just as proud of this big step for Pearl. But when the three Gems all leered at their ward, Steven finally realized how outnumbered he now was.

The Steven-resembling Crystal Gems chased the prime Steven all around the house, from his bedroom, to the conservatory, to the stairway, and then back to his room. In his bedroom, Steven thought of a way to distract Pearl by tossing his old shirts on the floor.

"No Steven, I just folded those!" Pearl yelled as her motherly intuition began to take priority over playing, and she tided up the shirts as Steven fled.

With no other option, Steven was forced to flee into the freezing cold outside, his body temperature be damned. "They can't hold those forms forever." He panted. "I'll just wait until they give u-"

Just then, a massive fist dropped from above and smashed the snow behind Steven, and he discovered none other than Sugilite, the fusion of Garnet & Amethyst, standing on a cliff above him.

"Missed me little man?" Sugilite, also in the shape of the younger Steven, asked confidently as she whipped her flail above her head.

"Wait, you fused?" Steven gasped and began running again. "When was the last time anyone has seen Sugilite?!"

"Come back here, kid!" Sugilite snarled eagerly while Steven used his shield as a sled to escape.

"Seriously, this is dangerous!" Steven panted before he was barraged by a rain of snowballs, all courtesy of an also Classic Steven-like Sardonyx.

"Aw come on, don't be so cold!" Sardonyx joked before preparing more snowballs. "Now stay still, I got you in my sights!"

"I'm still not playing!" Steven shouted as he swerved his shield away from the snowballs, only to lose control and disappear behind the temple's discarded hand.

High above on the rooftop, Opal stood ready to fire Garnet with her bow. "Target acquired!" she exclaimed, pointing the other Universe-looking fusion at a figure resembling Steven. "Now!"

When Garnet was propelled at what she thought was Steven, it was instead a snowman wearing his jacket. "Curses, foiled by a snowman." Garnet overdramatically declared, followed by a very monotonous "Noooooooo."

Faraway from Garnet and Opal, Steven was finally free after distracting them with the snowman, but he was very cold too.

"They won't stop until they make me play." Steven declared boldly, that is until a massive shadow loomed over him. Just like all the other times before, it was a fusion taking the form of his younger self. But this time, it was Alexandrite. "Oh geez!"

"You're looking cold." Alexandrite boomed before launching a giant fireball from her mouth at a panicking Steven, who formed a bubble to shield himself from the fire.

"I really didn't want to do this, but you all forced my hand!" Steven shouted while the bubble disappeared, leaving him surrounded by a ring of fire. "I'll play your game!"

Alexandrite grinned eagerly as Steven leaped to her head and bounced off it to the beach house. The massive three-Gem fusion attempted to catch Steven in her hands, but he quickly dodged the attempt and just as quickly tried ascending to the top of the lighthouse.

"There's no way she can catch me!" Steven said to himself just as Alexandrite made it before him and un-fused into Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst and Pearl. Everyone except for Sapphire proceeded to bombard Steven, but he had just about had it as he leaped towards the three Gems with bubbles forming around his fists.

"ENOUGH, IS, ENOUGH!" Steven yelled as he punched Ruby, Amethyst and Pearl away in rapid succession, and then leaped up to the top of the lighthouse in triumph. "You shouldn't have messed with me." He said menacingly, just as he realized he forgot a Gem.

"Tag." Sapphire declared as she snuck up and tagged Steven from behind, ending the game and sealing her as the victor.

"OH NO, IS THIS THE END OF MY ADULT LIFE?!" Steven cried as he fell off the lighthouse onto the ground below. Back on solid earth, Ruby, Amethyst & Pearl checked on Steven while Sapphire returned downstairs to meet them.

"Sapphire, you did it! You're the best!" Ruby cheered for her blue bride before they kissed and fused back into Garnet.

"You've been tagged." Garnet confidently stated.

"You gotta turn into widdle ol' Steven now!" Amethyst jokingly taunted.

"You did set the rules all those years ago." Pearl added.

"No!" Steven refused with a fold of his arms.

"DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!" the Gems chanted excitedly. Cat Steven suddenly appeared to agree with them with a meow.

"Et tu Cat Steven?" Steven asked his feline friend, who responded with another meow. "Okay, I'll do it!"

Then, in a flash of light, Steven reluctantly turned himself into a child to match his guardians, to the point where his clothes barely fit him anymore. And they were happy.

"HE'S SO CUTE!" Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl cooed at the younger Steven, to his disappointment.

"No, I'm not!" Steven yelled, his voice now matching his current state. "It's tough for me, y'know? I feel like no matter how much I grow, how much I try to mature, you'll always just see me as a little kid."

"Buddy, we just wanted to spend time with you." Amethyst shrugged.

"Yeah." Pearl agreed with Amethyst. "Just like when you were-"

"A kid?" Steven finished for Pearl, eliciting many frowns. "I really didn't want to disappoint you guys, but I'm not the Steven you babied so much anymore." He proclaimed while returning to his original form. "Please, I need you to see me for who I am now."

This prompted the Gems to tear up and finally hug Steven. "Please forgive us." Garnet sobbed.

"We didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" Amethyst said just as sadly. "We didn't realize we were kinda acting like kids too."

"We just miss you Steven!" Pearl said. Soon, Steven began to cry as well as he looked down at the sad Gems.

"We're sorry!" the trio apologized in unison.

"I missed you guys too." Steven accepted the apology while the chilly weather began to take effect on him. "You know, it was pretty nice to spend time with y-ACHOO!" Without even being asked, Amethyst extended her arm to fetch Steven's pink jacket for him. "Thanks Amethyst."

"Steven, we're very proud of the person you've become." Garnet complimented her ward.

"Yeah, that's why we wanted to hang out with you so much." Amethyst stated.

"But if you want to go back to work," Pearl added. "That's okay with us."

"Well, I can't." Steven answered confidently as he put his jacket back on. "Because TAG!" he added by tackling Garnet. "You're it!"

"I guess we have to update the game." Garnet realized before transforming to match Steven's age. "To this."

And so, Steven Tag began anew with Steven and Garnet chasing Amethyst and Pearl down the mountain.

The next morning, Steven woke up once again. But this time, he was feeling more cheerful and had the Gems by his side.

With his winter clothes on, Steven hopped into the car with the Crystal Gems, also in winter gear over their regular forms, and they shared a laugh until the car set off for Little Homeworld.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Chapter 6: Why so Blue?

"Thanks for the help Lapis." Steven thanked Lapis Lazuli as they planted some new flowers in his conservatory. "These blue hyacinth flowers really tie the place together."

"You're welcome, Steven," Lapis replied with a smile. "Peridot helped me pick these out from the greenhouse. You know, it's funny. The two of us didn't get along at first, me more than Peridot to be honest, but thanks to you, we're basically inseparable."

"Aw shucks Lapis, was nothing." Steven blushed, just as the communication console nearby began to light up. "Hang on, I think this one's for me."

When Steven turned it on, a particular Gem who he barely got to know greeted him. "Oh hey, you're that Zircon from my trial! How are things?"

"Going pretty good." The defense Zircon answered. "Ever since the other Zircon and I were unbubbled at the start of Era 3, we've left our lawyer days behind in favor of politics. With the Diamonds essentially no longer in power, Homeworld had decided to turn to democracy when the caste system was dissolved."

"It's nice to hear some more good news," Lapis interjected. "but why did you call us?"

"Oh yes, that." Blue Zircon realized before she conjured up a hologram with her monocle. "Rumor has it that despite the caste system's end, there are at least two Gems who continue to terraform regardless of the end of colonization. Last we heard, they were busy remodeling the former Blue Diamond colony Aozul 2."

"Wait, terraform?" Lapis said with surprise at the mention of her old duties. "Are they other Lapis Lazulis by any chance?"

"Yes, that is why I contacted you today." Blue Zircon continued explaining. "Why do you ask?"

"I think I might remember them from when I was a terraformer." Lapis revealed, before she turned to the Warp Pad. "That's why I'm coming with you, Steven."

"Alright then." Steven agreed. "Who knows? Maybe we can get them to come to Little Homeschool."

"I'm not too sure about that, Steven." Lapis nervously replied before they stepped on the Warp Pad and activated it, taking off for Aozul 2.

On the other Warp Pad that dropped Steven and Lapis off was Aozul 2, a gorgeous-looking moon orbiting a yellow planet thriving with unique wildlife. Though the pair was amazed by the nature around them, they still had a mission to do.

"Let's not get distracted, this may not take long." Steven said as he stepped off the Pad. "Most Gems come around pretty quickly when I invite them to Little Homeworld in person."

"What a beautiful place." Lapis muttered in awe, distracting her from the strange little native creature they almost stepped on. "Wait!"

Looking down, Steven and Lapis found a cute flower bud-like alien with its petals opened up. "Whoa, thanks for the save Lapis." Steven thanked his blue buddy before kneeling to pet the creature. "Hey, little buddy."

The creature closed its petals in fright and raced into a nearby bush, making more of its kind nervously emerge in front of Steven. "It's okay Flower Buddies." He chuckled at his name for the creatures as they began to crawl all over him, now no longer seeing the boy as a danger. "Haha, whoa now!"

"Wow, Steven, it took you all of five seconds to make a new friend. You must be getting rusty." Lapis commented as she approached the Flower Buddy resting in Steven's arms and began to pet it gently. "You know, I used to never notice creatures like this. Before arriving on Earth, I used to not think twice about terraforming, never taking a moment to appreciate what I was destroying." The Buddy smiled at Lapis and began to open its petals for her as well. "Life is so precious. And these guys remind me of Pumpkin in particular."

The other Buddies began to blossom, only to just as quickly close up their petals as the silhouette of a figure similar to Lapis zoomed over them.

"Uh, Steven?" Lapis brought her friend's attention to the figures flying around and conjuring up water to cause untold chaos upon Aozul 2.

After putting the Flower Buddy down, Steven made his way to the edge of a cliff to get a better look at the pair. From what he could gather, one of the Lapides had her gemstone on her stomach, darker colored skin and hair than the one he knew, the hair was done up in a ponytail, and had gold-colored freckles on her cheeks. The other Lapis had her gem on her shoulder, light azure skin, and medium-blue curly hair.

"So, the rumors were true." Steven wondered as the pair of Lapises continued their path of destruction, laughing all the way.

"You think that Zircon called us because they didn't get your message?" Lapis asked Steven while gazing upon the terraformers' progress.

"I'm sure they did." Steven replied assuredly. "Everyone did, but I'll try and get them to stop."

"This may be harder than you think." Lapis added as her fellow Lazulis flew closer to the pair, using their powers to cut a massive rock in half and terrifying the Flower Buddies.

"Hey, stop!" Steven called to the blue Gems, who reacted to their work's sudden intrusion by preparing to launch a massive tidal wave at the pair. Steven was ready however, and defended himself and Lapis with his shield.

"Wait, that's Steven Universe!" the ponytailed Lapis cried as she grabbed her partner's arm. "And is that who I think it is with him?"

"He's smaller than I thought." The curly-haired Lapis replied when she came to the same realization as her fellow Lazuli. "No way!"

"You guys!" Lapis squealed in delight, causing the other two to cheer happily as well. "Oh my gosh, it's been ages!" she yelled as the two Lapises raced down to hug her. "I haven't seen you two since I was sent down to Earth!"

"Wait, you all know each other?" Steven asked the three terraformers.

"Yeah, we go way back with ol' 3E8C-4XF here." The stomach gem Lapis remarked. "That's her facet and cut, by the way. I'm 2F8D-9ZE, and Curls here is 1J9G-5KL."

"Yeah, the three of us were an unstoppable terraforming trio back in the day." 1J9G-5KL snidely explained with a flip of her hair. "Tearing planets apart, taking names, and looking cool while doing it!"

"But then I was given a solo mission to Earth, which was how I got caught up in the Rebellion, and here we are." Lapis continued for her old friends.

"We're just so glad you're okay!" 2F8D-9ZE exclaimed happily. "So anyway, what do you think? We're just about almost done with this world. Exemplary work, no?"

"And we don't need the extra help." 1J9G-5KL said meanly. "So it was nice catching up, but please, ta-ta."

"Look, we came here because you gotta stop." Steven explained to the Lapides. "The Diamonds don't control you anymore. Didn't you get my message?"

"Yeah, we did." Freckles nodded.

"So, you don't have to terraform for them anymore." Steven continued. "You're free to do whatever you want now! In fact, we want to offer you the chance to come learn at Little Homescho-"

"Oh, so this is all some big misunderstanding?" Freckles interrupted Steven.

"This has got to be a joke." Curls rolled her eyes. "Like, terraforming is what we like to do, and now you're saying we shouldn't do it anymore?!"

"Oh, here we go." Lapis groaned. "1J9G was always pretty passionate about her work."

"You're getting it wrong." Steven tried to ease the tension. "You can do whatever you like! As long as nothing gets destroyed and nobody gets hurt."

"That's not what you said a sec ago!" Curls pointed out. Freckles tried to speak, but Curls shushed her by forcing her mouth shut with a finger. "Are you listening to yourself right now?"

"Why should we stop?" Freckles lowered Curls' finger to ask.

"Because it's wrong!" Lapis answered, becoming irritated with her former partners' behavior.

"Wait, wait, wait." Freckles said, gesturing to the destruction she and Curls caused. "How can what we were made to do suddenly be soo-oo taboo now? At least let us get back to work, we're almost done with Aozul 2 here!"

"Team huddle?" Steven nervously muttered to Lapis.

"Team huddle." Lapis replied, slowly retreating into the cobalt-leafed forest away from the other Lapides. "We'll be back with you in a bit, girlfriends."

"You're right. This is harder than usual." Steven said to Lapis as they hid in the bushes.

"You've gotta force them to stop." Lapis suggested while spying on her old friends from the foliage. "This is definitely gonna be a fight. They're not nice like what I became. 1J9G was always the alpha of our little trio, ordering us around and treating lower-ranked Gems like trash. 2F8D, on the other hand was more of the follower, as loyal to 1J9G as a Pearl is to their Diamond. I, on the other hand, was essentially the third wheel, mostly existing to follow along with them."

"So you guys were basically high school mean girls?" Steven compared Lapis's former situation to fiction. "Did any of you play the Gem version of croquet in your spare time, or wear pink on Wednesdays?"

"This is nothing like those movies, Steven." Lapis stated.

"Well maybe like those girls in the movies, they just don't know what they're doing isn't nice." Steven tried to assure his azure friend. "You get it, what made things click for you?"

"A cycle of horrible torture that I came close to repeating myself." Lapis gravely answered, much to Steven's fright. "But also like, living in nature and making meep morps."

"Yeah, that's it!" Steven cheered quietly. "Come on, we can do that for them."

"C'mon, not even a little torture?" Lapis asked while squeezing her hands together.

"No torture, just the other stuff." Steven decided against any lethal force before he and Lapis returned to the water Gems.

"Geez, what's taking those two so long?" the Mean Lapis asked impatiently while waiting for Steven and her fellow Lapis to return.

"I'm starting to get wet here." The Nice Lapis added, prompting her curly-haired buddy to turn to her with a raised eyebrow of disbelief. "I'm trying to make it a catchphrase. It depends on the context, in this case, I'm getting bored."

"Well, I urge you not to make that happen." 1J9G commanded, just as Steven and Lapis finally reemerged from the bushes, waving to them while walking backwards. "Oh, look who finally decided to come back."

"Okay, we've come to a decision." Steven declared. "Why don't we show you fun things you can do on Earth other than causing mass destruction?"

"Should we listen to him?" 1J9G asked 2F8D.

"He's only half-Diamond, so maybe we should half-listen to him." 2F8D suggested.

"I'll take that as a yes." Steven answered, trying to hide his eye twitching at being called a mere half-Diamond, before taking the two terraformers into the forest. "Let's go."

Once within the extraterrestrial woods, Steven began to show the Lapides around, trying to get them to appreciate the beauty of nature. "It's a beautiful day here. Fresh air, pretty trees, peaceful wildlife. Any life-changing epiphanies yet?"

"It's so bright." 2F8D observed as she gazed directly into the sun.

"No duh, Too-Eff." 1J9G rudely replied while poking on a leaf with a stick. "I only prefer two colors, rocks and mud. Right?"

"Well, I have to admit," 2F8D said as she continued looking at the sun. "that sun is a real pretty shade of-"

"I said, right 2F8D?" 1J9G cut her friend off.

"Uh yeah, rocks and mud!" 2F8D laughed nervously, her pupils rapidly darting around while holding her hands behind her back.

"I understand you don't see the beauty with this, but I know you will with time, girls." Lapis said. "There was a time where I didn't appreciate organic life as well, much like you guys. But I learned of how beautiful it can be. Maybe you can try something like this."

Gazing at the small puddle of mud in front of her, Lapis began to conjure up a strange shape from the wet dirt.

"This is what we call art, or in Lapis's terms, a meep morp." Steven demonstrated. "And it can be made out whatever you want to be, whether it be nature or just random junk you find lying around."

"So you can do whatever you want with your powers," 1J9G asked. "but you choose to make junk."

"It doesn't have to be like that." Lapis answered, continuing to toy with the mud. "You can make anything with a little imagination."

As an example, Lapis shifted the mud to take the form of a lawnchair for Steven to sit on, along with a drink and sunglasses. When Steven drank out of the mud-made cup, he immediately spat it out.

"So lifelike, I almost forgot!" Steven exclaimed in realization as the mud fell apart.

"That's it?" 1J9G muttered with a tilt of her head.

"It's more satisfying than you think it is." Lapis claimed. "Go ahead, give it a shot."

"But what can we make?" 2F8D asked, scratching her chin as she examined the wilderness around them.

"Didn't you listen, dummy?" 1J9G responded while conjuring up some water. "They said we could make anything!"

"Right, anything!" 2F8D said as the two turned the water into the shape of a ball. "I totally knew that."

"That's it!" Lapis cheered for her former friends. "Try making some other shapes, it can be anything you want!"

The Lapides listened as they made the water ball grow spikes before flattening it into a sawblade that they tossed in-between Steven & Lapis, cutting down a mountain behind them in two.

"Wow, you just made our jobs easier!" 1J9G cackled and pointed at the fallen rock behind the two Crystal Gems.

"We'll have this planet cleaned up in no time!" 2F8D agreed with a laugh.

"Steven, this isn't working." Lapis muttered fearfully, prompting Steven to try something else.

"Looks like you two still have some energy to let out." Steven laughed. "Maybe you should try something more physical, like dancing!"

"Dance?" 1J9G wondered while Steven pulled out his phone. "And what is that thing in your hand?"

"Just watch us." Steven stated as he turned on some funky music for he and Lapis to dance to on his phone, as another demonstration to the Lapides. Although 1J9G was unimpressed, she noticed 2F8D starting to get into the groove as she swayed her arms from side to side.

Steven and Lapis took this as a breakthrough and continued dancing to the music, but then their gems started to glow by complete accident. "WHOA!" they exclaimed in unison, stopping their dance to keep the glowing down.

"Almost fused there, Lapis." Steven chuckled.

"Yeah, wouldn't want a repeat of Peridot." Lapis replied.

"Uh, who's Peridot?" 1J9G asked while ordering 2F8D to stop dancing with a mean look.

"Only Lapis's best friend!" Steven exclaimed with a hand on his Lapis's shoulder.

"Yeah, you can meet all types of people on Earth, humans and Gems." Lapis said. "Peridot and I got off on the wrong foot because when we first met, I was basically her hostage in an invasion of Earth." She continued explaining. "But over time, we grew closer thanks to Steven's influence and even had our own home in this little barn, but then due to circumstances I'd rather not get into at the moment, we just kinda drifted apart for a bit. We did eventually get back together, but when Little Homeschool first started, we unfortunately didn't have as much time to enjoy our shared inter-"

Before Lapis could finish, the other Lapises started laughing. "Really, you and a low-class Gem like a Peridot?!" 1J9G guffawed, forcing the primary Lapis to scowl at the pair.

"What's next, an Aquamarine fusing with a Ruby?!" 2F8D let out a loud wheeze.

"Funny story, actually." Steven began, but 1J9G cut him off.

"Look, we don't wanna hear anymore, kid." The Lapis snarked. "We know you want to do what's best for everyone or some stupid stuff like that, but we decided on what's best for us, and that's terraforming." She stated. "Now, please, run along back to your little school before you make me slap your face off."

"Geez, Jay-Nine, no need to threaten him like that." 2F8D tried to convince her pal otherwise.

"He's threatening our way of life, you clod!" 1J9G yelled at 2F8D, who reflexively knelt and cowered. "If you think a little kid like him is right, then why don't you come with them?"

"Gee, 2F8D has real bad taste in friends." Steven whispered to Lapis.

"It's like I said, One-Jay really liked to order us around." Lapis replied. "She also really doesn't like it whenever what she says gets questioned."

"Now, if you'll excuse us 3E8C," 1J9G finally said while turning away from her belligerent friend. "we're gonna go back to work, so no more interruptions."

"Y-yeah, let's get back to it!" 2F8D meekly added.

Ironically, the pair was stopped from flying away when Lapis finally spoke up. "I get it." She said to her old friends. "All this won't make you feel good right away, maybe not even at all. You guys are just afraid of change after thousands of years doing one thing, but they can help you navigates new ways of feeling. If you aren't into dancing, maybe singing would be more your speed."

Lapis prepared to demonstrate, but then she started hesitating for a bit. But thanks to some encouragement from Steven, she worked up the bravery and finally started to sing. "Oooo-ooo-oooh, why so bluuuu-uuuu-uuue? So many shades of sorrow got mixed into my hue." Lapis began. "And each new moment just astounds me, so much I wanna do. I finally feel my colors shining through."

The other Lapides began following their former friend as she gazed into her reflection in a puddle. "I'm tired of the fighting, I'm tired of the blame." Lapis continued as she reminisced on her struggles. "That mirror was a prison, and fusion was the same. What's with these new sensations that suddenly appear?! Deep as the roaring ocean, free as the atmosphere!"

Racing away from the puddle, Lapis excitedly pushed back some leaves to show her ex-partners more of Aozul 2's beauty as her song reached its high point. "Oooo-ooo-oooh, why so bluuuu-uuuu-uuue? So many different reasons, but are they really true?" Lapis began to finish as she knelt to watch the Flower Buddies surrounding her. "I wanna keep on going, wanna be right here with you. I'd love to see your colors shining throoooo-ooough." The Buddy that made its territory in Lapis's lap then blossomed for her. "I'd love to see your colors shining through."

Despite what Steven and Lapis believed the song would do, 1J9G laughed mockingly at her, and 2F8D was ordered to do the same with a poke to the elbow. "You really expect us to dance and sing like we're Pearls?!" 1J9G said derisively. "Look, Steven Universe, you already got 3E8C doing it for you! I mean, did you make her like this, or was she this much of a loser?!"

"You never bothered to ask what I liked back in the day!" Lapis angrily said before her curly-bobbed ex-friend grabbed her by the shirt collar.

"Listen 3E8C," 1J9G commanded Lapis just as angrily. "you and that so-called Diamond are going to leave this planet so we can get back to doing what we want to do, not be reconditioned into following everything you say with a dumb song! End, of, discussion."

"You don't have to be so cruel!" Steven yelled at 1J9G. "And you don't have to be such a horrible friend ei-"

"Did I stutter?" 1J9G continued as she glared daggers at Steven before turning away from him. "Come on 2F8D, let's get back to work."

"Yeah, see ya." 2F8D replied and said farewell to Steven before they flew off. "It was wet seeing you again 3E8C!"

"CONTEXT!" 1J9G yelled.

Steven was just about ready to give up, but Lapis just started angrily as her fellow Lapides got back to terraforming. "That's it!" she declared. "I've had enough of you two!"

"But, you promised we wouldn't fight!" a worried Steven reminded Lapis.

"If we had done this my way, we could've gotten this done way earlier!" Lapis replied before she flew up to her former friends. "Hey girls, that's enough!"

"Oh, look who it is." 1J9G grinned sneakily.

"You finally come to give us a hand?" 2F8D asked.

"You could say that." Lapis smiled before she spawned a pair of water hands from below, and used them to flick 1J9G and 2F8D away.

"Did she just do that?" 2F8D said, recoiling from the attack.

"Yeah, she did." 1J9G replied as she got an idea. "So, you can make hands, huh?" she said as she and her beleaguered partner formed a water hand of their own. "Okay if we try?"

The giant hand slapped Lapis away towards Steven, who summoned his shield to catch her and protect himself from the water. "Lapis," Steven cried. "are you okay?"

"I'm okay, just stay out of this!" Lapis demanded Steven before she flew back up and sprouted another pair of water wings that she turned into fists. "DORARARARARARARARARARARARA!" She yelled while unleashing her fury on 1J9G. "DORA!"

1J9G was thrust out of the sky and almost crashed onto the ground, until 2F8D caught her with a water hand.

"You alright?" 2F8D said sympathetically.

"I'm fine, you big baby." 1J9G growled and rubbed her head just as Lapis tried to restrain the two with chains made of water, but were nimbly dodged. "Water chains?"

"You really need to stop teaching us these wet new things!" 2F8D giggled, invoking another angry glare from 1J9G, before they created chains of their own to restrain Lapis and pin her to the cliff face.

"Lapis!" Steven cried for his Beach Summer Fun Buddy.

"We really gotta hand it to you." 2F8D said. "This new stuff you're showing us isn't actually useless."

Once again, the Lapides created a sawblade. But this time, instead of chopping a mountain in two, they had darker intentions for it. The blade was tossed straight at the seemingly powerless Lapis, and Steven couldn't help but watch.

"OH NO!" Steven yelled. But suddenly, the saw stopped right in front of Lapis's face and was reduced back into droplets as the earth shook around everyone. Water from all around began to surround her, washing over the other terraformers along the way as Lapis formed a massive watery figure wielding a harpoon around her.

"WHO'S DULL NOW?!" Lapis boomed, terrifying 2F8D into hugging 1J9G for protection while Lapis prepared to land the killing blow. "WHO'S PITIFUL NOW?!"

However, when Lapis turned to Steven with a sadistic grin, his disappointed expression made her realize what she's become. After the water figure fell apart, Lapis returned to the cliff's edge in exhaustion.

"You okay?" Steven asked while having one of the Flower Buddies in his arms.

"I'm fine." Lapis answered as the Buddy jumped into her embrace. "Sorry about losing control there."

As the water receded, the Lapides sat there stunned as Steven and Lapis flew down to face them.

"It's over now." Lapis declared to her ex-friends. "No more fighting. Okay?"

"Fine by me." 1J9G said with a smirk.

"Yeah, that was so wet back there!" 2F8D smiled earnestly, with Lapis giving her a confused stare this time.

"And no more terraforming too. Promise?" Lapis suggested.

"Oh, we'll do anything you say now!" 2F8D exclaimed cheerfully.

"After that ridiculous show of strength, we're at your command!" 1J9G added.

"No, that wasn't strength!" Lapis said hotly. "That was weakness! Patience takes strength; restraint takes strength!" Before Lapis could finish, she just decided to stop and walked away. "And I don't have the strength to deal with you anymore."

Before he could follow Lapis, Steven fished some brochures from his jacket pocket that he handed to the Lapides. "Here, have some Little Homeschool brochures. In case you change your mind." He offered before walking off after her.

After Steven and Lapis left Aozul 2, 1J9G and 2F8D sat on a rock reading through the brochures Steven gave them. While 2F8D was growing interested in the opportunities Little Homeschool had for her, 1J9G wasn't amused.

"So what, it's not just dancing and singing like Pearls?" 1J9G complained. "We have to do all this other junk too? This totally goes against what we were made for!"

"Yeah, but as Steven said, we can do whatever we want now!" 2F8D exclaimed as she pointed at some of the activities. "Like, gardening, for example! Isn't that wet?"

"Stop trying to make 'wet' happen!" 1J9G yelled. "It's never going to happen!"

After having her attempts at a catchphrase ruined, 2F8D clenched her fist and worked up some courage to tell her so-called friend the truth. "Hey, Little Homeschool also gives us opportunities to make new friends outside of our old castes. And I mean actual friends, not Gems who relentlessly pick on you for the stupidest of things."

"Is this about our bond?" 1J9G growled. "I'm totally your friend! I just have a different way of expressing it!"

"Yeah, well, Steven treats 3E8C with some level of respect and kindness!" 2F8D argued back. "You ever heard of either of those terms before?"

"This isn't funny Two-Eff." 1J9G growled. "We are not going to that stupid school. And you will stick with me, no matter what! End. Of. Discussion!"

However, 1J9G realized a bit too late that 2F8D had already left her, and was already racing to the Warp Pad with one of the Flower Buddies under her arm.

"Sorry One-Jay, but I'm going off to learn how to be nice to people!" 2F8D said rapidly before the Warp Pad took her away from Aozul 2. "OKAY, BYYYYYEEE!"

And so, 1J9G was left utterly alone on the blue-colored moon. Alone and positively furious. As she began angrily chopping down trees with her powers, a black dropship slowly dropped into Aozul's atmosphere.

Night fell by the time Steven and Lapis finally returned to Little Homeschool. Still guilty for giving in to her anger, Lapis sat forlornly on the Warp Pad, only for Steven to seat himself next to her.

"I wish I hadn't done that." Lapis moaned. "They just reminded me so much of myself, and how I acted in the past. All high and mighty with no regard for anyone but myself."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." Steven gave his blue friend a comforting smile. "You've grown a lot since I first broke you out of that mirror, but everything takes time. It's not your fault those two are still stuck in their ways."

As Lapis smiled back, the Warp Pad activated once again. This time, 2F8D stood behind them, and a Flower Buddy peeked from behind her. "Hey, is this that school you were talking about?" 2F8D asked sheepishly. "One-Jay and I had a disagreement, so now I want to learn what real friends are like."

The Flower Buddy stepped up from behind 2F8D and nuzzled itself on Lapis's leg. "I also brought this little guy along as a way of saying sorry." 2F8D continued. "Hope you like him."

"I love him." Lapis said as she picked the Buddy up. "Thanks Zuli."

"Zuli?" the Lapis now known as Zuli asked.

"Yeah, 2F8D might be hard to remember." Lapis explained. "Just came up with that nickname off the top of my head. You like it?"

"I love it!" Zuli cheered. "So, when can I start school?"

"Doesn't matter." Steven answered.

"Yeah, welcome to Earth." Lapis responded.

Back on Aozul 2, 1J9G continued terraforming the little moon to vent her stress, leaving a trail of fallen trees and small dirt canyons in her wake.

"I can't believe that freckled clod just ditched me like that!" 1J9G shrieked furiously. "She just fell for that kid's games, and then ran off!" Amid her ranting, the curly-haired Lapis began to cry. "Is this how he gets his sick kicks, just tearing apart friendships like that?! I'm gonna make him pay for stealing my friends when I find him again!"

Just then, some of the trees 1J9G didn't chop down started rustling, frightening her. "Who's there?" she began panicking. "Did you realize you made a huge mistake and come crawling back to me?"

However, 1J9G realized she wasn't talking to 2F8D. Instead, a large, grey hand with a white topaz on the back emerged from the foliage, and reached out for her.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Chapter 7: Rejuvenated

"Now then, you two, keep yourselves steady, in both body and mind." Garnet instructed Rhodonite and Padparadscha Sapphire in the ways of yoga atop the central tower of Little Homeworld. "It is of utmost importance to keep those instructions in mind in life."

"Okay, keep myself steady. Keep myself steady." Rhodonite nervously repeated her fellow fusion's instructions to herself. Unfortunately for her, she could barely keep the pose she assumed up. "Whoa! I can't do this!"

"You can Rhodonite, just relax your thoughts." Garnet continued teaching.

"Ooh, Garnet is going to give some excellent advice that could change our lives!" Padparadscha Sapphire exclaimed happily.

"Precisely." Garnet remarked to the defective Sapphire. "My teachings could help you in the long run."

"ATTENTION STUDENTS OF LITTLE HOMESCHOOL!" Peridot's nasally voice cried out, causing the two Off-Colors to lose balance and fall to the floor. "I'VE COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!"

"Even after two years of coming here, Peridot's voice still gets on my nerves a bit." Rhodonite muttered as she got up from her fall. "But don't tell her I said that!"

"And now Peridot is calling everyone because she has something amazing to tell us." Padparadscha stated. "What fun!"

"I'll take you guys down." Garnet declared before she grabbed the two Gems by the hand and raced to the edge of the roof.

"You know, we could just take the-" Rhodonite began nervously before the three Gems jumped off the tower. "STAAAAAAAAIRS!"

Garnet landed safely, yet dramatically, on the ground below, where many Gems gathered around Peridot as she began to demonstrate what she wanted to show them all.

"I would like to present a project that I've been working on ever since last year's Spinel incident." Peridot announced as a rod-like device emerged from her gem. "This is a Rejuve-Meter." She stated. "See what I did there? Anyways, this little gizmo works a bit like carbon daters here on Earth, and can help with examining how many times a Gem has been rejuvenated! Would anyone like to be a test subject?"

"Ooh, me! Me!" Teal Zircon exclaimed while raising her hand.

"I applaud your eagerness TZ." Peridot thanked the Zircon before scanning her with the Rejuve-Meter. The screen rotated through many possible numbers before it settled on 2. "Says here you've only been rejuvenated twice. What could possibly cause either incident?"

"It was a few honest mistakes, I swear it!" Teal Zircon revealed. "Cross my gem and hope to be shattered, the memories I make are all that mattered!"

"Okay then. Anyone else?" Peridot began looking around the huddled Gems before she spotted Volleyball among them. "You there, come on down!"

"Oh, me?" Pink Diamond's former Pearl gasped as she stepped forward.

"Yes, you." Peridot grinned before scanning Volleyball with the Rejuve-Meter. Compared to TZ, Volleyball caused the device only to say 1. "Only one time?"

"My Diamond was playing with a Rejuvenator and got me reset by accident." Volleyball confessed. This seemingly offhand comment caused Rhodonite to freeze up at the mere mention of rejuvenation, like she was flashing back to a similar incident.

"Interesting, interesting." Peridot muttered as she continued scanning each of the Gems around her.

"Hey, Garnet, what's going on?" Steven asked, weaving through the crowd to greet Garnet. "And how did teaching Rhodonite and Paddy go?"

"It went well, until Peridot caused them to lose balance because she wanted to show off this new device she built in response to Spinel." Garnet explained. "She says it can help her scan Gems for how many times they've been rejuvenated."

"Uh, yeah!" Rhodonite laughed nervously. "W-what she said."

"Is something the matter Rhodonite?" Steven asked the Off-Color fusion. "You're looking real tense. Should I get Lars?"

"I feel like the idea of rejuvenation is making her skittish." Padparadscha pondered. "But, what do I know?"

"I feel like you might need some help." Steven encouraged Rhodonite as Peridot made her way to the two.

"Okay, according to the Rejuve-Meter, all the Gems present have been rejuvenated up to three times each. Nothing too severe." Peridot said. "Now, let's see how many times you were rejuvenated."

"No, I don't think that's really necessary!" Rhodonite yelped, but her urges proved fruitless as the Rejuve-Meter did its job, but the results it got were quite shocking.

"And your components have been rejuvenated….." Peridot paused for effect as she examined the meter and got quite a surprise. "My stars, SEVENTEEN TIMES?! HOW, AND WHY?!"

"I-I-I!" Rhodonite stuttered, when Fluorite and the conjoined Rutile twins came up to her.

"Is anything the matter?" the grandmotherly six-Gem fusion asked with concern in her slow tone.

"My sincerest apologies Fluorite." Peridot apologized to Fluorite. "It's just that I made this little device that allows me to discover how many times a Gem has been rejuvenated, and I think I may have accidentally made Rhodonite here uneasy about it since she may have been rejuvenated in the past."

"Oh, it's alright Peridot." Rhodonite said as she patted the little green Gem on her triangular hair with one of her small arms. "We know you didn't mean any harm."

"Besides, Rhodonite joined us because she was looked down upon for being a fusion between two different Gems." The left Rutile stated. "Especially her original owner."

"Which means she may have something to do with this." The right Rutile added.

"Yeah, it was a Morganite, right?" Steven asked, causing Rhodonite to nod meekly. "Well, looks like we're headed to Homeworld then!"

"Rhodonite has a problem, so we must return to Homeworld to solve it!" Padparadscha declared.

"I can't help it if I make a scene, stepping out of my hot pink limousine." Lars quietly sang to himself as he swept up the floor of his space-themed bakery. "I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic. When I pose, they scream, and when I joke, they laugh." His cleaning would have to wait when he heard the door open. "Ah, welcome to Spacetries. How can I help, Steven?"

"Hey Lars, long time no see." Steven greeted the pink teen as he entered the bakery with Rhodonite in tow. "We need to talk about Rhodonite. Peridot was showing off this little gizmo she built that made her super uncomfortable, and we think it may have something to do with when she was created on Homeworld."

"We believe it may have been caused by the Morganite who originally owned the Ruby and Pearl she's made of." Fluorite added. "Do you think she could still be around?"

"How should I know?" Lars asked while putting away the broom and taking off his apron. "Most of the time I spent on Homeworld was being forced into a trial, dying, and then trying to escape after I came back to life."

"Well, I think we might need a lift there." Rhodonite declared. "You wanna help?"

"Could take a little bit to get there, but anything for you guys." Lars accepted happily. "Blue Lace, watch the shop while I'm gone!"

Blue Lace Agate gave Lars a thumbs-up as he left the shop to see the other Off-Colors outside.

"Can't we just take the Warp Pad?" Lars asked while the group walked away from the bakery.

"The nova thrusters are as good as new, right?" Steven responded with a question of his own.

Within a few hours, the Off-Colors had finally reached the Gem Homeworld. Since it had been so long since they had escaped their formerly oppressive home planet, Homeworld has changed dramatically in the passing years. There was lots more color, plant life was abundant, and Gems were milling about to do whatever they please without fear of persecution from the dismantled caste system.

"Okay, Morganite should be around here somewhere." Lars stated as they disembarked from the Sun Incinerator. "Any idea where?"

"Why don't we ask around?" Steven suggested.

"Last I remember, Morganite lives in this big palace that looks like one of those pagodas on Earth." Rhodonite explained. "Though since I've refused to go back there until now, I've pretty much pushed the location out of my memories."

"Why don't we try asking around?" the left Rutile suggested. "Maybe try that Citrine over there?"

The Rutiles pointed to a large, muscular yellow Gem with her gem on her stomach, a distinctive mullet-like hairstyle, a stern expression on her face, and an unsettling eye twitch that she showed as the Gems walked over to her.

"Can I help you?" the Citrine asked with a glare.

"We don't want any harm." Steven told her. "We're just on the lookout for a Gem named Morganite. Seen her anywhere?"

"Oh, you're looking for Morganite?" Citrine said as her expression softened into something more genial. "Yeah, she lives in the big pink skyscraper, can't miss it." She thumbed over to a tall building not too far away that was colored in varying shades of pink and had a predominantly Oriental appearance. "Here, I'll take you there."

"Isn't it wonderful?!" Padparadscha cried while Citrine signaled for a carrier to bring them to Morganite's palace. "The most wonderful Citrine will give us a lift to Morganite!"

"One of those Off-Color Gems, I see." Citrine commented as the carrier arrived. "Okay everyone, all aboard."

"So tell me, what's Morganite like?" Steven asked Citrine. "Is she as okay with Era 3 as everyone else? Because I've met a few Gems who aren't too happy with it."

"She doesn't really care." Citrine answered. "Just as long as she continues her design work. Back in the day, she was highly acclaimed in our society for her visionary designs, especially her work on the Diamonds' palanquins."

"Sounds like she'd fit right in at Little Homeschool's art classes." Fluorite remarked.

"Yeah, but she also had strong views against cross-Gem fusions when we served her." Rhodonite stated. "It's why we fled and eventually met the other Off-Colors."

"How much longer till we reach her?" Lars asked Citrine.

"Not too long now." Citrine replied as Morganite's building began getting closer. "Okay, we're here." She announced, stopping the transporter.

Steven, Lars, Citrine, and the Off-Colors now stood before the pink pagoda-like building, staring in awe of its beautiful architecture. But within the gorgeous structure lay some dark secrets of the past that Rhodonite was ready to contend with.

"You ready?" Lars asked Rhodonite, who tightly held his hand in exchange.

"I'm scared." Rhodonite muttered.

"Don't worry. We're all here for you." Steven alleviated the fusion's fears by holding onto her hand.

"Rhodonite seems afraid, but she knows we'll all be by her side." Padparadscha declared calmly.

"Us Off-Colors gotta stick together." The Rutiles said in unison.

"We're your family." Fluorite said.

"Okay, enough heartfelt found family moments." Citrine chuckled at the heartwarming scene before her as she knocked on the door, causing a holographic projection of a small, pink Gem soon appeared from the top of the doorframe. "Hello?"

"State your name and your business." The hologram demanded.

"I'm Steven Universe." Steven said to the hologram. "I'm here because we've got some old subordinates of Morganite here with us."

"Excellent." The hologram said, and the doors soon opened. "Please enter single file, and do not make a mess of things."

With that, the group got in line, Rhodonite in front with Steven behind her, and strolled into Morganite's tower.

Upon taking the elevator that took them to the tower's top floor, before Steven, Lars, and the Off-Colors was a small, pink Gem with pale skin dressed in a kimono and her dark pink hair in low pigtails. She was kneeling to the ground in deep meditation, and had a certain Gem device hanging over her head as a decoration.

The very sight of this Gem turned Rhodonite's paranoia into a very uncharacteristic rage, and she marched straight up to the little Gem before angrily picking her up. "You! I knew you'd still be here, now fess up!"

The Gem slowly opened her eyes and gasped in fright at the angry fusion violently interrogating her. "Oh no, someone help!" she cried. "Wait, I remember you!"

"So you do remember me, huh?!" Rhodonite snarled while Steven and Lars tried to keep her calm. "Why don't you tell me why I was rejuvenated SEVENTEEN TIMES before I toss you over the edge?!" she threatened, turning her head to face a door leading to one of the balconies of the top floor.

"Rhodonite, please!" Steven exclaimed.

"I get that she traumatized you, but you would never try to hurt anyone!" Lars said.

"Please, remember Garnet's instructions!" Fluorite cried.

Rhodonite froze in place and dropped her former superior from her grasp, and then she began to remember what Garnet taught her. "Relax my thoughts, relax my thoughts." She whispered to herself, easing her tense form. "My apologies, I just lost a little control there."

"A little would be selling yourself short." Rhodonite's would've-been victim snarked. "Especially after all the times I had to break you up."

"So, you must be Morganite." Steven remarked.

"Suppose you heard of me." Morganite stated. "My work is highly acclaimed throughout nine star systems. Now tell me, what brings you all to my tower, outside of nearly trying to kill me?"

"We need to talk." Steven said, moving out of the way to introduce the Off-Colors. "These are some of my friends, a group of Gems persecuted by the old ways of Homeworld because they didn't fit in with their fascist standards, including Rhodonite here. We came because we know you had rejuvenated the Ruby and Pearl that are her components seventeen times, and want answers as to why."

"You want to know why?" Morganite asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I'd like to understand." Rhodonite answered.

"If you say so." Morganite responded. "Please, do sit down, all of you. Have I got a story for you?"

As the group all sat down on their knees, Morganite began her story. "Now, our little tale begins thousands of years ago, back in Era 1, a short while after Pink Diamond came along."

Thousands of years in the past, Morganite was quite possibly the most celebrated designer to have ever graced Gemkind for having helped build most of Homeworld's architecture. One of her most notable actions was being the leader in building each of the Diamonds' palanquins, and her methods were seen as extraordinary.

"Exemplary work Morganite." Yellow Diamond complimented the design of her palanquin, built to be just as massive as she was. "Very nice patterns, and the shade of yellow is very fitting too."

"I especially admire the drapes you put on mine." Blue Diamond admired her palanquin.

"It was my pleasure, my Diamonds." Morganite thanked with a courteous bow. "I don't ask for anything in return; your applause is all that matters."

"Oh, you are so modest." Blue giggled. "But don't you ever get a little lonely doing so much for our kind?"

"No, I feel perfectly happy by myself." Morganite answered.

"Not even any subordinates to bounce ideas off of?" Yellow continued. "Because I can assure you, I've already got some for you for the occasion."

With a snap of the Diamond's fingers, Yellow's brought forth a pair of inactive gemstones and set them on the ground. The Pearl rose up first, projecting a holographic clamshell around itself.

"Please identify yourself." The shell ordered robotically.

"Morganite." Morganite complied.

"Greetings, Morganite." The shell greeted. "Please state your preferred customization options."

"Nothing too fancy, but nothing too modest either." Morganite continued.

"Settings selected. Please stand by." The holographic shell opened and the Pearl began glowing, eventually forming into a full Gem. The Pearl looked very standard, but had straight pink hair in a bob, her gemstone resting on her chest, a leotard with a transparent shawl around her neck and pink flats.

Next came the Ruby, who also looked like how Gems of her type should be, with her gem on her stomach and a Pink Diamond insignia on her top.

"You must be our new owner, correct?" Morganite's new Pearl asked.

"Yes, yes I am." Morganite answered politely. "You were awarded to me for my work on Yellow and Blue Diamond's palanquins, and I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Yes, Morganite." The Ruby and Pearl said in unison. What Morganite missed was her new Ruby turning her head a bit to gaze at Pearl, and it was love at first sight.

Over the next couple hundred years, Morganite's Pearl and Ruby served diligently and quietly, never once saying anything negative about their boss or her celebrity status. At least, not in public. In private, the two kept talking for hours about how self-absorbed she was, allowing their working relationship to blossom into romance.

"Oh, the nerve of her taking all the glory from all those hardworking Bismuths!" Morganite's Pearl laughed. "They may hold a higher rank than us Pearls, but I really feel sorry for them."

"And I heard from some Lapis Lazulis that ol' Morgy didn't appreciate the sloppy work they did on Hiei 16." The Ruby responded. "Chances are she's bound to tell Blue on them."

"And what of Pink Diamond?" the designer's Pearl continued. "Sometimes I wonder if she was just a Quartz plucked from a Kindergarten and ordered to look like a Diamond, because she rarely acts like the others at all. Her Pearl says she throws quite the destructive tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants."

"Oh, wow! What a baby!" the Ruby laughed loudly.

"Can I just say, I really love the way you laugh?" Morganite's Pearl said. "It's so loud, yet so endearing at the same time."

"I-I find you endearing too." The Ruby blushed. "No, wait, I don't think that's the word I'm looking for! I meant to say-"

"Cute, graceful, smart, caring, loyal?" the Pearl began flirting. "Because all but one of those fit you as well."

"Oh my, really?" the Ruby responded as she blushed even harder. "I don't anyone has ever called me anything that wasn't stupid or expendable, but you're the first."

"Thank you." The Pearl said, now beginning to blush herself. "Would you like a kiss?"

"W-w-w-w-wait, really?!" her new Ruby lover stuttered. "I don't think I've been given a kiss either?"

"Well, let's give it a try." The Pearl remarked, picking her beloved Ruby up by the waist and bringing them face to face before giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. When the Ruby returned the kiss in kind, their gems began to shimmer.

"Oh, girls! I want your two cents on my latest project." Morganite called for the pair as she walked in on their embrace. "What in the?!"

What Morganite saw was not her Ruby and Pearl, but rather a strange new lifeform with both of their gemstones on her front and bearing some parts of their respective physical forms.

"What happened?" Rhodonite muttered. "Did we just fuse?"

"Yes, you just did!" Morganite barked, catching Rhodonite by surprise. "You knew the laws you two; only two Gems of the same type are allowed to fuse! Did you not hear the cautionary tales of those six Gems that just up and vanished when they first discovered fusion?"

"I sincerely apologize, Morganite, but we really do love each other!" Rhodonite cried as she begged on her knees. "If you would just let us explain!"

"Explain nothing." Morganite coldly declared before pulling a Rejuvenator from her gem on her chest and using it to cut Rhodonite in two, causing her components to poof. "And that will be all."

Morganite believed that would be the end of it, the end of her subordinates' relationship. But she thought wrong.

When her Ruby and Pearl were regenerated, they at first acted like they first met Morganite all over again. And just like that first time, they once again fell in love.

Despite Morganite's attempts to suppress her subordinates' relationship, word got out of the two's love, and many Gems began to question the designer's high status and demanded something to be done about it.

The more times her Pearl and Ruby began fusing, the more Morganite used her Rejuvenator to reset them, and the more she began fearing for all the fame she accumulated being dropped faster than an unwanted colony. Eventually, after approximately seventeen resets, Morganite came to a decision.

"Are you sure we should still be doing this?" the Pearl asked her smaller lover one day. "You know our Morganite will be very unhappy."

"Well, I for one am sick of all this!" the Ruby exclaimed hotly. "Sick of being persecuted for our love, sick of fusions between different Gem types being so frowned upon, sick of this society we live in!"

"Oh, poor baby." The Pearl consoled the Ruby. "We're stronger than that, I just know it."

"Oh, girls, please come here." Morganite called for the pair. With nervous looks to one another, the couple walked over to their displeased master. "I have some splendid news for you."

"What is it?" Morganite's Pearl asked meekly.

"You no longer have to worry about being caught, because you're getting replaced!" Morganite answered cheerfully, presenting a new Pearl and Ruby that will soon take the old pair's places.

"Well, funny you should mention that." The Ruby stated, bravely stepping forward. "We're through with this! You don't understand the love Pearl and I share, just because you're so self-absorbed and dedicated to Homeworld's ways!"

"Oh, so good you're such a team player." Morganite sarcastically remarked before clapping her hands to summon a pair of Shattering Robonoids. "Because as they say, there's no trash in a team."

As the Robonoids prepared to detain Morganite's former Pearl and Ruby, the two made a break for it. They bolted out the top floor of Morganite's tower, jumping off the balcony and beginning to fall all the way down to Homeworld's lower levels.

"After them!" Morganite commanded the Robonoids, and they zoomed out the building after the fleeing Gems.

As Ruby and Pearl continued falling at high speeds, the Shattering Robonoids flew down in hot pursuit and tried to scan their gems for destruction.

"Oh no, we're gonna get shattered!" the Ruby began panicking. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't talked back to Morganite, then we wouldn't either be shattered by the Robonoids or by falling to our deaths! I'm so-"

"It's okay." The Pearl said softly, cupping her favorite soldier's cheek. "I'm here for you, you're here for me."

"Yeah." The Ruby began to relax. "We're here for each other."

The two began to kiss once again, fusing into Rhodonite once more as they crashed behind a statue on Homeworld's decaying surface. The Robonoids continued scanning for the pair, but the machines found nothing due to the structure keeping them protected.

As the Robonoids flew back up to report to Morganite, Rhodonite peeked from behind the statue in relief. "I'm here."

"Hello?" a deep, slow-moving voice called from a cave. "Is anyone there?"

"Who said that?!" Rhodonite began panicking. "Come out wherever you are!"

"You were cast out too, yes?" the voice continued. "Come on in, you'll be safer here."

"I-if you say so." Rhodonite muttered. "Where are you?"

"Just follow my voice." The voice answered. "You can find me in this cave. Just look for the rock."

Rhodonite did as this mystery person said and found a rather conspicuous rock within a cave, moving it aside to discover a secret passage. When she entered the path and went through the dark tunnel, at the end was a massive Kindergarten that might've gone unused for ages.

"Welcome, dearie." The voice said as its owner appeared from behind Rhodonite. Turning around, Rhodonite discovered a massive six-Gem fusion with a gentle smile on her face. "So, were you persecuted for your love too?"

"Wait, you're the six Gems!" Rhodonite exclaimed, thinking back to the tales of old.

"I see my reputation is still going strong." The larger fusion proclaimed. "I am Fluorite. And you are?"

Rhodonite glanced down at the gems on her torso, and then back at Fluorite, before she finally answered. "I'm Rhodonite."

"So that's what happened." Steven realized as Morganite concluded her tale before he turned to Rhodonite. "What do you think?"

"Relax my thoughts, relax my thoughts." Rhodonite whispered to herself as she sat cross-legged next to Steven and as she opened her eyes, she un-fused into Morganite's former Ruby and Pearl for the first time in centuries.

"Normally, this is the part where we'd yell at you for never atoning for ditching us." The Ruby stated. "And we'll still never forgive you for that."

"But that's in the past. We're different Gems than we were thousands of years ago." The Pearl replied. "Here in the future, we have a new life now. Together."

"I understand now." Morganite said solemnly. "If that is your decision, then so be it. Now good day."

"Thank you for having us." Lars thanked Morganite. "Now come on, gang, let's head home."

"One second." The Ruby and Pearl said in unison before they kissed yet again, fusing back into a more stable Rhodonite with shorter pant legs, a scarf replacing her shawl, and her hair now in two tones.

"Okay, now we can go." Rhodonite smiled.

"Everyone, wait!" Padparadscha exclaimed. "After a moment of clarity, Rhodonite will change her look! Isn't that exciting!?"

"You crack me up, little buddy." Lars chuckled as Steven, and the Off-Colors left the building.

After Morganite finished waving them off, she checked around to see if anyone was still watching. Rising from where Rhodonite sat her down, Morganite turned to the Rejuvenator hanging over her head and pressed on a hidden keypad on the wall that led the way to a Warp Pad.

"My clarity has got to hear about this." Morganite said to herself as she took the Warp Pad to parts unknown.

Revanche 666 was a planet drained of all life and resources by the Gems' colonizing, and all that was left was a world with a suspicious resemblance to a human skull.

Morganite disembarked from the Warp Pad and walked towards a black-colored building resembling a Communication Hub. Standing guard was a pair of Citrines, much like the one who had brought Steven to her, but they were less friendly.

"HALT!" the Citrines yelled as they blocked the way.

"It's alright you dolts; it's me." Morganite grumbled at the guards' ignorance.

"Oh, terribly sorry Morganite!" the Citrines declared, moving to allow Morganite to enter the building. "The master is expecting you!"

Morganite strolled down a long white hallway, lined with multiple guards. There were Pearls that had grey skin, black & white uniforms and their hair swept to one side of their heads, white Topazes, including one that was giving a cheery wave only to stop with a sinister glare from the pink Gem, Jaspers, Amethysts, Rubies and many more.

"Oh Morganite, fancy seeing you here." Holly Blue Agate said, as she appeared to start walking alongside her fellow ex-aristocrat. "How have things been going on your end?"

"That boy just paid a visit, and he brought some Off-Colors with." Morganite answered. "One of them was a fusion of my ex-servants, and even tried to toss me over the edge!"

"Really, an Off-Color attempting murder?" Holly Blue smirked. "Well, it's good you're still keeping up appearances like I am, no matter how complicated it may be. Hopefully the master's endgame will allow me to get some peace and quiet!"

"In due time, Holly." Morganite chuckled. "In due time."

The two Gems stopped walking in front of a pair of white doors that automatically opened for them. And at the end of the room before them was a Gem in a revolving chair examining all possible data she could find of the Crystal Gems on a series of holograms.

"We have arrived your clarity." Holly Blue announced while she and Morganite kneeled before the Gem. "Morganite would like to speak with you."

"Yes, Steven Universe has come to visit me earlier." Morganite added. "Which reminds me, is it time to proceed with Phase 1?"

The Gem stopped typing on her database and slowly turned to her subordinates, before slowly getting up from her chair.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 1, Chapter 8: Black and White

"Is the camera ready, Topaz?"

"It's ready, my Rutile!"

"You idiot, you forgot to turn on the lens!"

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, my Rutile, let me fix that!"

A camera was turned on inside a black-colored dropship, where a matching-colored Rutile in a green visor and white cape sat down in a captain's chair, confident and charming. "Hello, universe!" the Rutile greeted. "My name is Black Rutile, and welcome to Eye on Era 3, the special interview show where we discuss with Gems about the changes a certain Steven Universe brought to our proud culture!"

"And I'm White Topaz!" the Topaz operating Black Rutile's camera turned the lens to herself and cheerfully waved to the audience.

"Uh, Topaz, over here." Black Rutile ordered.

"Oh, sorry!" White Topaz muttered and turned the camera back to her superior.

"Anyways, we've traveled across the stars to chat it up with all sorts of Gems." The Rutile continued ecstatically. "From Pearls free from slavery, to proud Emerald pilots! Agates with no one to order around, Lapis Lazulis thinking they're lost in the world, and even a few fusions here and there! But today, we're gonna get answers straight from the mouth of this so-called "new Pink Diamond" himself!" she stated, making air-quotes while calling Steven the new Pink Diamond.

"My Rutile, we are closing in on Earth." A Citrine piloting Black Rutile's ship announced. "Is there any good spot you'd like to land?"

"Let's try that Little Homeworld place I've heard so much about." Black Rutile suggested. "We're bound to get tons of special guests there."

"Yes, your clarity." The Citrine complied, and she returned to her station.

"In case you were stuck in a Kindergarten for the past couple hundred years, Little Homeworld is where tons of Gems formerly corrupted by the Diamonds at the end of the Rebellion have made their home." Black Rutile narrated over footage of Little Homeschool. "The number one hotspot of this little bit of home is Little Homeschool, where Gems from all over come to learn how to mingle with the life on Earth and let go of the old ways."

"Hey, you think maybe we could go to that place, BR?" White Topaz grinned eagerly.

"Don't forget about our plans." Black Rutile said under her breath to her Topaz bodyguard. "I mean, we should be nearing Little Homeworld any minute now, so stay tuned!"

Gems began to gather when Black Rutile's ship made its landing in Little Homeworld, and the landing door opened to reveal its owner and her sidekick strolling out.

"Oh my, we already have quite a crowd here!" Black Rutile laughed into a microphone. "Now then, I'll pick a few lucky Gems from our audience here to answer some questions about their experiences on Earth." Looking around, Black Rutile managed to pick out Bismuth, Peridot, and Lapis Lazuli from the huddling Gems. "Ah, you three, over there!"

"Us?" Lapis asked.

"Could you care to tell us how life has been on Earth for you?" Black Rutile asked, sticking her microphone out to the trio.

"I've actually been on Earth about as long as Lapis here." Bismuth answered, gesturing to Lapis. "I was one of the original Crystal Gems under Rose Quartz, chosen because I wanted to build whatever I wanted, with no uppercrusts to order me around! But my methods of dealing with the enemy was a bit more extreme than what she was used to, so Rose took one in particular a bit personally and had me poofed & bubbled. In hindsight, maybe Rose was worried that her cover would've been blown."

"As Bismuth said, I was on Earth for a very long time." Lapis began speaking into the mic. "I was supposed to be there for only a little bit to assist in terraforming, but then I got caught in the war and was poofed before being confused for a Crystal Gem. I was interrogated while my gem was stuck in a mirror, but that kind of got cut short when the Diamonds unleashed their final attack and forced everyone to flee. I was left behind by accident, and someone cracked my gem by stepping on it, and years later, I was found by Pearl, who kept me in her gem until Steven freed me."

"Aw, what a happy ending!" White Topaz cooed.

"Yeah, no." Lapis sardonically corrected White Topaz. "After I was freed from the mirror, I nearly drowned tons of people because I wanted to get home, but then home turned out to be a lot different from when I left it. I was once again made a prisoner by Peridot and Jasper, who then invaded Earth because I met the Crystal Gems that everyone thought were defeated in the Rebellion, then I fused with Jasper to protect Steven, which took a number on both of our mental states, I was freed yet again, then I left Earth because I was told the Diamonds might be coming, before coming back only to get poofed by Yellow Diamond."

"Much like Lapis, I was only supposed to be on Earth for a short while to perform my duties." Peridot began telling her story. "I was supposed to check up on the old Galaxy Warp, but then the Crystal Gems kept getting in my way no matter what. Before I knew it, I was without help, without any working technology, and then without my limb enhancers. I don't think I even bothered to ask where the Gems put them."

"A Lapis, a Bismuth and a Peridot. What an unlikely trio." Black Rutile mused. "Tell me, what was it that made you three decide to work alongside each other in the first place."

"Well, it all began when Steven and the Crystal Gems left Earth to convince White Diamond to help them cure corruption." Bismuth said. "I elected to stay behind on Earth to watch over these two."

"Ooh, ooh, can I do a reenactment?!" White Topaz asked, to which Black Rutile responded with a sigh.

"Proceed." Black Rutile muttered, tapping on her camera to produce a light shining on the surface of the dropship. White Topaz began to shapeshift her fingers into various characters, and started a shadow puppet show.

"Bye Bismuth, I'm gonna go to Homeworld and hope we can convince White Diamond to help us save the corrupted Gems." White Topaz said, imitating Steven. "You do you kid. I'm gonna watch over those other Gems while you're away." She continued, now impersonating Bismuth. "Have fun!"

Steven's shadow puppet was raised into the air as White Topaz made rocket sounds, followed by turning more of her fingers into Peridot and Lapis. Black Rutile just gave an annoyed glare to the camera.

"Hey, where's Steven?" White Topaz's impression of Lapis asked. "Oh, him? He ran off to Homeworld with the Diamonds." Her mimicry of Bismuth answered. "Oh my stars, are we too late?!" an aping of Peridot cried out.

"Do I really sound like that?" Peridot muttered as the shadow play went on.

"No little guy, he's fine!" White Topaz's impression of Bismuth continued. "Just something about corruption or whatever."

"Okay, I think we've seen enough!" Black Rutile laughed awkwardly as she interrupted the puppet show.

"Aw, but I was getting to the good part!" White Topaz moaned sadly.

"To be fair, you were almost spot on." Bismuth stated. "When Steven told us through some weird watermelon creature that looked just like him that trouble was indeed brewing on Homeworld, Peridot and Lapis reformed not too long after and we came together out of a desire to help him out."

"United by a common goal, how quaint." Black Rutile smiled and folded her hands behind her back, trying to hide their fidgeting. "Now then, would anyone else like to come up and chat?"

"I would, I would, I would!" Teal Zircon cried as she pushed her way through the crowd. "Hi, name's Teal Zircon, nice to meet you!" she greeted Black Rutile while rapidly shaking her hand. "So, you wanted to learn about my time here on Earth?"

"You're awfully excitable." Black Rutile pushed up her visor by the bridge with a grin. "More to the point, I'd like to hear your story Ms. Zircon."

"Gladly!" Teal Zircon exclaimed. "Like many of the Gems here, I was once corrupted by the Diamonds and became a long-tongued speedster that Peridot tried to capture no matter what, through hell or high water. Eventually, she did succeed, and I was stuck in the barn she and Lapis called home, until the Crystal Gems took me to their place. One day, I was healed by Steven along with a Cherry Quartz and shown around Little Homeschool. That same day, Steven took me along to see a Jasper who didn't want to go to school, and I was willing to become her friend, but I'm pretty sure she hates my guts."

"I'll have to check up on this Jasper sometime." Black Rutile commented. "Now then, anyone else care to share?"

"I'd like to." Zuli answered as she flew up and touched down next to Black Rutile. "I only came here a few weeks ago after Steven recommended the place to a former friend of mine and me. We were terraforming this moon called Aozul 2, but Steven and this other Lapis that we were buddies with back in our terraforming days told us that wasn't cool anymore, so they taught us new ways to express ourselves. I was a lot more accepting, but my ex-friend didn't want to change. To this day, I still don't know where she's at."

"May I go next?" Cherry Quartz asked Black Rutile.

"Sure, go ahead." Black Rutile answered, passing the mic to the Quartz.

"I was an average Quartz soldier made to fight in the war, but then I got corrupted, of course." Cherry began. "Then Steven came along and healed me along with TZ, and introduced us to Little Homeschool. I was a little nervous at first, but while Steven was away, I met up with some fellow Quartzes who told me all about how great it was here."

"I was the first corrupted Gem Steven helped defeat." Nephrite said, taking the mic from Cherry Quartz. "I was actually brought back out a few times, the first was a complete accident & I was poofed soon after, but the second time was when Steven thought he could try to heal me, but instead he reunited me with my old crew."

"Okay, we're running out of time here folks, I got other people to interview, and I haven't got all day!" Black Rutile yelled. "Which one wants to cap off this part?!"

"Little Larimar and I wanna talk." Snowflake Obsidian answered. "Hi, I'm Snowflake Obsidian. This is my buddy Little Larimar."

"We were corrupted Gems too." Larimar said. "I remember when Steven dropped us into that fountain, and we were all right as rain. Then years later, he helped us all find jobs that he thought were right for us, but then hilarity ensued."

"Wow, pretty much everyone here has such nice things to say about Steven." Black Rutile commented while putting on an eerie fake smile. "Isn't there anyone on this planet that doesn't love him?"

"Well, there is Jasper, kind of." Bismuth answered. "I say kind of because I have no idea what's even up with her ever since she was uncorrupted. I mean, she does express a teeny bit of gratitude for it, but she still would rather stay as far away from us as possible."

"To be frank, I wouldn't blame her." Lapis agreed. "Anyway, if you want to interview her, she's in a cave in the woods nearby."

"Good to know, Lapis." Black Rutile thanked Lapis. "I do hope we can see each other again sometime." She laughed as she and White Topaz began leaving Little Homeworld. "Perhaps even sooner than you think."

"We've all had our fun in Little Homeworld, but there's still a Gem we've yet to cover as we move on with our tour of Earth." Black Rutile continued narrating while walking in the woods. "This Gem, in particular, has been living in the woods ever since she was cured of an unfortunate case of corruption, and refuses to join her fellow Gems at Little Homeschool! Well, let's see if she can tell us why."

"Is that where she's living over there?" White Topaz asked as she pointed the camera to a cave with a tarp over the entrance.

"I think you might be right!" Black Rutile exclaimed as she raced over to the cave. "Excuse me, does Jasper live here?!"

"No she doesn't, now get out." Jasper's voice grumbled from within the cave.

"If Jasper isn't here, then who are you?" White Topaz asked, forcing Jasper to emerge from her cave.

"Someone who's going to pulverize you if you don't leave me alone." Jasper snarled.

"But we just wanted to ask about your time here on Earth!" Black Rutile nervously explained.

"Guess what, I'm not interested." Jasper added. "Now let me repeat myself, beat it, or I'm gonna beat you!"

"I think we should do as she says, my Rutile!" White Topaz began sweating nervously and slowly stepping away from Jasper.

"Righto." Black Rutile agreed before they ran away from Jasper. "But trust me, I think she might be useful to us."

"Well, that went horribly." White Topaz commented the farther she and Black Rutile got from Jasper. "Now where are we?"

"I'm not sure." Black Rutile answered while gazing at a terraced house. "But I do believe we have our next interviewee!"

"Which is?" White Topaz asked her superior.

"The residence of one Connie," Black Rutile declared, bringing up data on Connie on her visor, but then stopped at her last name. "Moo-hee-swear-ann. Seriously, how do you pronounce that?" The reporter decided to brush that off with a shrug and proceeded to knock on the door. "Good day Ms. Moo-hee-swear-ann, my name is Black Rutile, here to interview you about your experiences on Earth."

"It's Maheswaran, in case you're struggling to pronounce it." Connie's mother Priyanka corrected the Rutile. "Now, can I help you?"

"Oh, my apologies." Black Rutile said. "You look a lot taller than my data says."

"I believe you have me confused for my daughter, I'm her mother." Priyanka stated. "If you wish to speak with Connie, she's busy with college preparations, so you can only speak for 15 minutes."

"Uh, question!" White Topaz raised her hand. "What's college?"

"So you're doing all this for a TV show?" Connie asked Black Rutile moments later in the living room.

"You could say that." Black Rutile answered with a grin. "I'm working on an investigative report chronicling everyone's experiences with Era 3, and I'm working towards interviewing all the Crystal Gems and their allies, you included little girl. Now tell me, how did you first meet little Steven?"

"Well, it all started a few years ago." Connie began retelling her first meeting with Steven. "I was minding my own business, Steven was trying to get my attention because he wanted to be my friend, but one thing led to another, and we were stuck in a bubble together."

"Not how I'd expect your species to make new friends, but you do you." White Topaz commented with a grin.

"Anyways, it's all thanks to him that I was able to get out of my comfort zone a bit over the years." Connie continued. "I learned sword fighting from Pearl, became able to fend for myself, and we even fused!"

"Yeah, we still find that a little strange." Her father Doug interjected.

"Fusing with humans, just like they said." Black Rutile whispered to herself.

"Did you say something, miss?" Priyanka asked.

"Oh, nothing." Black Rutile covered up what she just said before moving back to Connie. "It seems like you two are just inseparable!"

"Well, mostly." Connie stated. "When Steven let himself get captured by Aquamarine to save everyone, we were all so worried sick for him. And even when he came back perfectly fine, I still felt like this all could've been avoided if we fought together."

"Oh, poor little girl." Black Rutile comforted Connie, though with a secret hint of condescendence in her voice. "It must be hard to lose someone so dear only for them to come back and disregard your feelings by acting like everything's fine."

"It's okay." Connie said. "We did get back together eventually, and now our bond is stronger than ever!"

"Woo, love wins!" White Topaz cheered, inciting yet another angry glare from her boss. "Um, can I do the shadow puppets again?"

"Go ahead." Black Rutile frowned in embarrassment.

"Wait, your documentary has shadow plays?" Priyanka wondered aloud.

"Don't ask me; this was all her idea!" Black Rutile replied grumpily. "What a childish clod."

"Hey Connie, I'm back from Homeworld! Hope no one missed me." White Topaz began another puppet show, this time of Steven and Connie's brief falling out, while trying her best to mimic Steven. "We did kinda miss you, you could've died!" she continued while imitating Connie's voice. "I don't see what the problem is, I'm standing right here!" the Steven puppet replied carelessly. "Well, we could've stopped Aquamarine together, but you gotta make everything about you!" the Connie puppet declared. "So screw you Steven, I'm going home!"

"Wait, I didn't say anything like that!" the real Connie said nervously.

"Sorry kid, I'm just making this up as I go." White Topaz apologized, and just as she was about to continue her show, Black Rutile cut it short. "Aw man!"

"Well, I think we've just about wrapped up here, friends!" Black Rutile announced. "We've got places to be, people to meet, and more opportunities for me to be humiliated by you, Topaz."

"Well, it was nice to see you." Doug said goodbye as the two Gems left the Maheswarans' house. "Hope your documentary is a big hit!"

"Thank you; you're too kind!" Black Rutile waved back and closed the door, allowing some privacy as she scolded White Topaz. "Was it really necessary for you to go all "love wins" on us, you softhearted fool?" she scowled as they began walking away from the house.

"I'm sorry, I just think they're so adorable together!" White Topaz tried to justify her actions, before Black Rutile pulled her down by her collar.

"We have no time for sappy romances!" the Rutile yelled in her bodyguard's face. "We are here to gather information, and that's final! Are we clear?!"

"Yes, your clarity." White Topaz bowed her head in shame.

"Good, now where were we?" Black Rutile tapped on the side of her visor and pulled up a map of the surrounding area. "Ah, yes! Beach City!" she declared while the map began pointing to the little seaside town.

"Ooh, that place sounds fun." White Topaz commented. "Think maybe we could take a vacation there some time, just you and me?"

"Apologies, but we're on a mission." Black Rutile declared as she put the map away. "We'll have time for fun later, but it'll be my choice of fun. Understand?"

"Yes, boss!" White Topaz gave a comical salute, and the two began setting off for Beach City.

"Now then, this place should be full of Steven stories!" Black Rutile announced as the duo strolled into town. "And maybe we could find some of his weaknesses too."

"Hey, check out this funny sign!" White Topaz said while gazing at the sign for It's A Wash. "What do you think is a wash?"

"Hey new Gems, welcome." They heard Greg greet them. "If you came here to sign up for Little Homeschool, you should take it up with the Gems first."

"Oh no sir, we already saw that school." Black Rutile said. "It's all part of a series of interviews I'm doing for my show, Eye on Era 3. Which reminds me, how would you describe your experiences with the Crystal Gems?"

"My experiences?" Greg wondered. "Well, it all started one night when I was just a young rocker on tour. I had arrived in Beach City for a show, and Rose Quartz was the only one who showed up."

"Ah yes, Pink Diamond always had a fascination with humans," Black Rutile interjected. "often at the expense of her own kind."

"Yeah yeah, Pink kinda stunk, but don't we all sometimes?" Greg philosophized. "Like I was saying, Rose was the only one who came to my concert at Beach City, and from then onward, I felt like it was destiny. I even wrote a song about it!" He then walked to his van to search for his guitar, and began to play. "Do you believe in destiny? Close your eyes and leave the rest to-"

"I'm sorry, we have no time for a song." Greg's interviewer cut him off. "Could you please continue, sir?"

"Sorry if I was any trouble." Greg apologized, putting away his guitar. "The Gems didn't have a very high opinion of me when we first met, especially Pearl, but we were still able to get along with each other. Amethyst in particular took a liking to me."

"Speaking of which, are the Gems in town today, or are they off on some magical mission or something?" Black Rutile asked Greg.

"Oh, they kinda retired from going on missions now that everything's at peace." Greg answered. "But, Steven's still at home over there." He then pointed over to the Crystal Temple not too far away from Beach City itself.

"Yes, pay-dirt!" Black Rutile grinned eagerly. "Come along Topaz, we shall hit ratings dynamite!"

"Coming!" White Topaz cried as she raced after her master. "Hey, maybe we can chat with some of the people here along the way! They might give us some good info!"

"It was kinda thanks to Steven that I died and came back to life." Lars admitted to Black Rutile. "But also thanks to him, I came back as a completely new man with my own awesome spaceship, a serious attitude adjustment, and ever since I came back to Earth, I've taken up some combat training in case I ever go back to space and fight new threats, like I learned musti-yuddha from Connie's dad for example!"

"Lars's disappearance got me kind of depressed for a while." Sadie said while her band prepared for practice. "But I found a new way of expressing it with horror-themed rock music!"

"We had trouble finding our sound before Sadie became our frontman." Buck Dewey stated.

"And since then, we became an overnight hit!" Jenny Pizza exclaimed.

"But I have a feeling our differing paths might cause a break-up." Sour Cream admitted.

"Steven had good intentions when he helped me run for re-election," ex-Mayor Dewey said. "but ultimately I lost. But hey, I did find a new calling at the Big Donut!"

"I was having stress dreams about my sister making me do her work, which took the form of a giant pizza monster, until Steven used his crazy dream powers to help me out." Kiki Pizza said.

"I'll admit, I had a crush on Garnet once upon a time." Jamie declared. "But really, can you blame me?! She was just so stoic and radiant and-"

"Get to the point!" Black Rutile sternly ordered.

"I'm sorry, got a little distracted." Jamie apologized. "But I had since moved onto better things, like my future career in the theater!"

"Okay, that should be all." Black Rutile sighed in exhaustion. "Now then, let's not waste any more ti-"

"Wait, I want to talk to you!" Ronaldo cried out as he raced to the Gems with a notebook in hand.

"What do you want?" the reporter grumbled. "We're wasting daylight here!"

"You've been going around asking people questions about Gems, but this time I want to ask you for a change." Ronaldo declared.

"Okay then, fire away little guy." White Topaz said with a smile.

"There are still tons of unanswered questions about your kind that I must inquire about!" Ronaldo said while flipping through his notebook. "Like, for example, do you know who created the Gems in the first place? How was Homeworld first colonized? When did they start colonizing other planets?"

"I don't believe we have time for your questions." Black Rutile snidely shut Ronaldo's questions down before making her way to the Crystal Temple. "Come Topaz, we have work to do."

"Yes, my Rutile!" White Topaz obeyed and followed behind, leaving Ronaldo in the dust.

"You can run, but I will get my answers!" Ronaldo declared loudly, but he was too late. "And they're gone."

"Okay, Topaz, we have to make a good first impression here, so no silly games or shadow puppet shows." Black Rutile commanded as they ascended the beach house's front steps and reached the front door.

"Aw man." White Topaz moaned in disappointment.

"Quit being such a child you moron." Black Rutile exhaled in disgust as she knocked on the door. "Hello, is anyone home?"

"Just a minute!" a voice the two Gems were eager to hear answered as its owner raced downstairs.

"Oh my stars, the moment has come; he's finally here!" White Topaz squealed happily before she received a slap to the face.

"Hello, what brings you here?" Steven greeted Black Rutile.

"Steven Universe, at long last!" BR exclaimed. "I'm Black Rutile, host of Eye on Era 3, and this is my camera-Gem/bodyguard White Topaz! We're here for an investigative report on the state of Earth in this new era, and have been interviewing many of your family and friends."

"You're a bit shorter than I expected." White Topaz commented.

"I see my reputation precedes me." Steven declared. "Come on in."

"Nice place you got here." White Topaz complimented the house as she and her boss were shown inside.

"Thanks, the Gems helped build this place." Steven accepted the compliment. "Hey, I got a question. I've met a Topaz and a Rutile before, but they sound nothing like you. Why is that?"

"We're just special Gems. Comes with being former members of White Diamond's court." Black Rutile answered while sitting down on the couch. "But enough about us, let's talk you! Could you give us a little life story first?"

"If you want." Steven answered while sitting across from the Rutile. "I remember first discovering my powers like it was yesterday. I was super bummed that my favorite brand of ice cream was discontinued, but then the Gems told me they got tons of it from other stores, and taking a bite out of one coincided with me summoning my shield for the first time, which led me to believe I could do so by eating Cookie Cat."

"Hahaha, oh the innocence of youth!" Black Rutile chuckled nostalgically. "I remember when I first emerged for White Diamond. A real young hotshot, a little arrogant even. Could you tell us more about these powers, kid?"

"Over time, I learned tons of Gem powers." Steven regaled. "Like shapeshifting, control over plant life, making bubbles, telepathy, sticking my mind in others' bodies, but fusion gave me tons of new abilities. This reminds me of a story."

"Ooh, shadow time!" White Topaz exclaimed, but her happiness was immediately put to rest.

"What did I tell you?! No shadows!" Black Rutile yelled strictly at her sidekick, and then immediately changed her mood. "Please continue."

"All right." Steven was a little taken aback by Black Rutile's cold behavior towards White Topaz before he began his story. "Anyways, it all started when I had to take care of Onion for the day, and Pearl helped out."

"Thank you Explorer Gal for saving us from that dastardly Bandit Guy!" Rainbow Quartz 2.0 said, taking the role of one of Onion's toys. Onion was playing with Explorer Gal, who thanked the other toy in Onion's unintelligible matter.

"For your heroic efforts, please accept money." Rainbow continued while handing Onion a dollar bill. "Our city was a mess before you came along, but now…." Rainbow then began to break character as they took notice of Onion's messy room. "Well, I suppose it's still a mess." They commented. "It's been so much fun playing, but now we have to clean, which is also fun!" they declared while making a rainbow with their hands. "Are you ready to tidy up?"

Onion stared blankly while slowly sticking a piece of broccoli out of his mouth.

"Oh Onion, don't you be that way." Rainbow 2.0 chuckled. "Your best friend Rainbow will help you tidy up!" Just then, they pulled a parasol out of Pearl's gem. "Let's make things a little more animated in here!"

With that, Rainbow made Onion's toys come to life, and they began marching to their proper places in his room while Rainbow started a song. "Stick by stick, the little blackbird makes a nest." They began singing while making Onion's clothes fly into his dresser. "A mess to some, but the little blackbird isn't stressed."

Rainbow then allowed Onion to give the umbrella a try, making one of the boy's toy cars come to life and race away. "Stick by stick, the little blackbird makes a nest." The fusion continued while Onion marveled at the parasol's powers. "And then he naps, cause even blackbirds need to rest. The fun won't stop if you have a friend around. The fun won't stop if you have a friend around."

As Rainbow began to finish the song, Onion kept playing with the umbrella, making more of his toys come alive, along with a Venus flytrap. "And when you laugh, it is my favorite sound." Onion then discovered some darts in his drawer, and used the parasol to make them fly. "And that's what life is all about."

"What the?!" Rainbow stuttered before dodging the darts, making them land on a dartboard. With that, they finally decided to take their weapon back from Onion while noticing a stack of dirty dishes. "Next time, please wash your dishes." They instructed before sending the dishes off to be cleaned, and then taking notice of a stuffed toy in Steven's image hidden near Onion's bed, eerily waving to them. "And could you please explain what this is?"

Onion didn't answer, aside from blowing Rainbow a few kisses.

"Alright, thank you for the kisses." Rainbow thanked Onion before Steven's phone began to ring. "Just give me five or so minutes."

Rainbow un-fused into Steven and Pearl, and Steven answered his phone. Garnet was on the other end, holding her cellphone extremely close to her face. "Steven, you're late." Garnet said. "I need you for the Sunstone Safety Geminar."

"Oh no, that was today?!" Steven began panicking. "But Rainbow Quartz promised to hang out with Onion today!"

"Don't worry; I'll handle the Geminar." Garnet stated confidently. "I'll explain every possible future where they could get hurt around the house."

"I don't know if that'll be a good idea, I'll be right there." Steven responded before hanging up and turning to Pearl. "Pearl, I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised. "Could you watch over Onion for me while I'm away?"

"Of course." Pearl agreed. "Onion loves Rainbow, I'm sure he'll love me as much."

"In hindsight, that wasn't my best idea." Steven took a break from his tale to confess. "Onion can be a real handful."

"Like, how much of a handful?" White Topaz asked.

"Let's just say, he's a real oddball who loves causing trouble." Steven stated. "I can never really get a read on that guy, no matter how much of a good friend he is. Heck, he doesn't even seem to age normally!"

"So, about this Geminar." Black Rutile began. "You said Rainbow Quartz is a fusion between you and Pearl, but who is this Sunstone running that event?"

"Oh, Sunstone is the fusion of Garnet and I." Steven answered. "They're all hip and radical and like giving important life lessons, kind of like those old PSA characters from the 90s. Speaking of which…"

"I slip on the stairs?" Ocean Jasper wondered while watching a television screen with Garnet, the Heaven & Earth Beetles, and a Nephrite.

"Indeed, and you shatter on impact too." Garnet bluntly replied, causing Ocean and the Nephrite to scream and hug each other in fright.

"Garnet, I'm here!" Steven called as he entered the house.

"Thanks for coming, Steven, but I need help." Garnet stated. "I think I'm scaring our guests."

"It's okay; we got this." Steven assured. "Let's get this safety Geminar started with a very special guest!"

Garnet got up from the couch, and the two began to dance, eventually forming the totally cool fusion Sunstone.

"Your rockin' pal Sunstone's here to shine!" Sunstone announced merrily.

"Watch out Sunstone, it's dangerous here!" Ocean Jasper cautioned Sunstone.

"Not unless you guys practice home safety." Sunstone assured the scared Gems. "Don't slip up. Clear objects off the stairs." They instructed by taking a water bottle off the steps to Steven's bedroom and throwing it like a ball. "Foul shot!"

The bottle landed in a trash can near Lion, which prompted another tip. "Be sure to cover up your trash, or else you'll attract bugs or hungry animals." Sunstone demonstrated as they shooed Lion away from the garbage. "Come on, let's go!" they declared. "Don't waste water. Turn off any faucet still running." Sunstone then shut off the sink. "Put protective covers over your electrical outlets, especially when kids are around." They added while doing just that. "And don't even think about sticking a fork in there! But most importantly, turn off motion smoothing on the TV."

Sunstone then used the remote to operate the television, allowing clearer picture and sound for everyone. "Okay, hold tight gang, gotta take a phone call." They said. "In the meantime, check out this commercial."

"Well, seems like you had things handled." White Topaz remarked.

"Famous last words White Topaz." Steven gravely informed. "Pearl later called me on my phone because Onion was giving her a serious headache, so I came back to her to calm Onion down. Then Garnet was trying to do a home safety obstacle course, but that went horribly wrong."

"Okay, color me wrong." The Topaz guard said. "I suppose hilarity must've ensued?"

"Oh so much." Steven declared. "I tried merging both the Geminar with playing with Onion, but one thing led to another."

"It's important to keep in mind that all of these horrible things did happen to you in alternate timelines." Garnet instructed her seminar attendees near the lighthouse. "Safety rules."

"Hey, Garnet." An exhausted Rainbow 2.0 called for their fellow fusion as they flew in via umbrella, with Onion in front. "Would you mind taking on another student?" they asked as Onion was let off the umbrella. "I'm feeling a mite PLPBBT."

With one last raspberry noise, Rainbow un-fused into Steven and Pearl. Steven just groaned tiredly.

"You shouldn't have brought him here Steven." Garnet forebodingly scolded the boy as Onion took a seat in front of her with the Gems.

"No, no, it's fine. It's good." Steven stuttered, having had enough of the stressful day he had. "No one needs safety training more than Onion! I'm combining all of my responsibilities into one responsibility! It's brilliant, it's brilliant! It's fine. I'm fine. Really, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm fine."

Onion wasn't paying attention the whole time, and instead picked up a blade of grass to play like a musical instrument, hypnotically commanding the other Gems to follow him. And Steven was too busy assuring Garnet and Pearl that he was fine to notice too late what had just happened.

A madcap chase soon ensued, with the three Crystal Gems following Onion and the Little Homeschoolers throughout Beach City, into the woods, and finally to a hill, where Onion let go of the leaf. Despite that, Ocean Jasper, the Beetles, and the Nephrite continued marching to the point of falling over the edge.

"Oh no!" Pearl cried as the Gems fell off the hill.

"Steven, we need Sunstone to save them!" Garnet urged Steven.

"Okay!" Steven yelped, and they fused into Sunstone.

"No, we need Rainbow to save them!" Pearl began arguing with her de-facto superior as she swiped Steven away to form Rainbow Quartz.

"I'll catch them with this!" Rainbow declared as they presented their umbrella.

"Can't all three of us fuse to save them?" Garnet wondered just as Amethyst raced up to them.

"Hey wait!" Amethyst cried. "I need Steven!"

Rainbow un-fused so Steven could speak. "What is it Amethyst?!"

"I miss you, man!" Amethyst yelled. "I haven't seen you in like, eleven minutes! But it felt like even longer!"

Steven couldn't take it anymore, and without a single word, he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"STEVEN!" Pearl screamed as she raced to Steven's side.

"I shouldn't have overbooked my schedule." Steven groaned one last time before passing out from exhaustion.

"Nooooooooo." Garnet unemotionally cried out in despair.

"Oh-hohohohoho, I know what it's like!" Black Rutile cackled as Steven finished his story. "Must be so hard to be so overworked at such a young age."

"Guess that's what happens when you're running a whole school." Steven chuckled in reply. "So, guess that should be it, right?"

"No, I'd like to speak with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl first before we wrap up for today." Black Rutile answered, just as the Warp pad began glowing. "Oh, and look who should show up now!"

The core Crystal Gems stood at the Warp Pad, ready to kick back after the long day they had today. "Good thing it was so easy to get that crowd under control." Pearl exhaled. "Still, who was that interviewer they were talking about?"

"I believe that would be me." Black Rutile answered as she stood up from the couch to meet the Gems. "Hi, Black Rutile, intelligence officer of White Diamond turned news reporter. Pleased to meet you."

"I wasn't aware White had a court." Garnet said as the Rutile shook each of their hands. "Pleased to meet you too."

"I just got done interviewing Steven, and he told me the most hilarious story about his troubles with balancing two things at once." Black Rutile said.

"Yeah, things went kinda crazy that day." Amethyst reminisced. "But thankfully, everything went back to normal after that."

"Oh good, the way Steven ended things left me on the edge of my seat!" White Topaz exclaimed while positioning the camera to face the Gems. "One more question before we go, what would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?"

"A little oddly specific, but okay." Pearl remarked. "I pride myself on orderliness, swordsmanship, and intelligence. But I can be a bit doting and perfectionist at times."

"I can be kinda foolish and impulsive, but I'm pretty much past that." Amethyst added. "I'm also more street smart than book smart, and super tough too!"

"I'm a very stable fusion, which especially helps in battle." Garnet said. "My future vision is also seldom wrong, unless the current timeline becomes too unpredictable."

"Well, that should be enough for now." Black Rutile said as she entered all of her data into her visor. "Apologies if we couldn't talk anymore, but I've got places to be and missions to go on, so toodles!"

"Hope we can see each other again, Black Rutile!" Steven said goodbye as the two visiting Gems took the Warp Pad back to Little Homeworld.

"Maybe sooner than you think." Black Rutile smirked before they disappeared.

"She's right, we'll be seeing her again many times." Garnet predicted with an adjustment of her glasses. "But none of them will be friendly."

Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl just laughed at Garnet's prediction, ignorant at what could be to come.

Upon returning to Little Homeworld and boarding their ship, Black Rutile and White Topaz finally left Earth and launched into hyperspace.

"Wow, those Crystal Gems really are swell!" White Topaz commented while her superior sat down in her chair. "I don't see why we're plotting against them."

"It's because they've become far too powerful." Black Rutile answered gravely, a far cry from the persona she put up on Earth. "Does Steven really think he can change our entire society with just hugging, crying, singing, and a cheeky one-liner? Bah, I've done so much better without any of those!"

"My Rutile, we should be exiting hyperspace above Revanche 666 in approximately 15 seconds." One of the Rutile's Citrines confirmed. "Would you like to inform your allies of your coming?"

"Bring Emerald up." Black Rutile commanded, cuing a video screen to appear, showing the tall, green Gem pilot on the other side. "Hello there, Emerald."

"Your clarity, has your reconnaissance ended well?" Emerald asked with a bow.

"Indeed it has." Black Rutile answered with a grin. "Those clods never suspected a thing!"

"And we got it all on video too!" White Topaz added.

"Excellent, we'll soon have everything we need." Emerald declared. "We're all waiting for you at the base, hoping you won't disappoint."

"Oh, don't worry, Emerald, I won't." Black Rutile replied. "That will be all." With a clap, the screen disappeared, and the ship exited hyperspace to reveal the skull-like planet of Revanche 666 before them. "Prepare for landing."

When the dropship finally landed at Black Rutile's headquarters, two rows of Pearls patiently awaited their master's return.

"Ah, my Pearls." Black Rutile announced as she disembarked. "When I ordered Shell to create all of you, I knew it wouldn't disappoint."

"Thank you, my Rutile." The Pearls thanked in unison while one of them took the camera from White Topaz. "Your minions await."

"Perfect." Black Rutile purred before beginning her stroll to her meeting room. "Come Topaz, we have much to do."

"Geez, what's taking her so long?" Lapis Lazuli 1J9G-5KL complained as she, Holly Blue Agate, Morganite, Emerald, Aquamarine, and Eyeball kept on waiting for their boss while seated around a round, white table.

"Patience Lapis." Aquamarine soothed her fellow Gem's annoyance. "She did say that she'd be arriving soon."

"The sooner, the better!" Eyeball yelled, pounding her fist on the table. "I want revenge on Steven for making me a pariah, and I want it now!"

"You're awfully eager." Emerald muttered to her fellow eye Gem before turning to Holly Blue and Morganite. "So, how goes that Zircon's democratic campaign?"

"That navel gem Ruby we planted as her campaign manager has been feeding her lies, and the Zircon doesn't suspect a thing!" Holly Blue answered excitedly.

"More and more Gems have been unknowingly swayed to our cause." Morganite stated. "Soon, we shall have an army strong enough to topple even the Diamonds."

Just then, Black Rutile and White Topaz finally arrived in the meeting room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and salute her. "Welcome, your clarity."

"You're all too kind." Black Rutile thanked them sarcastically as she took a seat between Aquamarine and White Topaz. "I suspect your missions have been going well too, no?"

"Indeed it has my Rutile." Holly Blue revealed.

"That brat has been controlling us all for too long." Aquamarine declared. "Now it's time we take back our planet from those tyrannical pacifists."

"Are you all sure this is a good idea?" White Topaz asked the other Era 3 insurgents. "I mean, the Crystal Gems have become far too powerful to be challenged, and the Diamonds will no doubt come for our gems if they find out!"

"The Diamonds are yesterday's news!" Black Rutile roared, forcing her Topaz into silence. "And speaking of which, Steven may not realize this, but he's no better than his brat of a mother! Thinking he can force all of Homeworld to obey him by being a controlling twerp! Thankfully, he doesn't do so by throwing tantrums left and right until the Diamonds do what he says to shut him up. For now at least."

A Black Pearl entered the meeting room with White Topaz's camera in her hands, and she set it down on the table.

"Thank you my Pearl." Black Rutile thanked the Pearl before turning it on to reveal all the information that she collected on Earth.

"Is this all we need to know about the Gems in time for Phase 2?" Morganite asked her black-colored superior.

"You bet it is." Black Rutile declared with a sociopathic grin as she gazed at one of the holograms of Steven and plucked it out to hold in her hands. "You can have your happily ever after as much as you like, Steven." She declared evilly. "Cause your little Universe will soon be mine."

END OF PART 1: LITTLE HOMESCHOOL

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2: GRADUATION

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 1: Little Graduation

"Teens by day, hey! We're all right." Steven began singing along to Sade Killer and the Suspects' hit song as he drove away from home one relaxing day in Beach City. "Teens by day, but every night we're Sadie Killer and the Suspects! Whoa, Sadie Killer and the Suspects!"

Steven continued singing as he drove through Beach City until he made a stop at Lars's interstellar pastry shop Spacetries. Today was a special day, and Lars was going to be an essential part of it.

"Hey, Blue Lace." Steven greeted the Agate as he entered the shop.

"Hey, Steven." Blue Lace replied with a wave. "If you're looking for Lars, he's right over there." She added before getting back to rolling some dough.

"Hey Steven, here to pick up the cake?" Lars asked while looking over the order Steven placed.

"Yeah," Steven answered. "but I also wanted to check up on you. How are things?"

"Oh, y'know, same old same old." The pink man replied just as the door opened behind the pair. "Wait, is that-"

"Hey Steven, hi Lars!" Sadie Miller cheerfully greeted the duo. When Steven and Lars turned around, they saw that Sadie had changed a lot since they last saw her. Sadie's hair was now fully blonde again and in a ponytail. She wore a pink headband, had a white shirt with a blue one tied around her waist, and black pants. "Long time no see, you two."

"Sadie!" Steven cheered at the sight of his old friend. "Oh my gosh, I can't remember the last time we were together in a pastry establishment!"

"Yo Sadie, I got your moon cakes." Lars said, presenting a box with a moon symbol on the sides to his former co-worker and handing it to her.

"Thanks, Lars." Sadie responded gratefully as she took the box of moon cakes.

"So, how are things going with you and Shep?" Lars followed up.

"What?" Steven asked, completely confused about who the pair were talking about. "Who's Shep?"

"Shep's my new partner." Sadie said to Steven. "They're real cool & chill, and I can't believe we've been dating for two months now!"

"That's cool, I guess." Lars said awkwardly. "Tell them I said hi for me."

"Will do, Lars." Sadie replied as she left the store. "See you again someday."

"Shep, someday?" Steven continued asking, still unaware of what was going on. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"As Sadie said, Shep's her new partner." Lars reiterated for his ex-girlfriend. "They met while the Suspects were touring, and love was just in the air for them from there. I met them myself, and I find it nice Sadie fell for someone who isn't a real piece of work like I was back in the day."

"Yeah, you were kind of a jerk back then." Steven chuckled nostalgically. "Which reminds me, why did Sadie say "see you again someday"?"

"Oh, that." Lars said, nervously rubbing his neck. "Really wish I told you earlier, but I'm gonna be going back to space once the Off-Colors graduate tonight."

"Wait, you're leaving Earth so soon?!" Steven gasped at the shocking news. "But what about the shop?!"

"Don't worry, Steven, I'll cover for him!" Blue Lace called from her counter.

"Thanks, Blue Lace! I always could count on you." Lars said to his employee before returning to Steven. "I'm just ready to move on, cause that's just life. You get what I'm saying, right? I mean, now that Little Homeschool is all finished, what do you wanna do now?"

"I, uh…" Steven began stumbling over his words at the thought of thinking about what to do next now that he's saved the universe from the Diamonds' tyranny and resolving most of his issues with his family.

"Hey, graduation cake's ready!" Lars declared, derailing Steven's train of thought. "See you tonight, Steven, okay?"

"Okay." Steven replied.

"When me and my partners first discovered fusion, it was the most wonderful experience any of us had shared, and couldn't bear to be torn apart from then on." One of Fluorite's components, a large green Gem named Titanite, said to an audience of fellow Gems and humans later that night at the big graduation ceremony. Behind her stood her lovers, Lavender Jade, Iolite, Rubellite, Indicolite & Verdelite, along with the Ruby & Pearl that make up Rhodonite, the Rutile twins, and Padparadscha Sapphire. "Even when we declared pariahs for our love, we refused to let it get us down. Now, centuries later, we're finally free to express ourselves without fear of persecution, and we couldn't be happier. Thank you, Steven, for everything."

The audience began cheering as Titanite bowed and returned to her partners to give them all a big hug, which resulted in them all forming Fluorite once again. "Oh my." She said slowly. "It really has been so long since we've been apart."

As Fluorite took her place alongside the other Off-Colors, Ruby and Pearl were next. "As Titanite said, fusion was the most wonderful time we spent together." The Pearl stated. "In fact, Fluorite was the first cross-Gem fusion just like us that we encountered, and our little Off-Color family grew from there."

"The Morganite we formerly served refused to let us fuse because she feared it would endanger her status until she finally had us replaced." The Ruby added. "When we got the news, we fled as soon as it was broken to us while Shattering Robonoids chased us down. But thankfully, we were able to survive, and now, here we are."

The audience cheered again as the pair of Gems kissed on stage, once again merging into Rhodonite before she took her place alongside the Off-Colors. Next to make a speech were the Rutile twins.

"My sister here and I popped out as one Gem due to some incident with the Injectors that created us." The left Rutile explained. "We weren't even supposed to live, but we did anyways because all the other Rutiles ran from us."

"We were nearly shattered right then and there, but Fluorite found a way to help us escape, and there we stayed." The right Rutile added. "At least, until Steven and Lars came into our lives, on the run as well. We helped them out, and they helped us in return. And we couldn't be more grateful."

As the Rutiles left the mic, Padparadscha Sapphire became the last Off-Color to give a speech. However, hers was a lot shorter. "I'm going to give a grand speech at the graduation ceremony tonight!" she declared brightly. "Oh, what fun!"

The crowd began laughing before Steven took the mic for himself and led Padparadscha away. "Thank you, Paddy, that was very moving." He joked, prompting more laughter. "We're all so proud to see our graduates grow and stay together as everyone goes their separate ways while moving onto bigger and better things. Well, besides me, of course. I'll be staying right here in Beach City, teaching the next generation of Little Homeschool graduates. Okay, now move those tassels!"

The Off-Colors each moved the tassels on their caps.

"Now, let's give a hearty con-grad-ulations to our first alumnae of Little Homeschool!" Steven exclaimed, prompting everyone to cheer.

Soon after, the Off-Colors left the stage while a party celebrating the ceremony commenced. Steven wandered around the beach, looking around at Gems and humans interacting before seeing Sadie interacting with someone he never saw before. They were dark-skinned and wearing a backwards cap, a crop top, nose ring, purple joggers, blue and white high-tops, four colorful bracelets, and a dark green backpack.

"Oh, hey Steven, I never got the chance to introduce you to my new partner." Sadie called for Steven. "I'd like you to meet Shep."

"It's nice to meet you, Steven." Shep greeted Steven.

"So, is it true that you and Sadie have been dating for almost two months?" Steven asked Shep.

"Yeah, that's true." Shep replied. "We met during one of Sadie's concerts a while back, and after exchanging numbers, things just fell into place."

"You know, some people say you don't really get to know them until you get stranded on an island with them." Steven chuckled, though Shep didn't get his joke.

"Uh, do people really say that?" Shep wondered. "Whatever. Sadie and I are going to get cake; then we'll perform at 7."

"That's right." Sadie laughed before the two of them left for some graduation cake. "See you then Steven."

"Wait a sec; I thought you were performing with the Suspects?" Steven halted Sadie for a bit.

"Actually, Shep and I are planning to do a song together." The ex-donut girl said, gesturing to her non-binary partner.

"Uh, cool. Can't wait to get it." Steven replied nervously.

"Cool." Shep smiled as they left with Sadie. "Catch you later."

Steven noticed Lars was also going to get some cake and tried to block his path. "I wouldn't go over there if I were you."

"Is something the matter Steven?" Lars asked his younger friend. "I mean, the cake was just what you ordered."

"No, it's about Sadie and Shep." Steven revealed while gazing at the couple.

"Oh, nice." Lars grinned. "I'll stop by and say hey."

"But, aren't you okay?!" Steven tried to call for the pink man.

"Aren't you?" Lars repeated Steven's question, causing the half-Gem boy to put on a fake grin.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Steven replied before he spotted Jenny Pizza sitting on the stage, having herself a drink. "'sup, Jenny?"

"Hey Steven!" the Pizza girl greeted Steven. "Looks like everyone's enjoying the graduation so far."

"Yep, everyone but me." Steven said sorrowfully. "I guess it looks like everyone's got something new going on."

"Yeah, it's not a bad thing, though," Jenny replied before she began pointing at both of her fellow Cool Kids. "Sour Cream has regular gigs as a DJ in Empire City." She explained while Sour Cream laid on Fluorite's massive head, and Buck conversed with Rhodonite at the refreshments. "And Buck's got into medical school, so he's gonna be saving lives in like, 20 years. Meanwhile, I've been going all out on my new phone jackets."

"What's that?" Steven asked before Jenny pulled out her phone, which was wearing a miniature coat to demonstrate.

"It's my new online business," Jenny explained. "We, and I'm using the royal we here, make the finest jackets suited for your mobile device."

"Aw, it's got little pockets!" Steven cooed in amazement at the jacket's features before he made another discovery. "And it's got its own little phone too! How are you going to find time to make and sell these?"

"Well, I'm gonna have a lot of time now that the Suspects are breaking up." Jenny casually revealed to Steven's alarm.

"Seriously, what?!" Steven yelled in shock.

"I suppose Sadie didn't tell you." Jenny guessed, just as Sadie and Shep returned from eating cake.

"Hey Steven, you ready for us?" Sadie asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Steven suddenly remembered and walked over to the microphone. "So, is everyone having a good time tonight?" he asked the audience, and they cheered in response. "Who here's a Sadie Killer and the Suspects fan?! Cause tonight's performance only has one member."

"Oh boy." Lars muttered.

"So, please welcome to the stage," Steven continued, but then stopped to ask the two musicians. "Uh, what's your band called again?"

"We haven't thought of a name yet." Sadie admitted.

"Uh-huh, well, could've asked me." Steven giggled nervously before he began to walk offstage. "I'm really good at naming bands."

As Steven left, Sadie turned the microphone to her. "This is a little something Shep and I have been working on lately." She announced. "We hope you all like it."

"We will accept any criticism afterward." Shep stated when Sadie pointed the microphone to them before playing their recorder, cuing Sadie to sing.

"When I was younger and I hated fun," Sadie sang. "I was always looking back on what I should've done. I used to live my life in fear, of all the bad performances that led me here. But, I'm looking forward, I'm looking forward. I'm looking forward now."

While the song continued, Lars turned away from his ex on stage and proceeded to walk away.

"Lars?" Steven said to the donut boy turned space hero.

"Oh, hey Steven." Lars calmly greeted his friend, who began to run after him.

"Lars, wait up!" Steven called. "Hey Lars, where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna bounce, only wanted to spend time with the old gang before the Off-Colors and I go off-world," Lars answered. "Big parties really ain't my thing."

"But, you're leaving Earth tomorrow!" Steven cried as his body began taking on a faded pink hue. "When can I ever see you again?"

"You can see me whenever." Lars tried to assure Steven. "I've got the same powers as that lion of yours, so you can just pop out of my hair whenever you want."

"W-w-w-wait, please don't go!" Steven begged the space captain.

"It's been real Steven." Lars said farewell, or so he thought.

"Lars," Steven muttered before he fully turned pink. "STOP!"

Suddenly, Lars found himself bumping into a pink wall that slowly grew into a massive dome that trapped everyone at the ceremony.

"Steven, what's happening?!" Lars yelled as he pounded on the wall of the dome.

"I have no idea either!" Steven exclaimed in response.

"Really, you got no idea where this dome came from?!" Sour Cream yelled.

"Let's hope it doesn't end up like in that book!" Buck replied.

"I think this dome was created by someone having some powerful emotions, and I think we all know who it is." Steven declared before pointing to who he thought it was. "Lars!"

"Wait, what?!" everyone else gasped in shock.

"I don't think that's right!" Lars said defensively.

"No, I'm sure I'm right!" Steven lied to get out of opening up about his own feelings. "We won't get out of here until you work things out with Sadie! I'm pretty sure you guys haven't even talked since you got back, Lars!"

"We actually did, a few times." Sadie revealed solemnly. "Look, Steven, we did try to reconnect, but things just didn't work out between us. Plus, there's also the fact that despite how much we changed, we just weren't right for each other."

"Sadie knows I miss her, and I'm just too happy that she found someone to love herself." Lars added, prompting a touched reaction from Shep.

"And I know Lars is happier being with the Off-Colors in space." Sadie said.

"But when did this happen?!" Steven cried in disbelief. "I wasn't there for any of that!"

"That's because it was private!" Sadie answered.

"Yeah, I mean, you can't just stick yourself into other people's lives like the universe revolves around you and things only happen with you around." Lars pointed out. "Trust me; I know what that's like. Mostly the universe revolving around you part."

The crowd inside the dome was silent for a tiny bit, except for Jenny letting out a cough.

"But, I thought you were leaving because you were jealous of Shep." Steven broke the silence.

"I'm leaving because traveling through space is tons of fun." Lars declared. "Adventure is out there, as they say, and there's still tons of adventures for me and the Off-Colors to go on. Heck, we can even teach other planets what you taught us!"

"Okay, so there's nothing to work out then." Steven realized, but then he noticed something. "Hey, is it getting claustrophobic in here, or is it just me?"

The dome began to shrink more and more, despite everyone's best efforts to push it back.

"Steven, you want to get rid of this dome already?!" Rhodonite panicked while helping the Cool Kids try to keep the dome from shrinking.

"I'm trying, okay?!" Steven yelled anxiously. "Just gotta concentrate real hard!"

"Hey, Steven?" Shep stepped forward to comfort Steven.

"Not now, Shep, still concentrating!" Steven tried to ignore Shep.

"Please, listen to me." Shep urged the boy.

"Look, if I don't get rid of this dome quick, all my friends will die!" Steven screamed, now on the verge of tears.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Lars quipped in the possible face of death.

"Okay, but your magic's connected to your feelings, correct?" Shep theorized as they looked around them. "This is just a hunch, but it seems you made this dome because you're sad your friends are leaving, and want them to stay with you."

"I don't see what you're talking about." Steven replied.

"No, listen, you'd be surprised at how observant I can be." Shep assured Steven. "I think maybe you're figuring yourself out, and you want some friends to help you."

"Okay, you're right!" Steven confessed. "I've always been trying to help my friends, but now it seems like they don't need me anymore! I don't know who I am without them!"

"Aw, Steven, you're great. But you still need to let us go and live our own lives." Sadie convinced him while the dome began to squeeze them all together.

"I know, but I don't want to hold any of you back." Steven let out his current feelings as he felt himself get crushed between the dome and Fluorite's body. "I just can't help it if my big ol' heart still loves you all."

"Awww, Steven!" Jenny squealed in delight.

"We'll all still be friends." Sadie assured her little friend.

"Even if some of us are lightyears away." Lars added hopefully.

"You guys." Steven giggled before he returned to his normal color, and the dome finally disappeared.

"Hm, that wasn't the worst party we've been to." Jenny stated before she began to leave.

"Yeah, see ya Steven." Sour Cream added, beginning to walk away as well.

"At least there was no toxic air involved." Buck concurred.

"It was nice seeing you again." Sadie said, hugging Steven.

"Yeah, it was nice seeing all of you again too," Steven replied, now happier than he was earlier. "You two make a good couple."

"Hey, thanks." Shep replied gratefully. "You want a CD of our song?"

"How about a tape?" Steven suggested to them.

"Got your back." Shep said, handing Steven a tape of the song they just played. "Okay, take it easy."

As the couple left, Steven was now left alone with Lars. "Uh, Lars?"

"Gotta make this quick, Steven." Lars answered. "Me and the Off-Colors gotta," He stuck his tongue out and made a raspberry sound.

"First off, I'm sorry for what happened," Steven said meekly. "And second, do you think I can be a bit too controlling?"

"This coming from the guy who took over my body because you wanted me to be a nicer person." Lars chuckled. "But it's still cute you didn't want me to leave."

"I don't want you to leave!" Steven exclaimed.

"Hey, buck up Steven." Lars comforted the half-Gem. "As I said earlier, you can visit me anytime."

"It's just, for a second, we were all together on Earth again." Steven sighed heavily. "Maybe I just don't like graduations. Maybe I should leave Little Homeschool."

"Hey, come here." Lars then brought Steven in for a hug while the Off-Colors stood by watching. "Are you going to let go anytime soon?"

"Just a couple more minutes." Steven replied.

The next day, the Crystal Gems had begun welcoming new students to Little Homeschool. But Steven, having now quit teaching at the school, was still a little gloomy from last night.

While Sadie and Shep's song played in Steven's car, he drove out into the woods and then laid down on the roof, gazing up at the night sky. Just what was next for him?

"Lars of the Stars is back in business, baby!" Lars cheered as he once again made himself comfortable in the captain's seat of the Sun Incinerator. "So, what should we do now gang? Something good? Something bad? A bit of both?"

"You lead the way, captain." Rhodonite turned back to her human captain with a smile.

"Y'know what, let's just fly around and see what happens!" Lars declared after giving it some thought and ordered the Incinerator to blast off into the starry yonder.

Close by, another spaceship loomed behind the Sun Incinerator, and its captain had the Off-Colors by the tail.

"Finally." Emerald declared to herself as she spied on her prized ship flying around. "After so much waiting, I have you in my sights."

Emerald then pulled up a holographic screen that presented her with Black Rutile, and she eagerly awaited further commands from her cape-wearing master.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Episode 2: Prickly Pair

One afternoon in Beach City, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were helping Steven carry large bags of dirt to his conservatory above the beach house. A few days had passed since the Little Homeschool graduation, and Steven had decided what he wanted to do next.

"We got your dirt, dude!" Amethyst exclaimed as she helped the other Gems with carrying the dirt to the conservatory.

"Thanks, guys," Steven replied gratefully while opening the door to the conservatory. "come on in."

Inside, the Gems discovered a beautiful garden of flowers awaiting them. "How many of these did your magic spit grow?" Amethyst asked.

"None." Steven answered with a chuckle. "I grew all these the old-fashioned way."

"So this is what you've been up to since leaving Little Homeschool." Garnet realized.

"Yeah, teaching was great and all, but I dunno if that was my calling in life." Steven said. "Besides, it was really bittersweet seeing the Off-Colors leave."

"Well, I think this is a wonderful way to spend some you time." Pearl praised Steven's new hobby.

"Me time? I'm hardly alone here." Steven snickered before he knelt and gazed at a bluebell flower. "I call this little smartie Connie." Then, he got back up to examine an onion. "And this onion I call, well, Onion." Next, Steven gestured to some perennials. "And these perennials will never leave!" He began to point to a few of them in particular. "That one's Sadie, and this is her band Daisy Clover and the Shrub-Spects." Finally, he walked over to a pink flower in a blue pot with a star on it. "I named this one Lars." Steven revealed before he started talking to it. "You're stuck in the ground, aren't you?" he said in baby-talk. "Not going to zip into space and leave everyone behind. No you won't, no you won't."

Garnet and Pearl just stared at Steven with concerned looks on their faces, but Amethyst was too busy snacking on dirt to look the same.

"Uh, Steven?" Amethyst said, chewing on some of the soil.

"This might not be the healthiest approach to your new hobby." Garnet admitted bluntly.

"Besides, Onion ain't ever leading anytime soon!" Amethyst added. "Unfortunately!" she coughed.

"I'm just having fun, that's all!" Steven fibbed. "You all should take it easy. They're just plants!"

"In that case, we'll leave you to it." Pearl declared while the three Gems left the conservatory.

"Have fun, dude!" Amethyst called while the door closed behind them. After a bit, the door reopened.

"You should probably keep an eye on your plants, though." Garnet warned, peeking her head through the door before leaving again.

As soon as the Gems departed, Steven turned to discover a lonely, decaying cactus sitting on a wooden table behind him. "Huh?" he muttered while walking over to check up on the prickly plant. "What am I doing?" Steven mused to himself. "Is this really my thing now, plants?"

Steven then picked up a knife and began using it to cut off the top of the cactus. "Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl aren't even impressed." He continued monologuing to himself. "I guess gardening just isn't as awesome as saving the universe."

Steven then moved the cactus cutting away from the cactus he cut it from while filling a new pot with dirt. "Okay, little guy, welcome to your new-OUCH!" he yelped in pain from pricking himself on the cactus top, before sticking his injured finger in his mouth. When Steven popped his finger out, the saliva gathered began to sparkle as he placed the cutting in the pot. "Probably should've worn gloves."

Just then, Steven's tummy began to rumble. "Whoa, guess it must be lunchtime." He said to himself before turning to the cactus. "I'll be back for you soon, little guy."

As Steven left the cactus in the conservatory, something about the succulent began to change slowly.

"Yo, you think something is up with Steven?" Amethyst asked Garnet and Pearl down at the beach house. "I mean, I'm sure we can all agree it's weird he's naming the plants after people who already parted ways with him."

"Yes, very strange indeed." Garnet agreed. "Perhaps we should talk to him about it."

"Or, maybe we could just leave him alone." Amethyst suggested. "I mean, I'm sure it's a very touchy subject for him."

"That reminds me." Pearl interjected, plucking her phone from her gem. "Childcare book author George Ikari is holding a signing in a week, and I plan on going." She showed Garnet and Pearl a picture of a bearded man with glasses ominously clasping his fingers together while on the cover of a book titled "What to Do When Your Child Feels Directionless."

"That cover doesn't look menacing at all." Amethyst declared sarcastically.

"I'm going to have to side with Pearl for this, Amethyst." Garnet stated. "Maybe this book could be helpful."

Just then, Steven came walking downstairs from the conservatory. "Hey guys, what are you talking about?"

"We were just discussing this author Pearl wants to see some time." Garnet said. "So, how are things going with your plants?"

"I just pricked my finger on a cactus, no big." Steven laughed nervously.

"Oh my, best get that looked at!" Pearl yelped. "Who knows how long till it gets infected?"

"Relax Pearl, I'm fine." Steven replied. "Nothing some healing spit can't fix."

The following day, Steven went back up to the conservatory with a watering can in hand to take care of his cactus when he made a startling discovery.

The cactus had grown! Not just bigger and healthier, but it had also grown a face, and was barking like a dog at him.

"Whoa!" Steven exclaimed as he threw the watering can away and raced to the now living cactus. "Oh my gosh, did I make my cactus come to life? I have got to tell the Gems about this!"

Downstairs, Amethyst was taking a group selfie with Garnet and Pearl when Steven came to them with his latest discovery.

"Hey guys, look what I made!" Steven proudly presented his plant, which continued barking. "Look at the little guy!"

"I thought you weren't using your spit on your plants?" Amethyst wondered while putting the phone away.

"No, I think I may have accidentally made it come alive with my spit." Steven replied. "I think it may have been after I pricked myself yesterday."

"A likely story!" Amethyst declared, squinting at Steven suspiciously.

"That cactus really bounced back." Garnet remarked, thinking back to how decayed it was yesterday.

"A real survivor, much like you." Pearl added proudly.

"Aww, and he's got a little lumpy head like you!" Amethyst cooed to the cactus. "Hey, why don't we call it Cactus Steven?"

"Cactus Steven, eh?" the real Steven asked. "Call me conceited, but I kinda like it."

Cactus Steven began cooing at the Gems, though in a way that made Pearl concerned. "Is he okay?"

"I think he just wants some sunlight." Steven realized, turning the pot so that his cactus lookalike faced him. "Maybe I could use some too."

Throughout the rest of the day, Steven took his little cactus around Beach City and Little Homeworld, showing him to all his friends and introducing the succulent to all the things he liked to do.

As the day rolled to a close, the two Stevens took this moment to just sit down on the beach and watch the sunset together.

"This beach, it just never changes." Steven mused to his new cactus friend. "I mean, a lot has changed. I'm trying to be cool about it, but everything just feels so weird now. Everybody's moving on with their lives, and I should be too. I gave up running the school, but I still don't know what comes next." He then turned to Cactus Steven. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

As a cactus that only came to life not too long ago, Cactus Steven turned to his Gem/human counterpart with an expression that one would make when saying, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It's probably better that I'm not running Little Homeschool anymore!" Steven continued, even though Cactus Steven probably isn't able to make a concrete reply. "But who am I to decide what's best for everyone anymore?" Steven then got up and began to walk away from Cactus Steven. "Those Gems are better off learning from Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, everyone!" He started getting more stressed with each word. "Why do I need to be needed?! Come on Steven, what's wrong with you?!"

Cactus Steven turned his little head sideways, or as sideways as he could in his pot, with a sad look Steven's way.

"Sorry I had to dump this all on you, Mini-Me." Steven chuckled apologetically to his plant.

"Eeee!" Cactus Steven squeaked in comfort.

"Okay, let's go home." Steven obliged in understanding, and the pair began making their way back to the temple.

Another day passed, and Steven was once again tending to his plants in the conservatory. "Good morning Ronaldo, good morning Nanafua!" he said to his flowers as he watered them. "And a very special good morning-" Steven suddenly tripped over in alarm as he discovered something about Cactus Steven has changed. "-to you. Wow, you really grew overnight!"

"Good morning to you!" croaked Cactus Steven, who now began taking the shape of Steven's head.

"Whoa, did you just speak?!" Steven cried in amazement.

"Whoa, did you just speak?!" Cactus Steven replied.

"This is too much!" Steven shouted. "I've got to tell the Gems about this!"

Amethyst was looking at a tablet while Pearl was drawing in a notepad and Garnet reviewed her art downstairs on the couch. "Oh, hello Steven." Pearl greeted Steven as he came downstairs with Cactus Steven in his hand. "Hello Cactus Steven."

"Hey Pearl, you have to see this." Steven said while presenting his cactus counterpart to the Gems.

"Hey Pearl." Cactus Steven mimicked to their amazement.

"That's so freakin' cute!" Amethyst cried.

"He's growing to become quite the talker." Garnet added.

"And he said my name too!" Pearl stated. "You think he might be copying you?"

"I think so." Steven agreed with a shrug.

"Hi Pearl!" Cactus Steven continued. At first it seemed cute, but then the little guy kept talking. "But who am I to decide what's best for everyone anymore?" he began parroting Steven's pensive moment from yesterday. "Everybody's moving on with their lives, and I should be too."

"Uh, this isn't what it sounds like, I swear." Steven said defensively.

"Is it me, or is your cactus real good at self-deprecating?" Amethyst remarked.

"Sorry I had to dump this all o-" Cactus Steven tried to continue before the regular Steven tried to make it shut up by covering his mouth, but that only resulted in more cactus spines on his hand. "Come on Steven, what's wrong with you?!"

"Is something the matter Steven?" Pearl inquired, tilting her head with concern.

Steven refused to answer and instead raced back upstairs while the cactus continued talking. "Why do I need to be needed?! Why do I need to be needed?!"

"See what I told you the other day?" Amethyst said to Garnet and Pearl. "Something's definitely up!"

"Seems like Steven's got some problems he doesn't want our help with." Garnet adjusted her glasses in contemplation. "I suggest we find a way to help him without getting him too wound up."

"Still, it seems like Steven's letting a lot of issues just bottle up inside him." Pearl began worrying. "This is definitely not healthy. I think George Ikari might've said that in one of his books."

Back at the conservatory, Steven sat Cactus Steven on the table to give him a firm talking-to. "What was all that for?!" he yelled angrily. "I wanted that stuff to be private, but here you go just spouting out words that'll make everyone freak out about me!"

"What was all that for?!" Cactus Steven copied his master.

"Because I thought you'd be nice to talk to!" Steven complained as he began pacing around the conservatory. "I can't tell Pearl how I feel, cause then she'd get super depressed and start blaming herself like she always does! Meanwhile, Garnet would probably give me advice while sounding all high and mighty, Amethyst would try to look mature, and no one else would understand me!"

"No one else would understand me!" Cactus Steven aped Steven's words.

"I know, right? I mean, get over yourself already." Steven scoffed. "Please don't tell anyone I said that."

"I thought you'd be nice to talk to!" Cactus Steven continued impersonating his fleshy counterpart before Steven covered him up with a box. "What was all that for?!"

"Oh you know what." Steven coldly declared as he exited the conservatory. "I can't let anyone find out about this." He sighed heavily just as he found Amethyst standing nearby.

"Find out about what?" Amethyst asked Steven.

"Oh oh oh, it's nothing Amethyst, honest!" Steven began fibbing while his pupils began shifting around. "I mean, why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to check up on you, brah." Amethyst replied with a comforting hand on Steven's arm. "Look, if you need help, just say the word, and we'll be there."

"Okay then." Steven moaned. "That reminds me, is Peridot doing anything at the moment?"

"So, you are saying this cactus has begun to imitate everything you say?" Peridot asked Steven as she examined Cactus Steven under a magnifying glass at her greenhouse.

"Yeah, and it's starting to freak me out a little too." Steven answered.

"Get over yourself already!" Cactus Steven yelled, his voice beginning to sound a little clearer to their pair's alarm.

"Is there anything you can do to stop this?" Steven asked Peridot hopefully.

"I must apologize, Steven, but I don't think I can be of any assistance." Peridot replied morosely.

"No one else would understand me!" Cactus Steven continued imitating, seemingly agreeing with Peridot.

"See what I mean?" the little green Gem remarked with a thumb to Cactus Steven. The Steven she knew just buried his face in his hands and tried his hardest not to yell in frustration.

Outside the greenhouse, a small, black spy camera watched the greenhouse as Steven left with Cactus Steven in hand. But the moment Peridot turned around, it suddenly activated a camouflage feature.

That night, Steven had decided to close the conservatory to watch Cactus Steven, posting a sign on the door saying that the little cactus needed rest.

"Now all the Gems are worried about me, and Peridot wasn't any help either." Steven moaned in defeat while sitting near Cactus Steven. Just then, he heard some muffled yelling coming from the box he hid the living succulent in. "Hm?"

Walking over to the box, Steven picked it up to discover that Cactus Steven had grown some more, and had even sprouted an arm from the soil.

"Oh my gosh! Cactus Steven, what's wrong with you?!" Steven began panicking.

"What's wrong with you?" Cactus Steven repeated, earning his bigger self's ire.

"What's wrong is that you keep making me look stupid and helpless in front of everyone!" Steven cried furiously as he picked up the pot.

"Stupid!" Cactus Steven mocked Steven and pointed his newly grown arm at him. "Helpless!"

"I wish you wouldn't talk!" Steven argued before he began to glow pink.

"I wish YOU wouldn't talk!" Cactus Steven replied just as angrily.

"STOP IT!" Steven fully glowed pink, but then abruptly stopped when he heard Pearl's voice.

"Steven, time for dinner!" Pearl called for him from downstairs.

"Coming Pearl, just give me a second!" Steven replied to Pearl, and then turned back to Cactus Steven with an angry glare. "Not. Another. Word."

As Steven left the conservatory, Cactus Steven once again began to grow. "Not. Another. Word."

Early the next morning, Steven was asleep in his bed when suddenly, he was awakened by the sound of breaking glass. He raced up to the conservatory, where it was in total disarray, and a large hole was made in the glass wall.

"Uh, Cactus Steven?" Steven called for the living cactus while following a trail of needles leading back to his room. "If you're mad about yesterday, I get it, but I'm just going through some things right now."

Steven looked around with nervousness and curiosity, while a massive lump revealed itself on his bed. Cactus Steven slowly rose from under the blanket, revealing that he was now around Steven's height with a foot still stuck in his pot. "STEEEEVEEEEEN!"

"Whoa!" Steven yelled in terror, causing him to fall down the stairs and onto the table. Cactus Steven tumbled after the boy and was prepared to crush him before Steven rolled out of the way. "Cactus Steven, you need to go back to your home!"

"Go back to your home!" Cactus Steven croaked in reply.

"This is my home!" Steven shrieked while trying to push the cactus beast away from him, only to be covered in cactus needles. "AGH!" he yelled in agony while trying to shake some of the needles off. Cactus Steven did the same, which made more needles fly around the room.

"Just cut it out!" Steven yelled.

"Just get out!" Cactus Steven yelled back, charging at his doppelganger like an angry predator.

"Don't come any closer!" Steven summoned his shield to protect himself from any more needles.

"STEEEEEVEEEEEN!" Cactus Steven roared, just as Steven thrust his shield into his succulent counterpart's torso.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Steven frantically apologized.

Cactus Steven, however, didn't feel any pain, except for a large gash created by the shield thrown into his shoulder. After dislodging the shield, Cactus Steven threw the weapon back at Steven. "This is my home!"

"He's gone berserk!" Steven yelled fearfully before he found three figures approaching the front door. "The Gems!"

"The Gems don't need me anymore!" Cactus Steven said.

"Those are my private thoughts, and you should know it!" Steven scolded the cactus. "I can't let them hear about this!"

"What an all-nighter, am I right?!" Amethyst quipped as she, Garnet and Pearl returned to the beach house.

"Those Gems did need to get some extra studying in." Garnet replied.

"Plus, there was that strange camera thing that kept following us around." Pearl added. "I could've sworn it's leading up to something bigger, but it shut down before I could question it."

Before Pearl could say anymore, Steven came barging out the front door. "Oh, hey guys!" he laughed nervously. "Uhh, everything's fine and totally normal, nothing to see here! Hey, you think maybe you could wait a couple of hours? I've got things to do, okay, BYE!"

The Gems turned to the window as Steven fought against Cactus Steven with his shield, cluing them in on what was going on.

"Man, someone's been hittin' the photosynthesis!" Amethyst quipped before the Crystal Gems summoned their weapons and headed inside.

"We're here to help Steven!" Pearl declared protectively.

"I can't tell Pearl how I feel, cause then she'd get super depressed and start blaming herself like she always does!" Cactus Steven said in response to Pearl, making her drop her guard.

"What?" Pearl muttered in shock.

"I have no idea what he's talking about!" Steven continued to fib.

"But it's not inaccurate!" Amethyst snarked.

"JUST, GET, OUT!" Cactus Steven bellowed as he charged at the Gems, but Garnet punched his arm off, and it was sent flying at the fridge. However, it soon quickly got back up and grew tendrils from its stump to stand on.

"Whoa, that's kicka-" Amethyst began before she was kicked in the face by Cactus Steven's foot, breaking the pot and making shards fly everywhere. As Cactus Steven started to get up, Garnet punched the rest of him towards the sink, breaking it and dousing him in water.

Meanwhile, the arm launched itself at Pearl and was impaled on her spear, but then it exploded in her face and covered her in needles. "Eugh-ga-hahahaha!" Pearl groaned from the needles covering her.

As for Cactus Steven, he began to absorb the water from the sink and grow even larger, sprouting more limbs along with more Steven faces all over his body, all of them repeating Steven's venting just like the main head.

"The Gems don't need me!" Cactus Steven's heads yelled in unison while causing the house to fall apart by stomping around. "I thought you'd be nice to talk to!"

"Okay, Pinoke, that's even being a puppet!" Amethyst declared while wrapping her whip around the cactus monster's leg. Cactus Steven grabbed onto a rafter to keep himself from falling, but it was no help, and the rafter was split in two.

"Cut it out!" the cactus creature yelled while wrapping Amethyst in his roots and slamming her into the ceiling before Garnet and Pearl tried to rescue her. Unfortunately, Pearl found her spear getting stuck in the monster's thick & fleshy skin.

"Why is this thing so durable?!" Pearl complained while Cactus Steven tried to get her off.

"The cactus is Earth's most durable plant!" Garnet declared before she gave the cactus's leg a strong punch, making more spines fly everywhere and once again pricking Pearl.

"Garnet!" Pearl stuttered for her de-facto leader before her spear was freed from the cactus's body, and she fell down.

"Give up; you can't win this fight, you giant succulent!" Garnet declared.

"Garnet would probably give me advice while sounding all high and mighty!" Cactus Steven complained, catching the fusion by surprise.

"I'm sorry, what?" Garnet asked as she was punched away. Amethyst scaled the ceiling with her whip in her mouth, and she dropped down onto Cactus Steven's back to attack.

"Sneak attack!" Amethyst cried.

"Amethyst would try to look mature!" Cactus Steven babbled, much to the defective Quartz's confusion.

"Why's he so oddly specific in complaining about us?" Amethyst asked before both halves of Cactus Steven clamped shut on her. She was dumped on the ground while covered in cactus spines, followed by all three Crystal Gems being pinned against the temple entrance wall.

"I think I got it!" Steven realized while the Gems screamed in terror. "He's repeating me, he's repeating all my private thoughts!" Then, he got an idea. "Wait, he can copy me! Girls, I got a plan!" Steven bravely marched up to his cactus with shield in hand, ready to put his plan into action. "Hey Cactus Steven, have some of this!"

But instead of attacking, Steven de-summoned his shield. "I'm sorry I mistreated you." Steven apologized to Cactus Steven. "I know you didn't want to hurt anyone, because you're copying the only role model you got: me."

While Steven apologized, Cactus Steven stopped attacking while the Crystal Gems popped out of the wall at last. "I should've given you the love and kindness you deserved." Steven declared, and then spread out his arms. "Now, you want a hug?"

"Huh?" Cactus Steven muttered quizzically as the real Steven began to hug his massive leg. In response to this act of kindness, one more change began to occur.

"Dudes, look!" Amethyst pointed out that pink flowers were now blooming all over Cactus Steven's body as he returned Steven's hug.

"I'm sorry." Cactus Steven apologized back.

"Okay, come on, big guy." Steven broke the hug, now covered in spikes himself. "Let's get you back to the dome."

"No!" Cactus Steven yelled before he began to walk away from the four he had been fighting moments ago.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Steven exclaimed as he raced after Cactus Steven. "I'll fix up the dome real nice, all for you!"

Cactus Steven gave no words. Instead, he plucked one of the flowers off his body and gave it to Steven before he broke through the front wall and began walking away.

"Uh, Steven?" Pearl called while picking spikes off her body.

"Anything you'd like to say to us?" Garnet asked the boy, who just stared down at the flower in his hands, and let out a heavy sigh.

"I think I've said enough." Steven said wearily.

Later that day, Cactus Steven continued its sojourn away from the Crystal Temple and eventually Beach City, now making his way into the woods nearby. And he kept mimicking Steven all the way.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone, so I copied the only role model I got." Cactus Steven muttered to himself. "But Steven still gave me the love and kindness I deser-"

Before Cactus Steven could finish, he felt something stabbing him straight through the torso. "WHAAAT?!" he yelled before he was cut to pieces by a sword with a black grip & guard bearing a white diamond symbol.

Once she had finished reducing Cactus Steven to chunks of cactus, Black Rutile gazed down at one of the flowers that once adorned her victim's body and heartlessly crushed it beneath her foot without a second thought. She then changed her tune into something more relaxed and less sadistic as she began to round up whatever pieces of Cactus Steven remained and collect them all in a bubble.

One of the Cactus Steven remains turned into a little Steven head that let out a tiny roar, prompting Black Rutile to smile and stroke her chin in deep contemplation.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 3: In Dreams

The night was dark as Steven strolled through Beach City on his way home after a long day until he heard music. Racing to the beach house, he discovered that colorful flashing lights and loud music were coming from inside the house, and that got him super excited.

"All right!" Steven gasped cheerfully. "Now that I've saved the universe, I finally get to party!" When he raced to his front window, Steven could see all his friends inside dancing the night away. Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl, Lars and the Off-Colors, Lapis, Bismuth & Peridot, Connie, even Onion was breaking it down. Before he could join the fun, however, the door and windows suddenly vanished, leaving behind an empty wooden wall. "Huh? Hey guys, let me in! This isn't funny!"

"STEVEN!" a booming voice echoed from above. When Steven looked up, he discovered that Obsidian's head was replaced with a giant Cookie Cat looking down on him with a taunting grin. "NOBODY NEEDS YOUR HELP! SO WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!"

"What?!" Steven cried before the porch opened up like a trap door under him, forcing the boy to fall through the sky screaming.

"STEVEN! STEVEN!"

A little voice broke Steven out of slumber and back into the real world in his bedroom. "Why do I keep having these dreams?" he mused to himself. "Are they telling me something?"

"STEVEN, OPEN UP!" the voice cried out while pounding on the door.

"Peridot?" Steven began to recognize the green Gem's nasally voice as he walked downstairs and let the former Kindergartener in.

"STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN!" Peridot chanted, beetling in place while holding popcorn and drinks. "Today's the big day! Did you tape the premiere?!"

"What premiere? I have no idea what you're talking about." Steven said coyly.

"But you promised me!" Peridot whined, not realizing that her half-organic friend might be joking.

"Oh, you mean the premiere of the reboot of the classic Great North teen camping drama Camp Pining Hearts that I recorded," Steven revealed as he pulled out a VHS tape. "on this very tape?"

Peridot gasped at the mere mention of the show she had awaited for so long and began squealing excitedly. "Yes, it's finally here!"

"THE RETURN OF CAMP PINING HEARTS!" the pair declared joyfully.

Steven and Peridot raced upstairs to watch the Camp Pining Hearts reboot when Steven realized someone was missing. "Hey, where's Lapis? I thought she was a big fan of CPH as you are."

"Oh, she declined to attend our viewing because she feels this reboot will be an abomination." Peridot answered as she sat down at the foot of Steven's bed. "You know that United Defenders of the World show? She really likes that too, and that's gotten a reboot much like Camp Pining Hearts, but she doesn't like how that is so dark and depressing because apparently, it's more adult. I mean, come on! Can't we go one minute without any intense violence or Mangolin yelling so many nasty wo-"

"What, she's not coming because one show clouds her judgment of another?" Steven rolled his eyes at Peridot's explanation while putting the tape into his VHS player. "That's a little silly. But I'm glad you were still able to come because I've been having these weird dreams lately. Like, are any of them real or-"

"That's not important Steven!" Peridot shut her fellow fan's mouth. "Now press play already you monster!"

Steven chuckled for a bit before he started the tape, and the theme song for the Camp Pining Hearts reboot began to play while two attractive young actors were credited for the roles of its leads, Jasmine and Rodrigo. Steven excitedly ate popcorn while Peridot waved a Great North flag around as the show began.

Fifty-two minutes later, the credits finally rolled, and Steven & Peridot were left stunned, silent, and disappointed.

"L-Lapis warned me, and I didn't listen." Peridot quivered in shock.

"W-what?" Steven added, just as horrified. "What…."

"WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?!" the pair roared in unison.

"What is with that Rodrigo guy?!" Peridot began complaining and clawing at her face. "He has no charisma! He is clearly inferior to the old cast!"

"And can we just talk about the cinematography?" Steven added just as furiously while Peridot got up and marched towards the TV.

"They changed all the characters, and I don't care about any one of them!" Peridot threw a tantrum and began venting by picking up the set & slamming it to the ground. "How could this happen to us?!" she began to cry her eyes out on the television. "Camp Pining Hearts was my escape when I first arrived on Earth, when my whole world was nothing but chaos!"

"CPH brought us all together." Steven comforted his green friend, though he was sobbing as well.

"And now, just look at this nightmare!" Peridot yelled with a hand to the TV screen when it stopped showing the Camp Pining Hearts reboot. Instead, it began playing Steven's dream from last night. "Wait, Steven, when were you ever an actor?"

"What? No, they didn't!" Steven exclaimed as the dream continued on television. "Is this my dreams?" When Steven watched himself fall from the beach house in his dream, the TV then switched back to Camp Pining Hearts. "Whoa! My dream powers must be messing with the TV signal!"

"How in the world is that even possible?!" Peridot raised an eyebrow at this revelation, but it also gave her an idea. "Wait just a second. Steven, you realize what this means?!"

"I should start wearing a tinfoil hat?" Steven asked, unaware of what the little genius had planned.

"No!" Peridot answered. "If we use your dream powers on the TV, we can make our own Camp Pining Hearts! We'll reboot the reboot!"

"Reboot the reboot?" Steven realized and excitedly stood up. "Peridot, you're a genius!"

"I know." Peridot smugly declared.

"Plus, it would be really fun to fix something small this time." Steven said before Peridot wrapped a lime-colored arm around his neck.

"This shall be the beginning of Peridot & Steven Productions!" Peridot triumphantly declared.

"Yeah!" Steven added, and then he fell from Peridot's grasp.

Later that day, Steven and Peridot were now standing in front of a whiteboard detailing all their plans for fixing the Camp Pining Hearts Reboot, bouncing more plans off each other in regards to shipping.

"So Peridot, you think Jasmine's endgame should be Khaz or Rodrigo?" Steven asked Peridot while looking at a web of pictures of the characters from the reboot.

"It seems the characters are trying to railroad us into a Jasrigo relationship, despite turning everyone else into complete jerks just because they don't agree with-" Peridot began, but then she started getting irritated. "Gah, these characters have no chemistry together! It's like they're being shipped just because they're the leading man and woman!"

"Just can't get into Rodrigo, eh?" Steven asked his writing partner.

"He's just so passive and quiet, it's positively irritating!" Peridot yelled. "He has none of the old cast's personalities that made them so memorable!"

"Sure he may be really quiet and soft," Steven assured Peridot. "but what if we try to do something with his social anxiety and peanut allergy despite them not being connected to the larger story, like make him a foil?"

"A foil, you say?" Peridot raised an eyebrow at Steven's idea. "Okay, I'm listening."

"I got it!" Steven declared before he sat down in front of some pencils and paper and began to draw. "I call him Stefan." He began explaining while drawing. "He's a hunky lifeguard friend with nice muscles that everyone likes and wants to hang out with. His popularity is both a blessing and a curse, yet always makes time to help his buddy Rodrigo boost his confidence." He handed his final drawing over to Peridot, which turned out to be a sketch of a more muscular Steven.

"So he's like your self-insert!" Peridot beamed at her friend's work. "I like your ideas, Stefan!"

As night fell, Steven got back into bed with a bowl of chili in his lap while Peridot inserted the tape into the VCR player.

"Uh, why are you eating at bedtime?" Peridot questioned Steven's choice of a bedtime meal.

"Oh, you mean my chili?" Steven replied, gesturing to the chili in his hands. "I read that eating spicy stuff before bed makes your dreams super vivid."

"I appreciate your initiative, fellow creator." Peridot grinned at Steven's idea while he continued eating his chili.

"Thanks, Peridot." Steven thanked Peridot before putting the bowl on his nightstand and tucking himself in. "Okay, good night."

"Good night Steven. But remember," Peridot said as she started whispering into Steven's ear. "action-orientated storytelling."

"Hey Jasmine, I hear you love birds." A tanned, muscular version of Steven said flirtatiously to a cute brown-haired girl examining a bird perched in her hand.

"Sure Stefan." Jasmine giggled cutely.

"Well, a little birdie told me downstream that there's a special island somewhere 'round here." Stefan replied, leaning against a tree and giving Jasmine a wink while pointing offscreen. "I hear it's full of rare specimens."

"Did you hear that?" Jasmine gasped elatedly. "Thank you so much Stefan!" Stefan responded by giving Jasmine another wink.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo was by himself at a campsite reading an instructional book on how to date when Stefan came racing to him.

"Rodrigo, I've got terrible news!" Stefan exclaimed, catching Rodrigo's attention. "Jasmine's in danger!"

"Wait, what?!" Rodrigo did a double-take in response.

"She's headed for that island full of dangerous birds!" Stefan revealed, propping one foot on a rock and dramatically pointing to the river nearby. "But if we go downstream, we can surely save her!"

"Okay Stefan, you're the best!" Rodrigo shouted. "Let's go save Jasmine!"

The pair raced for a pair of canoes docked close to the campsite and began rowing through the river to rescue Jasmine.

"Thanks for telling me Jasmine was in trouble Stefan, you're such a great guy." Rodrigo complimented Stefan.

"You're welcome Rodrigo." Stefan replied gratefully. "You're pretty great yourself, y'know, great enough for Jasmine to like you."

"You really mean it?" Rodrigo asked eagerly.

"I can tell by the way she looks at," Stefan began, but then he started getting sidetracked by Blue Diamond with the body of a dolphin, a gargantuan pineapple with Yellow Diamond's face on it, and a pair of White Diamond's feet right next to the fruit. "you? Huh?"

"Stefan, is something the matter?" Rodrigo asked Stefan, or rather Steven, who had now replaced Stefan in the dream.

"Oh no, not again!" Steven began panicking as he started to glow pink yet again, not knowing how things ended up like this.

As Steven woke up in his bed, he found Peridot standing at the side of his bed, looking very excited at how the experiment went.

"Oh my stars Steven, you did it!" Peridot cheered excitedly. "You just fell asleep and started turning pink, which started happening in the dream! Here, I'll show you!" She then ran over to the TV and began playing Steven's dream again. "Our script, our story, it's on the television and it's wonderful!" she kept on praising. "Not sure what you were going for with that bizarre imagery towards the end but I'll admit, seeing Yellow Diamond's face on a pineapple made me laugh."

Amid Peridot's eagerness, however, Steven then started to get drowsy again.

"Steven, are you okay?" Peridot asked with concern.

"Sorry Peri, just feeling a little off." Steven assured her. "Maybe eating that chili wasn't a great idea."

"Yeah yeah, don't believe everything you read online and all that." Peridot japed. "We got none of the money in the world, and all the time in our hands. Hey, I've got a great idea of my own! Picture this, a mysterious young woman with a teardrop tattoo on her face arrives at the camp because she wants to kidnap Stefan for her own dark designs. But before she can succeed, Pierre from the original Camp Pining Hearts comes in to save the day!"

"Uh, okay then." Steven replied awkwardly while trying to make himself comfortable. "But you're right, let's pull off a do-over. We can try as many times as we want until we get it right."

"Less talking, more sleeping." Peridot pushed a star-shaped pillow into Steven's chest and forced him onto his mattress before pulling his eyelids down.

Every time Steven went to sleep, he was back to canoeing with Rodrigo to rescue Jasmine. And every time, Rodrigo was replaced in his canoes by some very unexpected characters.

The first time this happened, Rodrigo was suddenly replaced by Dogcopter, of all things. As Dogcopter flew off using the propeller on his back, Stefan reached out to the flying canine before Steven awakened with bags under his eyes.

The second time, Rodrigo's place was taken by Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. The three Gems then flew away from Stefan just like Dogcopter did, and Stefan cried out for them before Steven woke up yet again, and the bags were starting to get darker.

The third time, Rodrigo didn't disappear. Instead, he started getting more unnerved as Spinel's massive Injector was present in the background, and Stefan was suddenly replaced with Steven as a baby.

Suddenly, a young woman with a teardrop tattoo on her face, just like what Peridot had described, snatched the baby Steven from the canoe with a maniacal laugh before Pierre, who now looked like he had green-lensed glasses and triangular hair, boldly stepped in and stood up to the woman.

Steven once again woke up, his baggy eyes now at their darkest, while Peridot just sighed in defeat.

The next morning, Steven sat down to some cereal and milk in the kitchen when Peridot suddenly appeared with a big stack of papers in front of her. "Uh, what's all this?"

"I've concluded that a script just wasn't working!" Peridot proudly announced. "So I've decided to take a more visual approach and made a whole series of storyboards for us to use! Besides, I've seen tons of cartoons use more storyboards than scripts, for better or for worse."

"You made all of these in one night?' Steven gasped in amazement at the triangular Gem's feat while looking through the storyboards.

"Duh, I'm good at everything!" Peridot bragged. "Now please study these in preparation for tonight."

"Hey, I got a question." Steven said while putting out one of the storyboards that featured the same tattooed woman from his dream. "Who's this girl, and why does Pierre look so much like you now?"

"Uh, that's Marine, Pierre's new arch-foe!" Peridot answered, awkwardly twiddling her fingers and looking in every conceivable direction. "She is totally not based on anyone we've met before."

"Are you sure?" Steven asked suspiciously while flicking through more storyboards featuring Marine. "Cause her haircut and location of her tattoo kinda reminds me of Aq-" Suddenly, he stopped to discover a new storyboard of Stefan having a romantic moment with Jasmine. "Wait, why is Stefan kissing Jasmine?"

"It's perfect!" Peridot yelled eagerly. "Right as Rodrigo is about to save Stefan from this reverse damsel in distress situation, he discovers that Jasmine got to him first, and they're already kissing too! Imagine, Jasmine defying gender clichés to save Stefan, unaware that they're stroking the fires of Rodrigo's jealousy!"

"I can't do Rodrigo this dirty!" Steven objected to the idea. "It's not only a betrayal of the friendship we gave him and Stefan, but it's also poor romantic drama too!"

"Whoa, take it easy Steven, they're just characters. No need to become so addicted to their love lives!" Peridot tried to excuse herself. "This is a story, and a good story needs conflict!"

"No, I still don't want to do this!" Steven declared angrily, startling Peridot before she came to an understanding.

"Look Steven, I can see you're pretty worn out from last night." Peridot said sadly as she began to get up and walk away. "Let's just scrap the whole project."

"What?" Steven replied in shock.

"There's really no point in continuing if it stresses you out that much." Peridot sighed as she grabbed the door handle. "Besides, I got classes to teach at Little Homeworld anyway."

But when Peridot was close to opening the front door and leaving the house, a flash of pink convinced Steven to change his mind. "No, wait!" he exclaimed, stopping the little Gem in her tracks. "I'll do the scene."

"Really?!" Peridot turned back with a cute smile and stars in her eyes.

"Anything to make you happy." Steven replied wearily. Though he was happy that Peridot was happy, he let out a heavy sigh as he was forced to put his friends before himself yet again.

"Oh no, that dastardly Marine has Stefan captured!" Rodrigo cried as he quickly rowed downstream to save his dear friend. "Jasmine said she's going to help him, but I haven't heard from her since!"

But just as Rodrigo finished his sentence, he finally found Stefan and Jasmine safe from harm, while Marine was left tied up beside them.

"You won't get away with this Stefan!" Marine yelled before she noticed Rodrigo, and had another fiendish idea in the works. "Hey Rodrigo, look! Your best friend's a cheater!"

"What?!" Rodrigo exclaimed, staring straight at Stefan and Jasmine kissing passionately. "Stefan, how could you?!"

"Rodrigo, this isn't what it looks like!" Stefan cried to Rodrigo in Steven's voice, but he wasn't there. And neither were Jasmine and Marine. And right before Stefan was a very angry-looking Connie. "Connie?"

Suddenly, Connie began to grow into the size of a giant and then turned into Obsidian. Stefan meanwhile was turned back into Steven as the Connie-Obsidian hybrid raised a foot and lowered it to crush him.

Steven then woke up in his old room wearing his old pajamas. Just like in the real world, Peridot remained by his side watching the television, but she was eerily silent, a far cry from her usual smug and loud yet cheerful nature.

"Peridot, my dreams are going nuts!" Steven informed Peridot while getting out of bed and walking over to her. "First everyone disappeared, then Jasmine turned into Connie, and she tried to squish me which is how I ended up here!" However, Peridot said nothing and continued facing the television. "Peridot?" Steven asked as he grabbed the green Gem's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

When Steven turned Peridot to face him, her visor and gem were now filled with SMPTE color bars and her expression showed no emotion at all. Steven's old bedroom abruptly vanished, and his PJs turned into his normal clothes as he noticed Peridot emotionlessly marching towards the beach house from the dream he woke up from the previous day. "Peridot!"

"Oh, poor little Steven." A familiar bratty voice called to Steven as he chased after Peridot. From the clouds came Aquamarine, still as haughty as ever and now in possession of her wand once more. "Don't you see? It's all her fault that I kidnapped you, that you had to learn all those horrible things about your mother! And yet not once did her blatant betrayal ever come up again."

"You don't know Peridot like I do, you little twerp!" Steven yelled at Aquamarine as he gained on Peridot, who was about to open the front door. "She's changed ever since we first met. She once tried to kill me like every other Gem who's ever antagonized me, but now she's become so sweet and funny!"

"Oh please, just because you like her now doesn't mean you should completely forget about all the ways she's harmed you." Aquamarine taunted before she restrained Steven with a tractor beam, but his iron will allowed him to resist as he tried to stop Peridot.

"Please Peri, don't go in there!" Steven strained from resisting the tractor beam and reached out to Peridot. "I still really want to hang out with you!" Just then, the floor disappeared beneath Steven and Peridot just like in the earlier dream. Peridot seemingly floated in midair while Steven leaped to the edge of the porch and continued reaching out to her, as the front of the house turned into color bars as well. "We always had something to fix together! The Cluster, the Diamonds, Spinel, but I don't know how I can be anyone's friend without something to fix!"

"Why can't you just surrender already?!" Aquamarine yelled as she tried to reel Steven in like a fish. "Your suffering is all because of her, and she's felt so worthless because of you!" Unfortunately for her, the tractor beam broke and the small, flying Gem was catapulted away from the pair. "We'll meet again brat!"

"I-I just can't do it anymore!" Steven cried to Peridot, unaware of the dream version of Aquamarine's failure to catch him. "I'm just so tired, and now I'm even trying to fix something in my dreams!" He soon started to cry as he got closer to Peridot. "I'm sorry I can't do this for you! Just please don't leave me!"

Peridot remained stoic as Steven kept on grasping for her. "Don't…leave."

The dream ended just like a VHS tape being removed from a VCR before a muffled voice began calling for Steven.

"Steven? Steven!"

Steven was suddenly shook awake with tears in his eyes, and he discovered Peridot leaning over him crying just as much.

"I saw everything Steven, and yes, it is true!" Peridot admitted sorrowfully. "A good reason why I was using your dreams is because I never got over how you were kidnapped because of me! I was so worried the other Gems would declare me a traitor, but they never bothered to bring it up. You know what, we don't have to do this anymore!" Steven then gave her a tight hug. "I don't care about the show anymore, or Rodrigo especially! I just want what's best for you! I'm such a clod!"

"It's okay Dottie, it's okay." Steven comforted his green pal. "I kind of knew something was up when you first mentioned Marine and Pierre, but I didn't know you've bottling this up for so long."

"I know, it's so unhealthy of me." Peridot wept. "I just needed something to vent with, so that's why I wanted to spend time with you. It's okay if you don't want an excuse to hang out anymore."

"But I do want to keep hanging out." Steven assured Peridot. "With or without all this trauma. We're friends, right?"

"I guess you're right." Peridot smiled sadly.

"You still want to watch CPH together," Steven offered. "even if it's terrible?"

In response, Peridot took off her visor and began wiping some tears, shedding the mask she had kept up for her entire stay. "Of course."

"How could you lie to me like this Rodrigo?!" Jasmine yelled crossly at her love interest while Steven and Peridot laughed as it all went down. "I bet you just can't help being an awful person!"

"You just buried a dead body Jasmine, and you're getting mad at Rodrigo for cheating at cards?!" Peridot cackled, pounding her fist on the floor. "Some protagonist you turned out to be! Oh my stars, this show is the worst!"

"This show is the best." Steven smiled contently before the pair leaned up against each other with smiles on their faces.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 4: Eye in the Sky

Steven took a deep breath in as his Dondai Supremo wheeled into Little Homeworld while "I'm Looking Forward" played on his radio. "It's just a quick visit, Steven." He muttered to himself. "No need to get so uncomfortable, everyone is just fine."

As Steven stepped out of his car and looked around the Gem village, he found many of its residents minding their business. In particular, he found Cherry Quartz at Lapis's sculpturing class, partnered up with Zuli for an assignment.

"Oh, hey Steven." Cherry greeted Steven and motioned him over to check out the clay pumpkin she and Zuli were working on. "Lapis gave us an assignment to mold a vegetable out of clay, so Zuli and I chose a pumpkin. You like what we got so far?"

"Actually, I think pumpkins are fruits." Steven stated while observing the in-progress gourd model.

"Are you sure?" Zuli wondered, picking up the sculpture she and the Quartz were making. "Then why are they put next to carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, and other foods?"

"That's a pretty loaded question," Lapis said as she turned to the quizzical trio. "Pumpkins do have seeds inside of them like a fruit, but the nutrition is when they're most like-"

"Hi, Steven!" Nephrite interrupted Lapis to greet Steven.

"Hi there Nephrite, been a while since we talked." Steven said to Nephrite. "How are things with you and your crew?"

"Everything's been going good." Nephrite answered while stretching her arms. "Hey, sorry to interrupt you guys, but I came here because I got a little problem in Peridot's class."

"Oh, anything to help you guys." Steven stated, and then he turned to Lapis's students. "Sorry to leave so soon, but I got other things to do."

"It's alright Steven, I think we can manage." Cherry Quartz said before getting back to the pumpkin.

"Alright Nephrite, what are we dealing with?" Steven asked the former Centipeedle mother as they walked over to the greenhouse.

Inside the greenhouse, a small group of Gems was huddled around Peridot as she info-dumped about azaleas.

"Although the azalea is very beautiful, it can be very dangerous to humans as well." Peridot explained to her pupils. "The leaves and nectar contain grayanotoxins that can mix with honey to create mad honey, hello Steven, and can cause many symptoms, particularly those related to the heart."

As Peridot continued rambling, Nephrite brought Steven over to a sunflower in a pot that had a little bug-like creature skittering around the soil and stem. "See, that's what I'm talking about." Nephrite said. "Is this little bug bad for my sunflower in any way?"

Steven examined the critter as Nephrite held the pot to his face, allowing him a better look at it. "No, it's nothing to be scared of." He assured Nephrite. "And that's not a bug, it's an anthropod. A centipede to be exact."

Although Steven meant well, the reveal of the creature's name brought chills down Nephrite's spine. She began breathing rapidly, trembling uncontrollably as she dropped the flowerpot in fright and finally, letting out a loud shriek as she dropped to her knees, catching the attention of the rest of the class.

"Is something the matter?" Peridot asked gently while trying to console the formerly corrupted Gem.

"I was just telling her about the little guy that crawled into his sunflower, and then she started having a panic attack!" Steven exclaimed, almost just as lost as everyone else is.

"Maybe she doesn't like that thing." Teal Zircon guessed when she spotted the offending centipede and let it crawl onto her hand. "Aw, look at the little guy. Hey, Steven, you said it was a centipede, ri-"

"DON'T!" Nephrite yelled at TZ. "Don't ever say that word again!"

"Teal, can you stop being so insensitive towards others?" Steven scolded the Zircon.

"Sorry Steven, this was kinda my fault." Teal said remorsefully. "Hey, no hard feelings Nephrite?"

However, Nephrite was still too panicked to respond. She had gone from screaming like crazy to cradling her legs to her chest in front of the other Gems though, but Steven still felt worried for the one-eyed green Gem.

"You are aware that she was a corrupted Gem much like all of you, correct?" Steven said to the other Gems in the class, and they silently nodded before Steven turned to TZ.

"Nephrite, in particular, felt really lost when the Diamonds corrupted most of the Gems unlucky enough to remain on Earth, since she was separated from her crew." He explained. "Thankfully, I was able to reunite them all, but was unable to heal them until I got help from the Diamonds." That was when he got an idea. "That's it!"

"Thank you all for coming!" Steven announced to a group of formerly corrupted Gems sitting in a circle of folding chairs. "Now, it's come to my attention that at least one of you is still reeling from having been corrupted for thousands of years. This is a term I call PCSD, or post-corruption stress disorder." He began explaining. "It's kinda like PTSD, but I'm sure you get why it's so different."

Teal Zircon raised her hand, wanting to ask a question.

"Yes TZ?" Steven asked.

"So, where did you get the idea from exactly?" TZ asked Steven. "I mean, you could've just had a one-to-one sesh with Nephrite and you'd kinda get the same effect."

"Well, there are groups like this on TV shows I've heard of." Steven answered. "One guy would sit down with other people suffering the same problem as him, and they'd all take turns telling their stories in the hopes that they would get help. Now, anyone want to go first?"

"Us, us!" the Heaven Beetle exclaimed. "Hello, we're the Heaven and Earth Beetles."

"And we were corrupted." The Earth Beetle added.

"Hi, Heaven and Earth Beetles." The other ex-monsters greeted monotonously.

"See, you're already getting the hang of it!" Steven exclaimed happily. "Now, tell us your story you two."

"Unlike all of you guys, I think our corruption ran the deepest." The Heaven Beetle declared sadly.

"I'm pretty sure we even forgot what kinds of Gems we were." The Earth Beetle added before she took a look at her gem. "I mean, we certainly aren't Diamonds, but what could we be?"

"I think I may have a decent idea of what you could be." Teal Zircon answered before she used her monocle to project a holographic image of Gems that looked similar to the Beetles. "I think you might be Cubic Zirconias. You may be little, but you got a big influence over Homeworld."

"Though I'm curious," Steven responded. "why exactly did you ditch those guys for us when you live such a charmed life?"

"Well, those charmed lives were so drab." The Earth Beetle said. "Would it be oh so wrong to have a little excitement in your lives?"

"That is a good point." TZ muttered, prompting the other Gems seated to applaud the pair of Cubic Zirconias for opening up.

"Thanks you two for coming clean." Steven thanked the tiny twosome. "Now, who wants to go next?"

"I'll go." Orange Spodumene replied as she stood up. "Hello everyone, I'm Orange Spodumene and I was corrupted."

"Hi Orange Spodumene." The Gems greeted Orange Spodumene.

"Back in the old days, I went on many deep-sea adventures to collect life forms in places that no other Gem would dare to go!" Orange Spodumene began telling her story. "You all should've been there, the ocean life was beautiful. One of my favorite adventures was when I collected coral so that there'd be room for this Sea Shrine where tons of time things are stored. I'd be so happy to show you all my collection someday!"

"I never knew you were so into coral." Steven said to the deep sea Gem.

"I don't think you ever asked." Orange Spodumene replied before she continued. "Anyways, I didn't get the message to flee back to Homeworld and hid in the ocean when they pointed right at Earth. I thought that I would be safe from the Diamonds since the ocean is so dark and they couldn't see me, but I thought wrong. For the next couple thousand years, I just kept roaming around the ocean floor until I found Steven and then got bubbled."

"I'll go now." Watermelon Tourmaline said as she got up from her seat. "Hey, I'm Watermelon Tourmaline, and I was corrupted."

"Hi Watermelon Tourmaline." The other Gems said just as monotonously as before.

"Now, you may be wondering, weren't you a single Gem once upon a time? Why are you a fusion all of the sudden?" Watermelon Tourmaline asked rhetorically. "Well, I'm a different Watermelon Tourmaline than the one the Crystal Gems beat. I still find it super weird that there's two of me, but we learned to get along and even smash watermelons from time to time."

"Hey." The other Watermelon Tourmaline waved from her chair.

"Anyways, my components were brought together because Homeworld believed that fusing two Gems of the same type would give them an edge on the battlefield." The primary Watermelon Tourmaline continued speaking. "However, all they got was a big bouncy ball, so they just tossed me out. Didn't stop me from "bouncing back" though!"

The Gems began laughing at the Tourmaline's pun before Chrysocolla stood up. But even among the chucking, Nephrite refused to speak up.

"Hello, I am Chrysocolla." Chrysocolla introduced herself. "And I was corrupted."

"Hi, Chrysocolla."

"I once used my whips to uproot trees, but when I was that silly Slinker, I used them to be a real pain in the neck for the Crystal Gems." Chrysocolla explained. "But now, I can use my powers to not annoy others, but instead just have fun with them."

"Anything else you'd like to share with the group?" Steven asked Chrysocolla.

"I also have a bit of a fondness for history too." The former Slinker answered. "Particularly that one guy. What was his name again, Anderson Harold? Alexei Hammer?"

"You're probably thinking of Alexander Hamilton." Steven chuckled. "Hey Nephrite, you want to go next?" Nephrite just curled up on her chair and shook her head, much to Steven's disappointment. "Never mind." He muttered. "Uh, Grossular Diopside, how about you?"

"Gladly!" the little Gem exclaimed and stood up on her chair. "Hi, I'm Grossular Diopside, and I was corrupted!"

"Hi, Grossular Diopside."

"I had just emerged in the Alpha Kindergarten when the corrupting light hit, and I just wandered around with no idea what to do." Grossular explained. "But now that I'm here, I don't care what I was originally made for! All I want to do now is just enjoy life here on Earth."

"Hello, I am Blue Chalcedony." Blue Chalcedony said robotically. "And I was corrupted."

"Hi, Blue Chalcedony."

"I was heavily involved with helping to create new Kindergartens with my drills." Blue Chalcedony said, turning her hand into a drill as an example. "My drills were top of the line, so much that they impossibly kick reason to the curb, which was why Rose recruited me into the Crystal Gems."

"Howdy, I'm Moonstone." Moonstone said last. "And I was corrupted."

"Hi, Moonstone."

"My type of Gem was specifically made for stealth operations." Moonstone revealed. "Heck, we even got more than one weapon for the jobs we got!" As a demonstration, Moonstone began altering various parts of her body into various tools she would've used for her infiltration missions, to everyone's amazement. All except one.

"Hey, I don't think Nephrite over there has said anything yet." Moonstone realized as she gazed at the one-eyed Gem, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat before sadly getting up.

"I'm sorry." Nephrite apologized and began to leave. "I can see you all moved on, but I just can't."

"Nephrite, wait!" Steven cried as she ran after her before turning back to the group. "Uh, you guys go on without us!"

As Steven left, Snowflake Obsidian and Larimar turned to Teal Zircon, who was all too eager to tell her story. "Howdy, I'm Teal Zircon, and I was corrupted!"

"Hi, Teal Zircon."

Nephrite strolled sadly back to where it all began at Peridot's greenhouse and gazed down at the flowerpot she had dropped to the ground earlier that day. As it turned out, the centipede that started this whole mess was still there, and she wasn't happy to see it. "This is all your fault." She said angrily to the anthropod and raised a foot, ready to squish it, when someone stopped her in her tracks.

"Nephy!" Steven exclaimed, racing up to Nephrite and hugging her while shooing the centipede away. "I only wanted to help you! But why did you just run away like that?"

"Steven, I'm thankful for the kindness," Nephrite replied. "but sometimes, there are things you can never recover from in seconds flat. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, kinda." Steven admitted. "If it makes you feel any better, I brought along some friends who could help you."

"Captain?" another Nephrite asked for her leader as she and six other Nephrites entered the greenhouse with concern.

"We heard what happened from Steven." Another one of the Nephrites revealed. "How come you never told us about this PC-whatever you were suffering from?"

"Well for one, Steven just made that term up." Nephrite answered. "And second of all, he set up this support group for other corrupted Gems, but I just couldn't bring myself to talk about my experiences no matter how much the other members of the group wanted me to."

"Well don't worry cap, we were here for you back in the Rebellion and we'll be sticking by you now!" a third Nephrite cheered, bringing a smile to their leader's face as she shed a few tears of joy.

"Thanks you guys." Nephrite said as she joined her teammates in a big group hug. "I think I'm ready now."

"That's the spirit." Steven declared and he took Nephrite's hand and led her out of the greenhouse. "Come on, let's get going. I don't know how long TZ can keep talking."

"And that was the story of how I realized Jasper would soon become my best friend!" Teal Zircon finished a story for her fellow Gems, and there was much clapping as Steven returned with the Nephrites alongside him. "Oh hey Steven, hey Nephrite! You guys should've seen it, I was telling them all about that fight with Jasper and-"

"I think that's enough TZ." Steven chuckled. "After all, Nephrite's finally ready to talk."

"Oh yeah, I'd love to hear your story." Teal said happily. "No hard feelings about that centipede Nephy?"

"Water under the bridge." Nephrite sighed wistfully. "But still, it pays to be a bit more sensitive of others." With that, she took her seat again and finally began to speak for the other formerly corrupted Gems. "Hello, my name's Nephrite, and I was corrupted."

"Hi, Nephrite."

Nephrite turned to Steven and her fellow Nephrites, who watched on happily. "My crew and I were sent down to Earth to fight for Homeworld in the Gem War. We fought with all our might, but when we were called back home because the Diamonds were about to launch their final attack, our team got separated. I was so scared about what was going on, but then we all got turned into monsters."

The other Gems gasped as Nephrite continued. "When I first met Steven, it wasn't on the best of terms. I think he threw some kind of container at me to poof me."

"That's true." Steven revealed jokingly.

"Anyways, the next times we met were a lot friendlier." Nephrite's story became on its way to a happy ending. "The third time around, he even almost healed me! But it didn't last long, though because of that, I was able to reunite with my crew. They were waiting for me in our old ship this whole time, and I'm pretty sure you know the rest."

The rest of the group aww'd while Nephrite sat down, and she gave her thanks to Steven with an earnest smile. Steven returned it in kind.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 5: Bismuth Casual

One night on a road away from Beach City, Steven was driving his Dondai Supremo with Connie next to him in the front seat and Pearl & Bismuth sitting in the back. Bismuth was dressed for a night out in a white dress shirt and her multicolored dreadlocks being done up in a ponytail. As the four continued driving, Connie began to turn up the radio.

"Oh, I love this song!" Connie cheered before she started singing along to the Emily King music on the car radio. "You can't hold me now, hold me now, ooh."

"And that was "Can't Hold Me", by Emily King." Sour Cream's voice came from the radio as the song ended. "Just one of many songs you can request your beloved host to play at the Starlight Roller Rink every night! And now a word from our sponsors."

"I'm so excited that you're coming along with us to the roller rink tonight and experience some interpersonal relationships." Pearl said to Bismuth while rolling up her shirtsleeve, causing the blacksmith to blush. "Ooh, don't be afraid to show off your gem." She added, opening up Bismuth's shirt to expose the gem on her chest. "Everyone's going to love you there."

"Hope I can keep up." Bismuth chuckled lightly. "Can't wait to meet your date too."

"Well, she's not really my date, we just talked to each other on the phone a few times in the past and now we've decided to hang out tonight." Pearl stated. "But the most important thing is-"

"Are you tired of shady mechanics bleeding you dry?!" a commercial suddenly interrupted Pearl and got her excited. "Then come on down to Cam's Camshafts!"

"Turn it up, I love this!" Pearl cheered.

"What, you mean this car salesman ad?" Steven chuckled at Pearl's excitement over a commercial of all things.

"Yes, turn it up!" Pearl answered as she reached over to turn up the volume and began singing along to the jingle. "Cam's Camshafts is the place to bring your wreck, get your car repaired for cheap and fair without risking your neck! Cam's Camshafts!"

"Pearl, you absolute dork!" Bismuth roared happily while Steven and Connie laughed just as the car drove up to the Starlight Roller Rink. "Hey, here we are!"

"You got that right Bismuth." Steven declared while parking his Supremo in the parking lot and the four got out of the car. "Come on everybody, let's get inside."

As the group made their way to the rink's entrance, Bismuth turned to Pearl with a question. "So Pearl, what's your mystery girl like?"

"Well, she's rather quiet and bears a shocking resemblance to a certain Rose," Pearl answered. "but she did like how forward I was about fighting to defend the Earth thousands of years ago and gave me her number."

"Wow, sounds like she could be nice to hang with." Bismuth laughed.

"Here we are!" Pearl exclaimed as she, Steven, Connie, and Bismuth stepped inside the Starlight Roller Rink and looked around at the humans and Gems skating around the very 80s-like establishment.

"Wow, so humans can pay to have wheels attached to their feet for fun?" Bismuth wondered. "That is really something else."

"Hey, there's Sour Cream over there!" Steven pointed over to the Cool Kid running the DJ booth.

"I don't know about this you guys." Bismuth said uneasily while Pearl began looking around the rink. "I've never really skated before."

"That's okay Bis, I never skated before either." Steven comforted his mother's old teammate. "Once I discovered my powers, I never really had time for all these popular human activities myself. But hey, I'm sure it can't be that hard, right?"

"Yo Pearl, over here!" a woman's voice called out to Pearl.

"Oh, there you are!" Pearl exclaimed as she skipped over to four human women awaiting her. One of the women had dark skin and a pink Mohawk, another had blue hair and a punk style of clothes, the third looked like an elderly hippie, and the fourth bore a striking resemblance to Rose Quartz.

"So that must be Pearl's little fan club, huh?" Bismuth asked as Pearl gave the mohawked girl a roll of toilet paper from her gem and the Rose lookalike a kiss on the cheek. "They seem so friendly and interesting."

"Steven, Connie, Bismuth, I'd like you to meet some of my human friends." Pearl called her three friends over to meet her human pals. "This is Khadijah, Jaime, and Brandish. And Steven, I think you might be familiar with Sheena here."

"Yeah, you were at the Big Donut when Pearl made a fool of herself trying to hit on me." Sheena chuckled as she shook Steven's hand. "Yeah, the name's Sheena, Sheena Synstylae."

"So, you guys have known Pearl long?" Khadijah asked Steven, Connie, and Bismuth.

"I've basically known Pearl my entire life." Steven answered.

"Pearl taught me how to use a sword." Connie added.

"And I've known Pearl for like, a few thousand years." Bismuth said.

"That's right, Bismuth's an architect!" Pearl exclaimed in response.

"A builder, huh?" Jaime asked with great interest as she and the rest of Pearl's human posse took Bismuth to the rink, leaving Steven & Connie by themselves.

"Anything you've built that you're proud of?" Sheena added.

"Little Homeworld for one, with a little help." Bismuth answered.

"Ooh, tell us more!" Brandish said excitedly.

"Come on Steven, let's get our skates." Connie said to Steven as she walked him to the skate rental desk.

"Okay." Steven replied before they turned to the man handing out roller skates.

"Welcome to the Starlight Roller Rink. Can I get anything in your shoe size?" the squeaky-voiced young man asked the duo.

"Um," Steven muttered as he looked down at his feet, trying to think about his shoe size before picking up one of his shoes to hand over. "Got anything in this size?"

"I'll see what I can do." The teen at the desk answered before he turned to Connie. "And as for you young lady?"

"Same for me." Connie replied, handing over one of her shoes as well.

"Alright then, enjoy your night." The teen said before he handed over some pairs of roller skates that were just the right size for Steven and Connie.

"Okay, are you ready?" Connie asked Steven after they laced up their newly rented skates.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Steven replied, then the two stood up as two other kids around their age skated by and noticed Connie.

"Then let's get skating!" Connie declared before one of the kids called out for her.

"Hey, is that Connie?" a girl in a pink hijab and red-framed glasses exclaimed before she and a boy skated over to Steven and Connie.

"Patricia, Daniel!" Connie exclaimed, then she turned to Steven. "Steven, I'd like you to meet Patricia and Daniel, they're some friends of mine from cram school."

"Hi, I'm Steven." Steven introduced himself to Connie's friends. "Uh, how's it going?"

"Going good." Daniel smiled at Steven.

"You should've seen Daniel earlier," Patricia smirked. "his mom really tore into him for some bad scores on a test, and he's all bent out of shape about it."

"Augh!" Daniel groaned. "I was doing real fine until you brought that up."

"I know what that's like." Steven laughed awkwardly. "One time, White Diamond tore into me by taking my gem out of my body." Patricia and Daniel just stared at Steven, having no idea what he was talking about until he revealed his gem on his belly. "I'm part-Gem by the way. When I mean she took my gem out, I mean she pulled it out like a splinter."

"Ooookay then." Patricia replied with a raised eyebrow. "So, what grade are you in?"

"Grade?" Steven, having not been given a proper education like most humans his age, began getting grades mixed up with age. "Uh, I'm sixteen!"

"Sixteen?" Daniel gasped.

"So you're taking AP classes then?" Patricia guessed.

"Uhhhh, AP what now?" Steven asked, now having no idea himself.

"You want to skate with us?" Connie offered Patricia and Daniel.

"Heck yeah!" Patricia laughed and the three friends rolled to the rink, leaving Steven alone and embarrassed.

"You really blew that one Steven." Steven groaned to himself. "I bet if they were Gems trying to kill me, we'd treat it like water under the bridge after a fun song or an inspiring speech."

"Hey Steven, you're missing out!" Connie called for Steven as she entered the rink, where she started laughing and hanging out with Patricia & Daniel.

"I'm coming!" Steven replied and tried to skate himself, but he unfortunately slipped and fell on his face.

"Are you okay?" Connie asked comfortingly while skating over to her half-alien friend.

"Yeah, it's only my first time." Steven reassured Connie while trying to get up. "But I'm sure I'll get it right somehow. Just go on without me."

"If you say so." Patricia said while she and Daniel skated away.

"Call us if you change your mind." Connie added as she followed the pair.

As his friend departed, Steven slowly got back up again and tried to skate. This time, luckily, he was finally able to take it slow.

"I'm finally getting the hang of this." Steven muttered happily to himself.

Meanwhile, Bismuth was skating with Pearl, Sheena, Khadijah, Jaime, and Brandish, and started showing off some skating moves of her own, to the humans' excitement.

"Dang Bismuth, you're already, like, a natural at this." Khadijah complimented Bismuth's grace.

"I love your flow." Brandish added.

"And you said this was your first time!" Sheena chuckled in response before she turned to Pearl. "Though she's still not as graceful as you are."

"Oh stop Sheena!" Pearl blushed at her human lover's comment.

"Well, y'all ain't seen nothing yet!" Bismuth yelled before she picked up Pearl and began swinging her around on the rink, cackling all the way.

"Bismuth, you're a natural!" Pearl yelled happily as Bismuth put her down. "Here's another thing you should know. When humans want to see each other again, they exchange little codes called "phone numbers". You should try it yourself sometime, it's fun."

"What you talking about Pearl?" Bismuth laughed. "I'm having fun already."

"That reminds me." Pearl realized before she plucked a roll of toilet paper from her gem and placed it in Bismuth's big purple hand. "Every human has at least one of these in their homes. Sometimes it's even used for vandalism."

"Oh Pearl, you're so bad!" Bismuth chortled just as Pearl began skating away with Sheena. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I've taught you all you need to know for the moment Bismuth, now go out and have fun!" Pearl exclaimed as she skated with Sheena to a nearby old man. "Sheena and I are going to make some connections of our own!"

"Excuse me, sir," Sheena tapped an old man's shoulder and presented him a toilet paper roll from Pearl's gem in her hands. "could we interest you in some TP tonight?"

"Uh, okay?" the old man reluctantly accepted the offer before skating away. "Dang young people these days."

"Um, I'm actually thousands of years older!" Pearl corrected the gentleman.

"Have fun?" Bismuth muttered while watching the happy couple skate around and hand out toilet paper to other attendants of the rink. "I mean, Pearl's friends already love me."

"Hey Bis, wanna show us some more of your moves?" Jaime asked as Pearl's human friends skated over to Bismuth.

"Well, if you insist." Bismuth shrugged and began to show off more moves for the humans to cheer about.

Back to Steven, he had just made it back around the rink to the entrance, and he stumbled back onto the shooting star-patterned carpet in exhaustion. "One lap around the rink. I think that deserves a break."

"Hey, Steven." Connie greeted as she skated back to Steven.

"Hey, Connie." Steven responded tiredly while grabbing onto the edge of the railing to pick himself up. "Hey, where are Daniel and Patricia?"

"They're still out there on the rink." Connie answered, thumbing back to her cram schoolmates having fun. "Did you want to hang out? You know, we could just return our skates and chat."

"No, you're here to have fun." Steven wheezed. "You're so busy studying, so you should just take this time to be with your friends."

"You're my friend too." Connie comforted Steven. "You want to sit down to some tater tots?"

"No, this is your night." Steven rejected the offer. "Just forget about me and go have fun."

"Okay then. Catch you later." Connie replied as she skated back to her friends.

"What am I doing?" Steven groaned in defeat before Bismuth saw him depressed.

"Something the matter, my lil' lion?" Bismuth asked Steven.

"Can't believe I'm saying this Bismuth," Steven responded. "but I think I've forgotten how to talk to humans. Crazy, right?"

"Yeah, that is pretty nuts." Bismuth agreed before she presented Steven with toilet paper. "You want one of these? Pearl and Sheena keep handing these out cause they say they're supposed to help."

"Maybe later." Steven responded sadly.

"I mean, how could you say that?" Bismuth asked. "You're so dang great at talking to everyone, like your dad or Connie for instance!"

"Greg's my dad, so he doesn't count." Steven stated while looking at Connie, Patricia, and Daniel from afar. "As for Connie, I was perfectly fine when it was just us. But now that's she got those two with her, I have no idea how to talk anymore. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"You got that right." Bismuth replied. "Sheena, Khadijah, Jaime, and Brandish are all great, but they're not what I'm here for."

"Then who are you here for?" Steven asked. Bismuth just answered by shifting her pupils over to Pearl, which gave Steven a good idea of what she was talking about. "You're here for Pearl?!"

Bismuth shushed Steven by covering his mouth while waving over to Pearl, who merrily waved back before she started slow-dancing with Sheena. "In case you're wondering, I am a bit jealous! But I don't wanna admit it because Sheena's a great gal and I'm happy Pearl's found someone."

"Are you trying to hide this from them?" Steven asked as he moved Bismuth's hand off his mouth. "Why can't you just join in on their relationship? I mean, I saw a few couples like that around here made up of more than two people."

"I just don't want to take away from what Pearl's got." Bismuth answered morosely while spectating on Pearl having the time of her life. "She's got her own thing going on, perfectly happy with her life with lots of human friends and even a girlfriend. She's like the Pearl I remember, but a bit happier. I just needed to catch up."

"Yeah." Steven sympathized with the Gem veteran. "When Connie and I fought side by side to save the universe from the Diamonds, things were a lot easier between us, barring some infractions. We were fighting the same fight, but now it's like we're living completely different lives now. I wonder if she even wants to be my best friend anymore."

Bismuth slammed her arm on the edge of the rink in shock, giving Steven a little fright. "How long has this been going on?"

"Past couple of months." Steven revealed. "I think it started when she went to space camp before Spinel came to Earth."

"Listen, Steven," Bismuth comforted her former leader's son. "Pearl brought me here to set me up with her friends and to be with her girlfriend, but Connie came here to be with you. You got nothing to mope about."

"But her friends probably think I'm weird." Steven admitted. "You should've seen their faces when I told them about what White Diamond did to me."

"Of course you're weird, you're a Crystal Gem!" Bismuth declared. "The Crystal Gems were all a bunch of Gems deemed too weird by society to fit in, and the same goes for you! Connie's known that, she's always known, but that never stopped you two from being buddies!"

"You're right." Steven began taking Bismuth's motivational speech to heart. "Connie knows who I am. She's my friend, and she always will be!"

"So what do you want to do?!" Bismuth kept on pumping the boy up.

"To spend time with Connie!" Steven answered with determination.

"And what are you gonna do?!"

"Skate with Connie!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Bismuth roared triumphantly. "Don't let your dreams be dreams, so JUST DO IT!" With that, Bismuth shoved Steven back onto the rink and he skidded rapidly towards Connie. "Gotta thank Peridot for showing me those motivational vids later."

"CONNIE!" Steven screamed as he zoomed towards his human friend, but then he skidded past her and began to trip & fall flat on his face yet again.

"Steven?" Connie heard Steven call her name and raced over to find him on the ground. "Steven, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry Connie, I just didn't want to hold you back." Steven apologized while he was helped to his feet.

"I don't mind, I just wanted to hang out." Connie replied earnestly.

"You've got cram school and new friends." Steven admitted. "You're going places and I'm proud of you for how far you've come since that time I got us stuck in the bubble, but I feel like we've been drifting apart. I wish we could reconnect but," Then he started to get nervous and abruptly changed the subject. "I don't know how to skate!"

"Skating's what you're worried about?" Connie laughed in disbelief just as Sour Cream turned on his microphone.

"Alright skaters!" Sour Cream announced. "It's time for our nightly skate contest. The skater with the sickest moves in the rink will be crowned skater of the night! Any takers?"

"C'mon, I know just what to do." Connie declared as she took Steven's hand, causing the pair to glow pink and emerge as Stevonnie while Sour Cream prepared some music for the competition and turned the lights from blue to pink.

"In the night, in the middle of the day." Emily King's voice began singing as Stevonnie handed over Connie's skates and got some new ones that were just their size. "Used to tell me we should leave it up to fate. I call you over, but you always hesitate. Now I know that I'll never have to wait."

Despite some initial stumbling, the fusion found their footing and began showing off their moves with utmost grace & style. "Close my eyes, let down my hair. I'm thinking 'bout what I want, gonna take me there."

Patricia and Daniel gasped in wonder as Stevonnie whizzed right past everyone else at the rink and towards Bismuth. "Turn the dial, on the on the stereo." When they reached Bismuth, Stevonnie leaped over the Gem and gave her a midair high-five. "And I'm thinking 'bout who I want, and I won't let go."

"Who's the new kid?" Sheena asked Pearl before her alien lover was spun around by Stevonnie as the chorus began. "You can't hold me now, only I can do that. You can't hold me now, only I can do that. You can't hold me now, only I can do that. You can't hold me now, hold me now, ooh."

With a split by Stevonnie that would make an entire gymnastics team blush, the other skaters applauded loudly at their skill while the lights returned to normal. "I know them!" Pearl cried out to the crowd.

"I think we know who the winner is," Sour Cream declared from his booth. "unless someone wants to one-up them."

"Who can possibly top that?" Sheena commented as the crowd shook their heads.

"Well, guess that means the winner, by default, is Stevonnie!" Sour Cream congratulated the fusion of Steven and Connie before they defused into the two youths, each of them wearing a skate on one foot.

"Thanks, Connie." Steven said gratefully. "I really needed that."

"Steven, Connie, that was amazing!" Patricia exclaimed as she and Daniel skated over to the two.

"What the heck was that?!" Daniel inquired excitedly.

"That?" Connie responded with a blush. "That was fusion. It's kind of our thing."

"Just something I got from my mom's side of the family." Steven added.

"The one thing I got from my mom was tons of stress!" Daniel joked.

"Same." Steven laughed.

"Yo, Steven!" Sour Cream called for Steven. "You and Connie get to pick the next song as your prize for the contest."

"Next song?" Steven wondered while looking Bismuth's way as she skated over to Pearl and Sheena. "I think I got an idea. C'mon Connie."

As Steven led Connie away, Bismuth stopped to talk with Sheena. "Hey, Sheena was it? I know you might find it weird, but I have a bit of a thing for Pearl too, though I've had it longer than you have, but I'm just a bit jealous of how happy you two are together yet I didn't want to admit it. Hope you're not mad?"

"Eh, at least you're taking it better than some of my last dates." Sheena laughed. "Maybe we can make room for one more."

"Excellent idea." Pearl agreed with her human girlfriend and let Bismuth sandwich herself between the two just as an announcement was made.

"This next song is a request from Steven and Connie." Sour Cream declared. "And they're dedicating this to some special friends of theirs." With that, a certain commercial was played and brought a smile to Pearl's face.

"Bismuth, it's my favorite song!" Pearl cheered, causing her two loves to laugh at her taste in music.

"Cam's Camshafts is the place to bring your wreck, get your car repaired for cheap and fair without risking your neck!" Bismuth started singing along with the ad.

"Cam's Camshafts!" Pearl and Sheena added in harmony before the three gazed lovingly into each other's eyes and skated off with Khadijah, Jaime, and Brandish following behind.

Once again, the music changed as Steven and Connie began skating arm in arm, followed by Patricia & Daniel, and they began laughing.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 6: A Fusion Too Far

"Okay Gems, Steven left me in charge of his interpretive dance class since he left, so I'm gonna need you all to work hard for him." Lapis ordered a class made up of Zuli, Cherry Quartz, Teal Zircon, Snowflake Obsidian, and Orange Spodumene while she set down a boombox and tightened the sweatband around her head. "Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" the class of Gems shouted with a salute.

"Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Zuli muttered cheerfully.

"I know, right?" Teal Zircon replied just as eagerly.

"Are we ready?" Lapis asked rhetorically as she switched on some music. "A five, six, seven, eight!"

"Same as it ever was, same as it ever was. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was." The stereo began playing as the class began copying Lapis's moves. When she twirled left, they twirled with her. When she jumped up and landed while pumping her fist in the air, they jumped up too. "Same as it ever was, same as it ever was. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was."

"I'm having so much fun!" TZ exclaimed excitedly as the class began freestyling, but her gem began glowing without her knowing.

"Me too!" Zuli replied as her gem began glowing as well. Suddenly, as the two stood dancing back to back, they transformed into a large mass of light and then, into a massive fusion bearing traits from both Gems. Unlike an average fusion, this one was a lot more deformed due to the accident that caused it.

"Uh, guys?" the fusion of Zuli and Teal boomed nervously as the rest of the class gazed in shock at her. "A little help here?"

"Uh oh, we got another fusion accident." Snowflake declared worriedly.

"I'll go get Amethyst and Pearl, hopefully they'll know what to do." Orange Spodumene stated as she raced to get help.

Lapis was just as stunned at the sight as her students, but for far different reasons than the rest. A Lapis fusing with another Gem that results in a big problem? That seemed all too familiar to her. "Uh, you know what? Class dismissed."

"Wait, Lapis!" Cherry Quartz cried out as their teacher flew away. "What about TZ and Zuli?!"

"Amethyst and Pearl got this covered!" Lapis called back to Cherry. "I just need to settle some problems of my own."

As Lapis continued flying, the fusion of Teal and Zuli continued standing there, contemplating what just happened. "So, anyone want to ask me what the weather is like from up here?"

"Now just breathe in, and out." Garnet instructed Steven as they took a private yoga class at the tower. "Let these troubled thoughts know that you won't let them take you over."

"Don't let them take over, don't let them take over." Steven repeated to himself while shutting his eyes, but he did let one thought take over as he heard someone land behind him. "Lapis?"

"Hey Steven, hey Garnet." Lapis greeted the two Gems.

"Did class end early for you?" Garnet asked the waterbender as she got up to face Lapis.

"Yeah, but there was a little problem." Lapis answered. "Teal Zircon and 2F8D accidentally fused during class, which really reminded me of a certain incident."

"You came to us because that reminded you of Malachite, right?" Steven asked. "You know, I've already made a mental note to get you and Jasper to make up for what happened while you were fused."

"I like that you want to help them amend for the past," Garnet smiled to Steven. "But I feel they won't forgive each other, since their time as Malachite was torture for both of them."

"Yeah, remember?" Lapis reminded Steven. "Jasper tormented me because I forced her to stay fused with me, but then I tormented her because she tormented me, and it was all one big cycle of abuse and toxicity until we were separated. I feel like if I really want to move on, I need to make up for at least some of my past actions."

"I know, no need to remind me of stuff I already know." Steven said. "But I still feel you two can make up somehow!"

"Absolutely not." Jasper declared angrily as Steven and Lapis stood before her in the forest later that day.

"Garnet warned you." Lapis cautioned Steven out of the corner of her mouth, but he didn't listen.

"Aw come on Jasper, Lapis really wants to apologize for torturing you while you two were fused as Malachite!" Steven begged Jasper to listen to him.

"Oh really?" Jasper raised an eyebrow in disgust. "The way I see it, I came out as far more stable once you freed me from her!" she bragged. "But I think a bit of my attitude may have rubbed off on the brat here. I mean, what has she done since we de-fused?"

"That's a bit personal." Lapis replied in shock at Jasper's accusations. "Also, YOU came out a little more stable? The first time we met since the island, you were begging on your knees to fuse with me again AND you started hunting down corrupted Gems just to get that feeling, which led to you getting corrupted yourself!"

"I think that's enough of this kind of back and forth for right now!" Steven got between the two Gems. "Why don't we try some trust exercises, like an icebreaker?"

"An icebreaker?" Jasper replied in confusion. "Well, there sure isn't any ice around here."

"No, it's not that kind of icebreaker." Lapis corrected her ex-fusion partner. "It's like you ask people questions to try and get to know them better. I'll start." She then cleared her throat. "What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Training, brooding, terminating all kinds of Earthlings that try to invade my territory." Jasper responded. "What about you?"

"A lot of stuff." Lapis replied. "I really like making meep morps, collecting leaves, dancing-"

"What on Earth is a meep morp?" Jasper interrupted Lapis. "Sounds like some dumb human ritual."

"It's what she and Peridot call art." Steven informed the larger Gem. "Now Lapis, please continue."

"Gladly." Lapis said. "I also love watching this show with Peridot called Camp Pining Hearts. It's a Great North drama set in a summer camp where all the campers compete against each other in Color Wars."

"Sounds dumb, kind of like you." Jasper rudely declared, which got Lapis mad.

"Now you see here you big lug!" Lapis yelled. "Camp Pining Hearts is good-natured, cheesy dramatic fun! Well, except for Season 5, that was utter garbage."

"Kind of like your attempts to try and "make up" with me." Jasper replied in air quotes.

"Okay, maybe icebreakers aren't working very well but hey," Steven interrupted the bickering pair. "Why don't we try something different, like trust falls?"

"What's that?" Lapis and Jasper asked in unison.

Steven would soon answer that question by having Jasper stand with her back facing towards the edge of a cliff, with Lapis spreading her arms out down below. "It's exactly what it sounds like." Steven explained. "One of you has to fall over and put their trust in the other person to catch them."

"Yeah, I don't buy this." Jasper snarled as she turned around to face Steven and Lapis from above. "I could easily crush her, as much as I really want to."

"For once, I think I'm gonna side with Jasper on this one." Lapis agreed with the larger Gem, making herself sick to her stomach. "I never thought I'd say that."

"Okay, change of plans." Steven suggested. "Lapis falls and Jasper has to catch her, sound good?"

"That makes more sense." Lapis obliged and flew up to the cliff while Jasper dropped down to meet Steven.

"Okay, now close your eyes Lapis, and let Jasper catch you." Steven commanded the ocean Gem.

"Alright then." Lapis replied as she shut her eyes. "Are you still standing there Jasper?"

"Yes, yes I am." Jasper responded with her arms spread out. "Now fall already!"

Lapis did as she was told and leaned off the edge of the cliff, allowing herself to start falling to the ground. But when she came close to returning to solid earth, Jasper casually moved out of the way, letting Lapis instead fall back first onto the grass.

"Jasper!" Steven scolded the bigger Gem.

"What, you never said how to catch her." Jasper grinned nervously, and Steven returned it with an irritated glare. Lapis just facepalmed as she got up off the ground.

"Okay, let's try another team building exercise." Steven stated while walking Jasper and Lapis through the forest. "Here's the deal, one of you has to wear a blindfold and walk through the woods while the other one has to give instructions." He opened up his jacket and pulled out some cloth to serve as a blindfold. "Now who wants to go first?"

"Give me that." Jasper ordered as she snatched the cloth from Steven's hand and tried to wrap it around her head. Unfortunately for Jasper, the knot she tried to make wasn't very good. "Come on, stay on my head you stupid Earth material!"

"Guess that means I'll have to tell her what to do." Lapis realized while Steven tied the blindfold around Jasper's head for her. "For once."

"Okay, are you ready guys?" Steven asked the pair as he finished tying a tight knot on the blindfold.

"Uh, yes." Lapis nervously said.

"Uh, where are you two?" Jasper asked while facing away from Steven and Lapis. "I can clearly hear you, but I can't see you. What kind of torture device is this?!"

"I can see you're already getting the hang of this." Lapis grinned snarkily. "Okay, first, you gotta walk towards those trees over there." She pointed over to a group of trees lined up nearby. "Got that?"

"What trees? All I see is white!" Jasper barked before Steven put his hands on her hips and guided her towards the trees.

"Okay, next, follow the trees until you hear rushing water." Lapis grinned mischievously while Jasper did as she told and she and Steven followed her. "I can see you're getting warmer."

"And I have a bad feeling about this." Jasper muttered while following the sound of racing water. The source of the sound came from a nearby raging river, and Jasper was about to fall over before Lapis gave her next command.

"Okay, stop!" Lapis ordered, telling the big quartz to halt in her tracks before she gave one last order. "Now that we found the source of the rushing water, jump in."

"I don't know where this is going, but if you say so." Jasper obliged and jumped into the river, but she realized too late what she got herself into. "What is this?!" Jasper yelled as she ripped the blindfold off her face and realized she was drifting down the stream. "Lapis, you tricked me! I'll get you for this!"

"Lapis!" Steven scolded Lapis, who just replied with a shrug.

"I punched her sky high and she turned out fine." Lapis responded. "She can survive this." Despite her protests, a disappointed glare from Steven forced Lapis to fly up and race after Jasper to save her from the river.

"If this is payback for letting you fall, I understand why but this is totally disproportionate!" Jasper yelled as the force of the river continued carrying her throughout the forest. "Um, can anyone please help me?"

Jasper's prayers were soon answered, though not in the way she wanted. Lapis soared over the drifting Gem and prepared to pick her up with the river water, but Jasper instead grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down. "Oh no, you don't! You started this, and now you're coming with me!"

"I was only trying to help you!" Lapis yelled crossly. "Though Steven forced me to do it, but still!"

"You help me?" Jasper said before she let out a loud cackle. "Maybe when I get shattered!" The big Gem kept on laughing much to Lapis's irritation, but she was soon cut off when she realized the river was going to lead to a waterfall. "Uh oh.

"Don't tell me, we're going to go over a waterfall." Lapis deadpanned.

"Indeed." Jasper confirmed just as deadpan.

"Sharp rocks at the bottom?" Lapis then asked.

"No, unfortunately."

"Doesn't matter, bring it on."

And just like that, the bickering pair put aside their differences and came together screaming as they went over the waterfall.

As soon as Lapis and Jasper got out of the mountainside lake that the waterfall led to, Steven stood there with his arms crossed and crossly tapping his foot. "You two are unbelievable!" he chastised the two. "I just want you to forgive each other for Malachite and at least be friendlier to each other! Is that too much to ask?!"

"Steven, you have to learn that sometimes, even when two enemies become friends," Lapis said to Steven. "there's no chance they'll instantly treat the horrible things they did to each other in the past like someone stole forty cakes or something."

"I concur." Jasper nodded.

"See, another thing you two can agree on." Steven nodded in exasperation. "How about this? You say at least one nice thing about each other, and that's it. Understand?"

"Okay, if it makes you chill out a bit." Lapis shivered at Steven's current behavior and turned to Jasper. "Well, I'll give you this Jasper. You may not have wanted to do all those activities, but at least you didn't just give up on them."

"Kind of like how you never gave up on treating me like trash." Jasper harangued in reply, stunning Steven and Lapis. "Just look at you Lapis. Even years after we split, you keep on refusing to treat me with kindness."

"What kindness?" Lapis growled. "You never treated me like that, so what makes you think-"

"LET ME FINISH!" Jasper boomed. "You abused me, and what do you get? A nice life with that Peridot, being a member of the Crystal Gems and living at that stupid Little Homeworld! Meanwhile, I've spent my entire life neglected and tortured on this worthless planet, yet you get off scot-free for all the horrendous things you've done! Let's face it, you may think everything's all okay, but I'm still the only one who's seen you for the monster you are."

Throughout Jasper's furious lecture, Steven stood there in shock at how nothing had been going his way today. All he wanted to do was help two enemies become friends, but nothing had worked. And as Jasper kept on accusing Lapis, he slowly began to turn pink until finally, he snapped. "ENOUGH!"

"Again?!" Jasper yelled at the sight of Steven turning pink again.

"This is new!" Lapis exclaimed.

"I just wanted you to make friends, but neither of you are listening to me!" Steven yelled as the force of his tantrum knocked the two Gems off their feet and back into the lake. "Why can't anything go the way I wanted to FOR ONCE?!"

With a single stomp of his foot, Steven almost caused an earthquake, and the mountain above them began to violently shake until it resulted in a rockslide. As he came back to his senses, Steven realized just how bad he had made things. "Oh no!"

"Steven!" Lapis cried out and tried racing to rescue Steven, but Jasper held her back.

"Leave the kid, he can survive this!" Jasper discouraged Lapis from saving her friend.

"But he's one of my best friends, and your Diamond!" Lapis replied. "You wouldn't want to see him get hurt too, right?"

"Correction, Pink Diamond is my Diamond." Jasper admonished snootily. "That right there is just her son who thinks he can walk around making people do what he wants just because of his lineage."

"But still, you wouldn't want Pink to die again, right?" Lapis said when she got an idea. "Wait a minute! Let's fuse!"

"You're joking, right?" Jasper said in utter disbelief.

"We got no other choice, please!" Lapis begged her ex-fusion partner while reaching her hand out. "Come on, just say yes!"

Lapis was right, they did have no other option, though Jasper believed she was making things up just to make Steven happy. But regardless, Lapis did make a good argument.

"Fine." Jasper finally relented and took the blue Gem's smaller hand. "But we are never doing this again, capiche?"

"You got it." Lapis obliged before she was twirled around and caught by Jasper in a dip, and then they started glowing as their forms began to merge.

"Of course something horrible happens when I try to do good." Steven admitted in defeat as the rockslide began to get closer. He didn't even try thinking of escaping or protecting himself, believing that this was to be his fate. "Lapis, Jasper, everyone. I'm sorry."

Just then, a massive turquoise figure with two sets of arms, one dainty pair and one burly, came flying from the lake and landed in front of Steven. He could see that on her back was Lapis's gem and when the Gem turned to face him, she had Jasper's gem on her face. The more graceful hands picked Steven up while the bigger hands got to work on forcing the rockslide back with a seemingly infinite series of massive punches. "RAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Lapis?!" Steven gasped at what he was seeing. "Jasper?!"

"Yes, it's us!" Malachite said. Unlike the last time Steven saw the fusion of Jasper and Lapis, she instead had a British accent of sorts. However, Lapis's softer tone could be heard until she suddenly switched to Jasper's rougher tone. "Now keep quiet while you're being saved!"

Steven did indeed stay quiet as Malachite held him in one pair of hands while the other pair finished punching the last of the rocks away. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Steven panted nervously.

"Good, let's go home." Malachite smiled, when her head suddenly twitched and Jasper started taking control of the fusion. "Seriously, how did he not try to run or protect himself?!"

"Really ruining the mood here!" Lapis's side of Malachite argued as she began to fly away from the lake.

The two halves of Malachite's personality kept on arguing while she flew Steven back to Jasper's cave, until they finally touched down and de-fused.

"I still can't believe it!" Steven exclaimed happily. "You guys fused, and neither of you was forced to do so!"

"Well to be fair, Lapis kind of forced me to fuse with her because she kept convincing me you were her Diamond, like everyone else does." Jasper said as she decided to return to her cave.

"But still, it was nice to have something to work together on, right?" Lapis said.

"Okay, I'll admit, it was nice to have a common goal for once." Jasper agreed. "Look, like you said, the past can never be forgotten. But I think that might be a good first step."

"Yeah." Lapis replied.

"Well, guess we should be going now." Steven said while he and Lapis prepared to leave. "See you again soon Jasper."

"Whatever." Jasper groaned while fully retreating into her cave.

"So, how was it?" Steven asked Lapis while they walked back to Little Homeschool.

"It was real weird at first, especially when we became Malachite again." Lapis admitted. "Even though we still were fighting for control, I think we may have made a breakthrough on Jasper. Who knows, maybe you're right and we could become friends one day."

"Yeah, who knows." Steven sighed happily until he came to a realization. "Hey, speaking of fusions, how are Zuli and TZ doing right now?"

"Uh, still need a little help here." The fusion of Zuli and Teal Zircon, now dubbed Diopside by the other Gems, called out while everyone gathered to gaze at the new fusion. "Is there any way to turn this off?"

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 7: The Warning

Hushed whispers filled the grand hall as many former Gem aristocrats filed in. Behind a holographic podium were posters of the prosecuting Zircon's smug face with the word "HOPE" underneath the picture in very big letters. When the last of the ex-nobles arrived and the doors shut behind them, out came Yellow Zircon with a prideful spring in her step as she took her place at the podium.

"Good day to you all." Yellow Zircon announced as she presented the speech prepared for her today. "As you all know, the Gem race has now entered a new golden age thanks to Steven Universe, the son of Pink Diamond, and the Crystal Gems." As she spoke, an image of Steven and the Gems appeared behind her. "But don't think they have good intentions."

Suddenly, the hall turned a bright red as a big red X was crossed over the Crystal Gems. "With the loss of our caste system, our weapons, armies, colonies, and the Diamonds' control over us, our kind has become weak. Perhaps weak enough to be conquered."

The former nobles began muttering to each other with concern while Yellow Zircon stared at the speech in confusion. "Wait, this is my speech?" she quietly asked herself before returning to the subject at hand. "Anyways, their pacifistic ways could soon be the end of us all. That is why as a potential democratic leader of the Gems, I promise to restore our old ways so that we may be better prepared for a possible invasion. Thank you everyone for your time."

The other Gems began clapping and cheering while Yellow Zircon walked backstage, continuing to examine her speech when she ran into her campaign manager, a seemingly docile Ruby with her gem on her stomach. "Oh, Navy was it?" she asked the Ruby. "I'm pretty sure my speech is all wrong. I could've sworn I had something different planned earlier!"

"Oh don't be such a worrywart Zircon!" Navy laughed, slapping the taller Gem on the leg. "I just made a few changes, that's all! Which reminds me, you got some special guests arranged for your next speech, so do make a good impression on them!"

"Okay, if you say so." Yellow Zircon reluctantly obliged and kept walking, leaving Navy alone to snicker maliciously as she pulled a black egg-shaped communicator from her gem. "This is Agent Navy, come in Black Rutile." She said to the egg as it produced a holographic image of her superior.

"Ah, Ruby, so glad of you to call." Black Rutile said delightedly. "How has your infiltration of the Zircon's campaign going?"

"All according to plan my Rutile." Navy saluted the hologram. "She doesn't suspect a thing."

"Excellent." Black Rutile grinned. "Once she's in power, we'll come in, reveal our goal to the galaxy and initiate our coup. I knew I chose the right Gem for the job."

"Oh, you're too kind my Rutile." Navy giggled. "My magnanimous, visionary, absolutely gorgeous Rutile!"

"Okay, now you're just brown-nosing." Black Rutile scowled. "Morganite should be meeting with you shortly, so keep an eye out for her while I go gather forces." She commanded. "Over and out."

Meanwhile, on a different part of the Gem Homeworld, the Sun Incinerator began to make its landing at a spaceport where many Gems were either departing from Homeworld by spaceship or returning home. But this crew in particular was only here for a quick pitstop.

"Well, here we are back on Homeworld Off-Colors." Lars declared as he and his motley crew of Off-Color Gems disembarked from their pilfered vessel to look around the spaceport. "Man, it's wonderful how much Steven has changed everything."

"Yeah, once these ships were out conquering worlds." The left Rutile replied.

"But now they're out spreading peace and fixing what they broke." The right Rutile remarked.

"We can sing Steven's praises later." Rhodonite said, getting her fellow Gems back on track. "We came back here to refuel."

"Yes, we know Rhodonite." Fluorite said slowly. "I'm just going to take a breather over there." She then pointed over to a little hangout spot where different Gems were striking up conversations. "How about you?"

"I'm just going to explore a bit." Lars answered. "Anyone coming with?"

"I'm gonna go over there to where those other fusions are." Rhodonite replied as she pointed to another hangout spot populated with cross-Gem fusions just like her.

"Guess that leaves me and Paddy to watch over the ship." The left Rutile said.

"Our crew shall go their separate ways for the time being." Padparadscha declared sweetly.

However, as the Off-Colors briefly split up to relax, a sinister plot was brewing without their knowledge. Emerald and a squad of Black Pearls were hiding inside one of the unoccupied ships, having been spying on the Gem team this whole time. "My Rutile, I have visual on the Sun Incinerator." Emerald said into a communicator. "At long last, it'll finally be mine!"

"Yes Emerald, the sole reason you joined my alliance." Black Rutile said sarcastically. "But remember that once you finally reacquire the Incinerator, you are to rendezvous with your teammates and provide our transport to Earth."

"But what about your dropship, my Rutile?" one of the Black Pearls inquired. "Can't you use that to come to Earth instead?"

"I'm currently using it to reach Blue 4." Black Rutile explained. "Lars will no doubt use another ship to reach Earth, but by then it'll be too late for him"

"Understood." Emerald nodded as the communicator shut off, and then she turned to the Pearls. "You heard her, move out!"

"Yes, your Emerald." The Black Pearls monotonously replied and marched towards the Sun Incinerator.

The Rutile twins noticed the squad of Pearls marching to them and decided to ask what was up. "Uh, hello there." The left Rutile nervously greeted. "Don't think we've ever seen you Pearls around before."

"Forgive our intrusion, we were only created not too long ago." The leading Black Pearl apologized with a bow. "My fellow Pearls and I are working for a higher power who believes she can bring peace to Homeworld."

"Ooh, look at those Pearls over there!" Padparadscha exclaimed. "I don't like the looks of them Rutiles, they look suspicious!"

"Yeah, that reminds me." The right Rutile said. "Who is this higher power you're working for?"

"She refuses to disclose her identity at the moment," another of the Pearls said. "but she doesn't like a certain friend of yours very much."

Before the Rutiles and Padparadscha could comprehend what the Pearl said, a pair of crystalline thigh-high boots clinked loudly as their owner snuck aboard the Sun Incinerator, and they turned around to discover that it was Emerald.

"We've been discovered!" Emerald yelled before she raced further into the ship. "Pearls, seize them!"

"Emerald?!" the Rutile twins exclaimed in shock.

"Emerald has stolen the ship!" Padparadscha added as Lars, Rhodonite, and Fluorite raced to discover what had happened.

"So we meet again Emerald!" Lars said angrily as Emerald began to take off in her reclaimed ship. "What do you have planned this time?!"

"I think the better question is, what do WE have planned!" Emerald corrected just as furiously. "You're so distracted by the destruction that Steven has caused, you're just as blind to his impending fall! Now Pearls!"

The Pearls summoned their spears and threateningly pointed them at Lars and the Off-Colors. But just then, three silhouettes that have been watching things play out made themselves known by emerging from the shadows to strike.

The first Gem had orange skin, a red-orange gemstone at the center of her chest, a red and white jumpsuit with black shoulder pads, a blue-purple cape, and a pale yellow afro that came together at a widow's peak. She was the first of the trio to attack, plunging her sword into a Black Pearl's chest and causing her to poof.

The second Gem was a Peridot with rectangular chartreuse-yellow hair, her triangular gem replacing her left eye, a medium green jumpsuit with dark green shoulder pads and a four-pointed star symbol on the torso, a light green cape, dark green leggings, and medium green boots with yellow triangles on her knees. She lifted a metal crate into the air with ferrokinesis and tossed it at another group of Black Pearls, poofing them as well.

Finally, there was a Gem Lars easily recognized. Citrine was also a member of this trio, whaling on Black Pearls as they tried to dogpile her, and she was wearing a cape as well. It was black, matching the mask she wore over her eyes.

"Citrine!" Lars cried excitedly as the three Gems fought off the seemingly growing mob of Pearls. "Hey, who are those other two Gems?"

"Lars, long time no see!" Citrine replied while backhanding a Black Pearl in the face. "I can introduce you to my new partners later, now help us out!"

"Finally time to put my new musti-yuddha skills to use." Lars declared while taking off his cape and gloves to fight the Black Pearls. "Come at me bros!" he challenged the Gems as he put up his fists, using his newfound Indian boxing skills to punch, kick, grab, knee, and elbow his way through the Pearls.

"Nice moves there my friend!" the yellow afroed Gem complimented Lars before they, along with Citrine and the Peridot, stood back to back against the Pearls while the Off-Colors watched. "What do you call that kind of fighting?"

"It's an Earth type of combat called musti-yuddha." Lars explained as yet another Black Pearl charged at him. "SHORYUKEN!" he yelled, uppercutting the Pearl into the air before it poofed, and her gem clattered on the ground.

"I've got to get me some of those lessons." Rhodonite said to herself.

"The human is stronger than we were led to believe!" one of the remaining Black Pearls gasped in shock. "Everybody retreat!"

With that, the Black Pearl squadron officially withdrew from combat, leaving Lars and his Gem allies to collect themselves.

"So, like I was gonna say, meet some new friends I made since you were last here." Citrine introduced her new partners.

"You may call me Hessonite." Hessonite greeted Lars with a handshake. "Former commander of Yellow Diamond's army turned ally of the Crystal Gems and Gem vigilante. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm her sidekick, Peridot Facet-4E3M Cut-7ZY." The Peridot introduced herself. "Though most call me Squaridot due to my hair. Much like my former commander turned partner, I have once antagonized the Crystal Gems before Steven showed me the light. Well, after quite a few setbacks, of course."

"I'm Lars." Lars replied as he pointed to himself, and then to the Off-Colors. "Meet my teammates, the-"

"We know full well about you and your exploits Lars." Hessonite cut Lars off. "Citrine told us about you when we first crossed paths, and she has proven useful to my cause."

"Excuse me, but what cause?" Fluorite asked Hessonite.

"The detainment of a Gem revolutionary known as Black Rutile!" Squaridot dramatically announced as she presented an image of the Gem in question. "For the past couple years ever since Steven began the process of reforming the Gem empire, this felon has been gathering up an army to rebel against him and the Crystal Gems, and now that the Spinel incident has come and gone, Black Rutile has finally decided now to initiate her plans to destroy him and conquer the Gem race!"

"Wait, why does Black Rutile have it out for Steven?" Lars asked when he came to a realization. "Wait, I remember her! She came to Earth once and interviewed me about my experiences with Steven! Is that all a part of her plan?"

"Indubitably," Citrine answered. "She's been gathering as much info as she can on Steven, the Crystal Gems, and almost everyone they've ever met in preparation for her forthcoming invasion. She knows everyone's strengths and weaknesses, and will use them against us with extreme prejudice."

"Black Rutile may seem like a genial reporter," Hessonite continued her sidekicks' explanation. "But it's all an act to disguise the cunning, devious, opportunistic, sociopathic monster she is underneath. Black Rutile was a former member of White Diamond's court and a fearsome warrior during the Rebellion with a burning vendetta against Pink Diamond because she believed Pink always got what she wanted by whining & crying all the time instead of doing any actual hard work to deserve things."

"So she hates Pink, big whoop." Rhodonite snarked.

"It's not just Pink, my dear fusion." Hessonite stated, putting a gloved hand on Rhodonite's shoulder. "By proxy, she has a hatred for Steven and the Crystal Gems because they continued her work by reforming our society, and some aren't very kind towards Steven's decisions."

"We were surrounded by those Black Pearls, but a trio of caped crusaders have come to save us!" Padparadscha cheered.

"Yes, thank you for adding to the conversation Sapphire." Hessonite muttered, glaring at Padparadscha before she turned back to Lars. "Recent intel we have gathered tells us that Black Rutile has inserted a Ruby spy into Yellow Zircon's democratic campaign, feeding her nothing but lies to inspire Gems to rebel against Era 3. I'm planning on infiltrating a speech she is giving, but I need help." She grabbed Lars by the hand and gazed at him with determined eyes. "Tell me Lars of the Stars, are you with us?"

"Well, with intel like that, I don't see why not." Lars declared, taking Hessonite's hand and giving it a firm shake. "I'm in!"

With that, the Off-Colors had some new allies by their side, and a new adventure to go on. One that might be their most dangerous yet.

Meanwhile, the remaining Black Pearls continued fleeing from Hessonite's squad and found somewhere safe to hide, where their leader turned on a communicator on her wrist.

"Black Pearl-6G9, report!" Black Rutile barked to her subordinates.

"It is the Hessonite, she has struck once again." The Pearl stated. "And it seems she has allied with the so-called "Lars of the Stars" to undermine your hard work."

"That traitor has been a thorn in my side for too long." Black Rutile snarled irritatedly. "A real shame too. She and I got along quite swimmingly before she went to retrieve that Prism." She then remarked nostalgically. "But enough about my backstory. The Zircon is preparing to make her speech soon. I need what's left of your force to protect her at the auditorium in Igneous Square no matter what. Affirmative?"

"Affirmative, my Rutile." Black Pearl-6G9 nodded and shut off her communicator before she turned to her fellow Pearls, nodding to them as well.

Later that day, Lars & Hessonite stood atop a building and gazed down upon the Gems gathered at Igneous Square where Yellow Zircon was set to make another speech. Also on stage with her were a group of Black Pearls, her mysterious campaign manager Navy and their special guest Morganite.

"Good day my fellow Gems." Yellow Zircon announced while Lars followed Hessonite down the building and blending in with the crowd. "As you can see, I brought a very special guest with me. I'd like you all to please give a warm welcome to the legendary designer, Morganite!"

"Wait, she's with them?" Lars whispered to Hessonite as Morganite stepped up to the podium. "But she seemed so chill when we first met her!"

"Looks can be very deceiving Lars." Hessonite advised her human ally. "Black Rutile has supporters all across Homeworld and their former colonies, but Morganite here is a part of her inner circle."

"Wait, inner circle?" Lars asked. "You mean she's got, like, a whole legion of doom by her side?"

"I wouldn't put it that way, but yes." Hessonite answered. "Now shush."

"Thank you Zircon for the marvelous introduction." Morganite said gratefully to the Zircon before she turned to the audience with a speech prepared. "Today shall be the end of Era 3. The end of the Crystal Gems, who have acquiesced to gaslighting and manipulation for thousands of years. At this very moment, hundreds of lightyears away, Steven Universe continues lying to the Gem race and brainwashing the mindless masses to his so-called "peace and love", while hypocritically abandoning all in actual need of his alleged assistance!" As Morganite went on, her speaking became more and more dictatorial until she began outright shrieking every word that came out of her mouth. "Once WE are in power, we shall return to our ways of conquering and terraforming, starting WITH PLANET EARTH! AND SOON STEVEN SHALL REALIZE THAT IF HE AND HIS MOTHER WEREN'T SUCH IRRITATING BRATS, HE WOULDN'T BE HIS OWN UNDOING!"

The Gems in the audience all began cheering and pumping their fists, chanting Morganite's name as she took a bow and began to leave the unnerved Yellow Zircon to take back her podium, until someone else took the microphone.

"Steven gaslighting and manipulating?" Lars hijacked the podium to make his own speech. "Frankly my friends, you're all dead wrong! Sure, he and I got off on the wrong foot more times than I can count, but I know that he is an actual good person. A fact that you are all just blind to for the sake of being mouthpieces for a complete maniac! You're no revolutionaries; you're just a bunch of proud clods! And another thing-"

"Hey pinky, get off the stage!" one Agate jeered while the Black Pearls began to surround Lars onstage.

"You shall come quietly human for questioning." The lead Pearl ordered, spear pointed directing across Lars's neck.

"Uh Hess, little help here!" Lars cried out nervously. Suddenly, a golden blur emerged from the crowd and easily dispatched the Pearls, along with any other Gems trying to get on the stage to attack Lars.

"Come on, let's head to my lair!" Hessonite stated before the screen behind the podium began to short-circuit before finally, Black Rutile appeared on it. "You."

"Ah Hessonite, so glad you could make it to the eve of my grand takeover." Black Rutile purred in greeting. "And look, you even brought a plus-one! Lars of the Stars, am I right?"

"Master, I sincerely apologize for my failure!" Morganite dropped on her knees and begged for Black Rutile's mercy. "It was the human who tried to expose me!"

"Save the apologies Morganite, I'll send in reinforcements later." Black Rutile replied before turning back to her pair of foes. "And as for you, go ahead and run around this planet all you like, 'cause you won't find me anywhere on it!"

"Well, where are you?!" Lars yelled.

"That is highly classified." Black Rutile responded with a sneer. "Not that you would care, you rose-colored hippie. Toodles!" With that, she disappeared from the screen, leaving the pair aghast at her sudden appearance before one of the Gems spoke up.

"Can't you see, Steven is forcing us to waste ourselves away being all caring and helping, when we should be returning to enslaving!" a particularly vigorous Pyrope yelled. "Who's with me?! OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE!"

"YEAH, OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE!" a Jasper agreed, inspiring the other Gems to chant those same words.

"OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE! OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE! OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE! OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE! OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE! OUR HEARTS AND GEMS TO HER CAUSE!"

"It's worse than I thought." Hessonite muttered nervously while she and Lars made their escape. "She's manipulated them all."

"Do the Diamonds know about this?" Lars asked his new ally.

"I'm not sure, but that will definitely get their attention." Hessonite replied as they got further away from Igneous Square, where the chanting kept on going and Yellow Zircon stared in shock at what just happened.

"Was I just a tool for a fascist cause?" Yellow Zircon muttered in utter despondence while Navy stood behind her with an evil grin.

"Fascist cause? No." Navy grinned as she retreated into the shadows. "Tool? Oh so very much."

Not too far away from Homeworld was the former colony of Blue 4, a once pristine colony that has fallen on hard times due to its ruler's neglect of her subjects. And far from Blue 4 on its own little asteroid was the Palace of Light, formerly the capital of Blue 4 that was the current residence, or rather a prison, of the ex-elite Gems Pyrope and Demantoid.

"Day….I've lost count, of our imprisonment in the Palace of Light." Demantoid muttered robotically to herself as she sat across from Pyrope in their shared cell. "I have been making countless plans to break out of this cell and exact our revenge, but a certain someone just keeps debunking them all."

"Well, it's not my fault that most of your plans will fail!" Pyrope said haughtily. "Kind of like how it was your fault that we lost to Steven!"

"My fault?!" Demantoid yelled back as she hopped up and marched over to meet Pyrope's gaze. "If it weren't for your arrogance, we wouldn't be stuck in here with no status, no weapons, and no hope of escaping!"

Suddenly, the destabilizing forcefield that prevented the pair of Garnets from escaping shut off, allowing them to leave their cell with no trouble.

"Who could've possibly done this?" Pyrope wondered, looking around at how only their cell was deactivated while the others were still operational.

"I believe I can answer that for you." A voice answered pridefully as she marched towards the Garnets and revealed her identity. "Black Rutile, at your service. Long time no see you two."

"My stars, THE Black Rutile?!" Demantoid gasped in recognition of the Rutile. "Where have you been all this time?! Why are you only now helping us when you could've been useful during our clashes with the Crystal Gems?!"

"I've been plotting their downfall for quite some time Demantoid." Black Rutile answered. "I suppose you have been disenfranchised by Steven, much like my compatriots here, no?" she then asked as White Topaz, Aquamarine, Eyeball, Lapis 1J9G and Holly Blue emerged from behind her.

"So, you've been plotting your own rebellion, just like Rose Quartz?" Pyrope asked as she gazed at the Gems Black Rutile has gathered for her alliance.

"Indeed, and I believe you both deserve seats in it." Black Rutile replied as she took the pair's hands. "Now then, are you with me?"

"I am with you." Demantoid accepted the offer. "But only if she gets left here."

"No no no, she should be left to rot while I join you!" Pyrope demanded.

"Uh, something wrong you two?" White Topaz asked.

"It's all her fault we lost!" the Garnets blamed each other with fingers pointed, but they were quickly proven wrong.

"No, it's neither of your faults." Black Rutile stated as she brought up a projection of the pair's final battle with the Crystal Gems using the Light Prisms. "It's all because of Steven that you lost. That cunning, devious, opportunistic, sociopathic monster wanted you out of the way because you had no place in his dystopia, but there is room for you in the utopia I will soon build. Now let me repeat myself," She deactivated the hologram and looked back at Pyrope & Demantoid. "are you with me?"

"Okay, we're in!" Pyrope exclaimed, shaking the fearsome Rutile's hand. "Now tell us, what do you need us for?"

"I am planning on going down to Earth to strike at the Gems when they least expect it." Black Rutile explained, leading the group out into the main area of the Palace while pulling out another hologram from her visor detailing her plans. "Once we detain them once and for all, we shall indoctrinate the Gems they have brainwashed into their so-called Little Homeschool to our cause and overwhelm the Diamonds with our superior armies. After that, we'll have to discuss lat-"

Suddenly, the signaling of an urgent message cut off Black Rutile's plans. "One second everyone." She muttered before taking the message. "Ruby, report!"

"My Rutile, we need you!" Navy exclaimed fearfully. "The Zircon has already been seized since the speech, and now Morganite & I are on the run!"

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." Black Rutile said while pinching the gem on her face. "That Morganite, always such a self-important coward. I shall send in backup posthaste!"

"Oh thank you my glamorous Rutile!" Navy cheered. "I am so honored to be in your presence like always!"

"What did I say about the brownnosing?" Black Rutile shut Navy up before the message ended, then she turned to her minions. "Holly Blue, 1J9G, keep Lars of the Stars away from Earth no matter the cost."

"Understood my Rutile." Holly Blue obliged with her master's salute. "Come along terraformer."

"Really, we're going all this way just to get revenge on Steven?" Lapis 1J9G snarked. "You know, we don't have to make all these super complicated plans, we can just go down and kill everyone."

"Bite your tongue Lapis!" Holly barked at the Lapis Lazuli. "Is that the way you want to speak about someone who promised you your friend back?"

"No your clarity!" 1J9G squeaked in fear of the Agate's terror.

"Very good." Holly Blue replied pleasantly. "Now, let's return to Homeworld."

As the pair of blue Gems departed, 1J9G looked back at Black Rutile with a sneer while the alliance was being unknowingly watched.

The Light Prism George let out a gasp at what he just witnessed and began speaking in Gem Glyph to his fellow Prisms, who had now taken forms similar to his own. The three of them nodded, knowing just who to call.

Meanwhile, back on Homeworld, Lars and Hessonite had finally escaped the mob of furious Gems and found themselves standing before a pair of large doors at a tower.

"Welcome to my lair, Lars." Hessonite declared as she placed her palm on a scanner that allowed her entrance into the room. At the top of the steps was a large & elaborate computer system, along with the Off-Colors, Squaridot, and Citrine all waiting for the pair's return. "This was once Yellow Diamond's bubbling chamber before Era 3, and I've heavily repurposed it to suit my vigilante needs."

"Lars, you're back!" Rhodonite cried, and the Off-Colors all gave Lars a big hug as soon as he reached the top of the steps.

"Lars is coming back!" Padparadscha cheered.

"So, what's the situation like out there?" the right Rutile asked Lars as he took a seat at a workbench covered with gadgets either being built or fixed.

"It's worse than what Hessonite led us to believe." Lars muttered. "Black Rutile has brainwashed so many Gems into thinking Steven is the bad guy by using that Zircon's presidential campaign as a mouthpiece for her beliefs. And remember Morganite? She's one of her supporters."

"Are you serious?!" Rhodonite exclaimed in shock, since the last time she met her former superior, Morganite seemed so ambivalent towards Era 3. "I could never forgive her for how she treated us, but this is just going too far!"

"My thoughts exactly." Lars agreed. "Morganite gave a big speech about how the Crystal Gems are even more oppressive than the Diamonds were, but I took to the stage to argue against her claims. And then came a message from Black Rutile."

"What was she like?" Fluorite asked the undead human.

"She seemed so condescending, yet utterly monstrous at the same time." Lars answered. "When Black Rutile ended her message, all the Gems at the auditorium started chanting about their support for her. It's almost like those fascist regimes I read about."

"Holy revolution Lars!" Squaridot cried out. "We must warn someone, pronto!"

As Lars continued discussing the events at Igneous Square, Hessonite sat down at her massive computer and began putting down her findings on the screen before calling up Blue Zircon. "Zircon, this is Hessonite."

"Hessonite, glad to hear from you." Blue Zircon greeted the Garnet. "How's your investigation of my opponent going?"

"I had a little help exposing her." Hessonite stated, turning her screen to focus on Lars a bit. "This human and his Off-Color friends were at Spaceport Epsilon when their vessel, the Sun Incinerator, was hijacked by its former owner Emerald. Now I've enlisted them in helping me stop Black Rutile, and even had Lars accompany me to Igneous Square where Morganite made a speech at Yellow Zircon's conference."

"What were you two able to gather?" Blue Zircon asked.

"She turned out to be merely a puppet for Black Rutile's syndicate through the installation of a navel-Gem Ruby as her campaign manager." Hessonite continued with her findings before another message came through. "One second, have to take this." She tapped on the new message, which came out as a series of symbols that seemed unrecognizable to Lars when he took his place by Hessonite's side.

"What is that?" Lars asked, gazing at what he believed to be gibberish.

"It's Gem Glyph, the language of our people. Allow me to translate." Hessonite answered. "FROM GEORGE. SOS, PYROPE, AND DEMANTOID ESCAPED. BLACK RUTILE AND OTHER GEMS BROKE THEM OUT OF PALACE OF LIGHT. PLEASE SEND-, and then it just stops. Like the writer was captured before they could finish."

"Uh, one question." Lars said. "Who's George, and who are those Gems he's talking about?"

"George is what your friend Steven calls one of the Light Prisms that formerly belonged to yours truly." Hessonite answered as she stood up from her chair. "And Pyrope and Demantoid are a pair of high-ranking Garnets much like I who owned two other Light Prisms, before Steven confiscated them and we defeated the pair. It seems Black Rutile has recruited them into her alliance." Then she turned to Blue Zircon. "Zircon, send a warning to Steven!"

"I'm sorry Hessonite, but it seems my communication line to Earth has been compromised!" Blue Zircon exclaimed nervously. "How can we possibly warn the Crystal Gems now?!"

"Simple," Lars answered courageously. "we go back to Earth."

"You all can go ahead, I'll hunt down Ruby and Morganite." Citrine announced.

"Right, good luck out there big guy." Lars agreed before Citrine hugged him. "And thanks for the hug, but can you let me go?"

Later, Lars and the team returned to the spaceport where the Sun Incinerator was once in to search for another ship. "Where do we find a ship now?" Squaridot asked hurriedly.

"Simple, we take mine." Hessonite answered as she pointed to her warship, a large, orange inverted pyramid that stood tall and proud over all the others. At least, until it was destroyed by a saw blade made of water that instantly cut the ship in half.

"Oops, sorry about your ship!" Lapis 1J9G called from above with a laugh. "But seriously, I'm being forced to do this because my boss loves to make everything super-complex."

"Now what do we do?" Rhodonite asked nervously while the terraformer flew off.

"Easy, we take another ship." Hessonite instantly formed another plan and dashed to a different vessel parked nearby.

It was a green spaceship that was in the shape of a massive octahedron and had four long, claw-like prongs extending from all four sides. Lars instantly recognized this other ship as the Destiny Destroyer, the one that Emerald used to chase him and the Off-Colors after they stole the Sun Incinerator.

"So, taking another one of Emerald's ships, huh?" Lars wondered. "Ah, just like the old days when Emerald was after our heads, eh gang?"

"We are going to steal the Destiny Destroyer!" Padparadscha answered while everyone boarded Emerald's warship, all except Citrine, who had already volunteered to remain on Homeworld.

"Stay safe there Citrine." Lars promised Citrine before he went inside to pilot the ship out of Homeworld.

"Godspeed Lars of the Stars." Citrine replied as the Destiny Destroyer finally took off and left the planet. "There goes one of the bravest creatures I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

"Where is he?!" Citrine heard Holly Blue scream as she, Morganite, Navy, and a squad of Gem guards stormed Spaceport Epsilon in search of Lars. "You, Citrine, where is Lars?!"

"Lars isn't here right now." Citrine answered sardonically as she summoned her weapon from the gem on her stomach, a massive war hammer. "But if you'd like, I'll tell them you said hi and you give up."

"Well, it seems you finally caught us." Morganite announced as she put up her hands. "Go ahead, cuff us all."

"Quit acting so defeatist, our old ways are on the line here!" Holly Blue yelled before summoning her whip. "Now, any last words before I execute you for defying our master?!"

With an uncomfortable twitch in her eye, Citrine dropped her hammer and spread out her arms. "Go ahead." She snarled. "Bring it on."

"You really believed you can try to stop us little Prism?" Pyrope cooed mockingly to the three captive Light Prisms on Black Rutile's dropship. "Once we get rid of Steven once and for all, we'll use you three to raze everything he loves to the ground, and you'll be utterly powerless to stop us."

While the other two Light Prisms hugged each other in fear, George bravely took a stand against the Garnet, and yelled some form of retort in Gem Glyph.

"Oh keep quiet you." Pyrope shut George down immediately before turning away from the Prisms to meet Demantoid, who had now received perfect replicas of her former limb enhancers. "And how are you doing Demantoid?"

"Splendidly!" Demantoid exclaimed. "I feel like we've never met Steven to begin with!"

"Yes, you can compliment me for recreating your limb enhancers later." Black Rutile said to Demantoid. "Right now, I've set a course for one of your old colonies because I require your Peridots and Bismuths for a special task."

"What kind of task?" Demantoid asked while the dropship settled down on a planet covered with green hi-tech structures.

"You shall see." Black Rutile said as she, Demantoid, Pyrope, White Topaz, Eyeball, and Aquamarine disembarked to greet some Peridots and Bismuths nearby. "Salutations worker Gems!" she energetically greeted them. "Have I got an offer you certainly can't refuse."

"Demantoid?" one of the Peridots gasped at the sight of her former superior. "But we were told the Crystal Gems stopped you!"

"Well, you were wrong." Demantoid stated. "Black Rutile here has broken me and Pyrope out, and now we've joined her for revenge!"

"We have come to this little planet because we want you." Aquamarine announced. "We need more soldiers for our army, and you have the perfect amount of brains & brawn for the job."

"Fat chance you uppercrusts!" One of the Bismuths yelled as she stepped forward. "Steven would never allow you to control anyone in this era!"

"That's because this era will soon be over!" Black Rutile argued with the Bismuth. "Once I am in power, I will be the sole ruler of all Gemkind! You really think this is any way to talk back to your future empress?!"

"Oh, they will find out about this." The Bismuth said, quietly angering Black Rutile. "And they will stop you no matter what."

Black Rutile was utterly enraged at this kind of rebellion, but she kept a cool head even as she pulled a bowie knife from her gem and held it at the Bismuth's gem. Then suddenly, as if a completely different Gem replaced her, Black Rutile abruptly stabbed that Bismuth in the gem on her chest, and slowly scraped it down her gem while the Bismuth screeched in pain. When Black Rutile removed her knife, the Bismuth's form split in half just like her gem before she was finally shattered.

"Get rid of her remains." Black Rutile ruthlessly commanded to the frightened masses. As another Bismuth picked up her coworker's remains, Black Rutile turned to the other worker Gems. "Now let me repeat myself. I have an offer you most certainly can't refuse!" she said to the Peridots and Bismuth with cheer like she didn't just sadistically shatter another Gem. "Are you with me?"

"We're with you." Demantoid's terrified subordinates muttered.

"I can't hear you." Black Rutile insisted.

"We're with you!" the scared Gems repeated much louder than before.

"Peridots?" Black Rutile then asked the Peridots.

"We're with you!"

"Bismuths?" Black Rutile asked the surviving Bismuths.

"We're with you."

"And what about you?" Black Rutile said to the Bismuth she just shattered with her knife. "Oh right, shattered!" Then she started giving out orders. "Topaz, I need you with me to find more recruits. Aquamarine, Ruby, keep watch over our new recruits." She once again turned back to the Peridots. "And I got a few questions for you."

"What do you mean Rutile?" one of the Peridots with her gem on her chest asked.

"First off, can you call me "my Rutile" from here on out?" Black Rutile commanded. "Second, what's a Gem gotta do to find some corrupted Gems in this era? And three," She reached for her gem and pulled out a massive bubble containing various chunks of Cactus Steven. "what can you do with these?"

At long last, Lars, the Off-Colors, Hessonite, and Squaridot had left Homeworld via the Destiny Destroyer, ready to jump to hyperspeed, return to Earth and warn Steven of Black Rutile's plans.

"Ugh, I'm pooped!" Lars groaned as he slumped back in the captain's chair. "Think when we get to Earth, I'll go back to my old house and take a nice long nap before we save the planet and then head back into space."

"It would be nice to see Earth again, without threatening its existence though." Hessonite smirked, gazing out at the infinite sea of stars, planets, comets, and all sorts of cosmic scenery. "How about any of you?"

"Uh captains, we have a problem!" Rhodonite yelped as she stared at the radar screen. "It's the Sun Incinerator, and it's shooting right at us!"

"Emerald!" Lars grumbled as he pounded his fist on the armrest. "Come out and fight like the so-called commander you call yourself!"

A viewing screen turned on, allowing the team to see Emerald, sadistically excited to finally get her revenge. "How are you Off-Colors, now that you're on your way to destruction?"

"You won't take us down Emerald!" Lars bravely declared.

"Famous last words human filth." Emerald responded hatefully. "I've been begging, no, pleading to get my vengeance only for Steven to heartlessly take it away from me with his dumb little Era 3! Well, once Black Rutile is in power, she will render all of this era's laws null and void in favor of returning the Gems to the terrifying conquerors they were born to be!"

"Fat chance One-Eyed Jerk!" Squaridot cried out before she suddenly realized the hypocrisy of her retort.

"Engines to hyperspeed, quick!" Lars commanded his crew.

"Already on it Lars." Fluorite announced as she retreated to the engine room.

"We are under attack by Emerald, but we shall win!" Padparadscha declared eagerly.

The Destiny Destroyer's thrusters burned brightly as the ship prepared to leave the space above Homeworld and make a break for Earth, leaving the Sun Incinerator in the dust.

"Oh no, you don't!" Emerald yelled, forcing her ship to go into hyperspeed as well in hot pursuit.

The chase soon began in hyperspace, with Emerald continuing to pursue her purloined Destiny Destroyer while Lars and his crew were set on their path to Earth.

"Keep firing!" Emerald yelled, commanding her subordinates to fire her ship's blasters.

"Do a barrel roll!" Lars yelled in response.

"I'm sorry, a what now?" the Rutiles wondered in unison.

"You know, like in the video games!" Lars added. The Rutiles quickly caught onto this and began spinning the ship in a perfect circle.

"Actually, I don't believe that qualified as a barrel roll." Hessonite snidely corrected. "It seemed to me more like a-"

"Can't let you do that Hessonite!" Lars interrupted the orange Gem in a thick accent.

"Do what?" Hessonite replied.

"Ruin the joke." Lars answered. "Turn this around and start firing!"

With that, the Destiny Destroyer was flipped around to face the Sun Incinerator and began firing from its prongs.

The Sun Incinerator began to sustain heavy damage, much to Emerald's fury, and she gave another command to her subordinates. "RAIN FIRE!"

"But my Emerald, your Destroyer!" one of the Citrines serving as a part of Emerald's crew replied fearfully.

"JUST DO IT!" Emerald roared. The Citrines did as they were told and fired the Incinerator's blasters at the Destroyer, now causing the enemy ship to start falling apart as well.

"She's falling apart!" Lars cried as alarms sounded, signaling that the Destiny Destroyer didn't have much time left. "How much longer till we leave hyperspace?!"

"We've just arrived at our destination!" Squaridot yelled when the Destiny Destroyer finally left hyperspace and now hovered close to the planet Earth. "And good timing too, this ship is gonna fall apart!"

With not much time left till the Destiny Destroyer's destiny is to be destroyed, Lars thought up a plan right on the spot. "Everyone in my hair!"

"Come again?" Hessonite asked, one half of her monobrow raised.

"My hair's like a portal, and on the other end there's a lion Steven owns who's been brought back to life with powers like mine!" Lars explained. "But I think we're all gonna have to get in one at a time, so fusions are out of the picture!"

"You got it." Fluorite replied as she de-fused into Titanite, Lavender Jade, Iolite, Rubellite, Indicolite, and Verdelite, who all dove into Lars's hair.

"Don't forget us!" Rhodonite said as she de-fused into her Ruby and Pearl, who got into Lars's hair next.

"I wonder how this even works." Squaridot wondered just as Hessonite grabbed her and shoved her into the hairy portal. "Hey, quit it!"

"Lars has made an unorthodox plan to escape Emerald!" Padparadscha yelled while Hessonite grabbed her under her arm and dove in after Squaridot.

"What about you Lars?" the left Rutile asked, sticking her hand in Lars's hair.

"I'll cover things from here, just find Steven on the other end if he's nearby!" Lars ordered.

"Okay, be safe." The right Rutile said before both twins fully dove into the portal, leaving Lars as the only one onboard the Destiny Destroyer as he slowly stepped forward. Just then, Emerald showed up on the viewscreen.

"Any last words before I finally destroy you, Lars?" Emerald grinned maliciously.

"Yes, yes I do." Lars declared, glancing at a big red button that really stuck out from the rest of the green ship, and then looking back at Emerald with a smirk. "Hope you don't mind losing another ship!"

And so, Lars punched the button, causing the alarms to sound. "WARNING, SELF DESTRUCT SYSTEM ACTIVATED!" an automated voice declared. "PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND PROCEED TO THE ESCAPE PODS!"

"No, what are you doing?!" Emerald shrieked in terror at what was in store for her beloved ship.

"Saving the universe, that's what!" Lars declared before he shut his eyes and dropped to his knees. "Sadie, Shep, Mom and Dad, Steven, everyone." He whispered to himself. "I'm sorry."

With that, the Destiny Destroyer finally detonated, and its remains began careening towards Earth's surface. As Emerald watched from her prized Incinerator, she went ballistic. "NOOOOOO! YOU MAY HAVE OUTSMARTED ME AGAIN LARS, BUT I STILL HAVE THE SUN INCINERATOR!" she screamed angrily while her Citrines stared awkwardly at her. "Mourn with me!"

"Emerald!" Black Rutile yelled as her hologram appeared behind her green subordinate, giving her a scare. "I've been watching the entire battle. You almost had Lars right there, but then he had to press the self-destruct button!"

"I apologize my Rutile, please forgive me!" Emerald bowed for her black-colored master.

"Eh, you win some, you lose some." Black Rutile rolled her eyes. "Head to my current location at once. It's finally time."

"Yes, master." Emerald nodded in compliance as the hologram disappeared. "At long last, vengeance will be mine."

After the Destiny Destroyer began falling to Earth, everything else was but a blur to Lars. All he could remember were all his friends from Beach City gathering around the wreckage before being taken away somewhere.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he could barely make out four people standing by him in a hospital bed.

"Astounding, his heart rate has slowed dramatically, but he is still alive!" the muffled voice of a doctor exclaimed in astonishment. "Also, is the pink skin something he had all his life?"

"No doctor, it's been a thing for almost three years now." Lars's mother Martha answered. "I think it all started when he was abducted by aliens."

"S-Steven. Steven." Lars groaned lethargically as he fruitlessly reached out his hands for Steven. "Steven!"

"Doc, I think he's coming to!" Sadie yelled.

"Lars!" Dante Barriga exclaimed as he and his wife raced to their son's side. "Please, give us a sign that you're all right!"

"Steven, need Steven!" Lars cried out as he tried to get up out of bed.

"Mr. Barriga, please remain in your bed!" the doctor advised Lars. "You thankfully suffered no serious injuries, but you've just woken up from a coma sustained from that crash!"

"No, I think he's trying to tell us something!" Shep stated as they kept Lars stuck in his hospital bed. "You want to see Steven, right?"

"I need Steven, he in big trouble!" Lars replied, slowly beginning to regain some grasp of his words just as a nurse came in.

"Doctor Laurie, our patient has one more visitor." The nurse told the doctor. "He said a bunch of "Off-Colors" told him everything."

"I'm here Lars!" Steven exclaimed as he rushed into the hospital room to be by Lars's side. "Hessonite and the Off-Colors told me what happened when they came flying out of Lion's mane!"

"Steven, finally!" Lars cried happily as he grabbed Steven's shoulders. "Listen, I need to warn you! You and the entire planet are doomed!"

Meanwhile, as men in black suits began cleaning up the Destiny Destroyer's remains and taking them away for further inspection, the Sun Incinerator zoomed past Beach City, now with Black Rutile, White Topaz, Aquamarine, Eyeball, Lapis 1J9G, Demantoid & Pyrope, some Peridots and an army of cybernetically-enhanced Cactus Stevens on board.

"My Rutile, I've got bad news!" Eyeball exclaimed as she got reports back from Homeworld. "It's about our forces back on Homeworld. Holly Blue and Morganite have successfully been detained by a Citrine in league with Hessonite."

"Is that so?" Black Rutile wondered while she sat in a meditative pose, examining all the data she had collected on Steven and the Crystal Gems. "Well, they weren't going to be useful to me until further notice anyway." She got back to looking at all her data and began deleting what she found to be useless. Most of them involved Ronaldo. "Seriously, why do they keep hanging out with this human if he's such an irritating rat?!"

"My Rutile, we are en route to the Alpha Kindergarten and Facet Five." One of the Peridots announced. "There, you will find the Cluster Gems you seek."

"Excellent." Black Rutile replied, steepling her fingers together before she stood up. "My friends, our finest hour will soon be upon us. Once we have enough fodder to terminate the Crystal Gems, our next stop will be returning to Homeworld, where we shall overthrow the Diamonds and take their empire for ourselves."

"Yeah!" Aquamarine, Eyeball, Emerald, Demantoid, and Pyrope cheered. White Topaz was very unsure of herself while 1J9G just rolled her eyes irritatedly.

"We're here." Black Rutile added as the Incinerator finally touched down in the Alpha Kindergarten, and she disembarked from the ship. "Ah, reminds me of the Zeta Kindergarten where I first emerged. So many memories of far happier times. Now tell me, where is the control room?"

"It should be nearby." A Peridot announced as she used a GPS on her screens to guide the rebellious Gems through the Kindergarten until they discovered a green elevator pad that led them straight down to a large, green hexagonal room. "We have arrived."

"Finally." Black Rutile muttered as she looked around at the tube-like structures littered about the control room. Poking one of them with her bowie knife, the tube began to shake a bit before it began growing into a strange Gem monster with multiple limbs that had a gemstone made from the shattered remains of other Gems. "It's alive! Alive!" she gasped excitedly. "Everyone, wake them all up!"

"Uh, are you sure boss?" White Topaz stuttered, insanely unnerved at the creepy atmosphere of the control room. "I think I'll just wait back at the ship with those cactus things."

"You are not leaving us, you coward." Aquamarine barked, holding White Topaz back with her newly reclaimed wand. "You will assist us in awakening these experiments so we can use them against Steven! Are we clear?!"

"Yes ma'am." White Topaz replied meekly and got to work on awakening the other Cluster Gems.

"Hey, I'm just as scared as you are Topaz." 1J9G said to White Topaz. "I'm only here so I can get back at Steven for taking my friends away, so I'm not that interested in the boss's psycho vendetta either."

Soon, more and more Cluster Gems began to awaken from their slumber, feebly grasping at their captors while their gems projected other Gems in pain. And Black Rutile was utterly excited to see them all.

"Yes, yes!" Black Rutile cheered, her cries of joy echoing throughout the control room. "THEY'RE ALL ALIVE!"

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 2, Chapter 8: Enemy of my Enemy

It has been a hectic past few hours for Steven. He was having another nice day when suddenly, Hessonite, Squaridot, and the Off-Colors all came flying out of Lion's mane, telling him that Lars needs to see him just as the Destiny Destroyer crash-landed on the beach.

Not too long after, Lars was rushed to the hospital and Steven decided to follow him in the ambulance. Steven had never been to a hospital before, so it was a little frightening for him to be somewhere on Earth that he had never been before, especially since many humans go there regularly.

"Hello, did you admit any patients into this place recently?" Steven hurriedly asked the receptionist.

"Name please." the college-aged receptionist answered, barely glancing up from her phone to meet Steven's panicking eyes.

"Steven Universe!" Steven gave his name.

"You're going to have to be more specific Mr. Universe." the receptionist stated.

"He's got pink skin, a scar over one eye and his hair is a portal to a pocket dimension where there's like a couple of trees inside." Steven explained. The woman just stared at Steven in confusion for a bit before going back to her phone. "Anything the matter, miss?"

"I'm happy you said all of that with a straight face." the receptionist said, putting down her phone to go on the computer. "One sec Universe." She looked up the most recent patients on the monitor and turned it to show Steven his desired patient. "Are you looking for Mr. Laramie Barriga?"

"Yes, that's him!" Steven exclaimed. "I was there when he got taken away in that ambulance! Where is he now?"

"Room 723." the receptionist answered. "Take the elevator, make a left and then a right. Got that?"

Before the woman could turn back, Steven had already vanished to find Lars. "Kids." she grumbled.

As Steven raced through the hospital in search of his undead friend, numerous unfamiliar sights greeted him. A doctor's office contained a child receiving a flu shot, a man in a wheelchair let Steven pass him by, a woman was on her way to an operating room, and a doctor solemnly fixed an empty hospital bed while a family was mourning.

Finally, Steven reached Room 723 just as a nurse was passing by the room. "Hello, I'm a friend of the patient occupying this room, and the Off-Colors told me what happened. Can I please come in and visit him?"

"You may." The nurse replied and opened the door for Steven. "Doctor Laurie, our patient has one more visitor." She said to the doctor standing by a bedridden Lars along with his parents, Sadie and Shep. "He said a bunch of "Off-Colors" told him everything."

"I'm here Lars!" Steven exclaimed as he rushed into the hospital room to be by Lars's side. "Hessonite and the Off-Colors told me what happened after they came flying out of Lion's mane!"

"Steven, finally!" Lars cried happily as he grabbed Steven's shoulders. "Listen, I need to warn you! You and the entire planet are doomed!"

A little while later, Lars was given a clean bill of health and was allowed to go home by ambulance. He sat on one side of the ambulance with his parents while Steven sat on the other end, and Lars continued to reveal what happened on Homeworld.

"What I'm trying to say Steven is that there's this Gem who's been inspiring others to rebel against you and Era 3!" Lars explained. "She's gathered up tons of your old enemies so they can get revenge too, and they're coming for Earth!"

"Lars, I understand your concern," Steven calmly stated. "but you're getting a little wound up over nothing. Almost everyone loves what I've done to the Gem race. There's nothing bigger going on, outside of Aquamarine being annoying."

"Seriously, you don't believe me?" Lars flatly asked in disbelief. "Well, do you at least believe what Hessonite said?"

"I believe that you teamed up for a fun space adventure!" Steven answered before his phone started ringing. "Whoops, got a call from Garnet." he said before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Steven, you need to come to Little Homeworld quick!" Garnet urged Steven from the other end. "Rogue Gems are on the attack, and they want us dead! Me, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth have already helped evacuate everyone, but we still need you to save the day again!"

"I'll be right there!" Steven bravely declared before hanging up and turning to the driver. "Sir, I need you to take us to Little Homeworld!"

"It's an emergency!" Lars added while showing him a picture of the Gem village.

"I don't see why not." the driver replied as he made a detour to Little Homeworld.

"You sure about this Lars?" Dante asked his son. "I mean, you just survived falling from space, I don't think we can handle you risking your life again so soon!"

"I promise you guys, I'll be back home when this is all over and I'm back in space." Lars assured his parents and hugged them.

"Be safe Laramie." Nancy said. "But then again, you got Steven to help out."

"Yeah, he's got me alright." Steven assured Mr. and Mrs. Barriga.

"Okay kid, we're here." the ambulance driver declared as the vehicle came close to Little Homeworld. "This is probably the first time I've escorted someone to stop an alien invasion."

"Here's good, thanks, sir." Steven said before the two boys bust the ambulance doors open and raced off to Little Homeworld.

What the pair discovered when they finally reached Little Homeworld was utter chaos. Almost everything was in ruins, smoke billowed everywhere, Light Warriors, Cluster Gems & Cactus Stevens were pillaging & demolishing, and at the center of it all was Aquamarine and Eyeball.

"Steven Universe, what a most pleasant surprise." Aquamarine purred as she turned to face Steven and Lars, batting her wand in her hand. "And look you've even brought Lars as well."

"Aquamarine, Eyeball." Steven laughed nervously while looking at the chaos behind the pair. "Did you, uh, maybe come to reconsider?"

"Reconsider, my facet!" Eyeball yelled before her fusion partner stopped her.

"But we did come with a few new friends." Aquamarine answered smugly.

"Well, that's certainly a start." Steven grinned before a massive hand made of water grabbed him and its creator brought him up to face her. "Hey, you're one of those Lapises! What brings you to Earth?"

"Sorry kid, I'm one of those new friends." Lapis 1J9G announced before dropping Steven to the ground and folding her arms as she landed right next to Aquamarine. "And we're afraid not even half-listening to you will work this time."

"See Steven, this is what I was trying to talk to you about!" Lars exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the three Gems. "A bunch of Gems want to get back at you! Though I thought there'd be more."

"I believe he's referring to me." Emerald bragged as she stepped forward with a panicking George in her hand.

"George!" Steven shouted. "And you, I know you! You're uh," He began getting off track as he only ever saw Emerald through a video screen. "Sorry, I've only met you that one time and now I've kinda forgotten-"

"IT'S EMERALD!" Emerald shrieked furiously. "How could you forget about me after Era 3 made the Diamonds let Lars off with a slap on the wrist for stealing my Sun Incinerator?!"

"Oh, calm yourself Emerald." Pyrope calmed the elite Gem down as she held aloft one of George's sisters, who was in full panic mode and pulling on her pigtails.

"Indeed," Demantoid added, also holding one of George's sisters in her enhanced arm. "You wouldn't want to make yourself less presentable for our victims."

Just then, the six Gems moved aside and kneeled to their leader, whose very appearance completely rocked Steven's world. Black Rutile walked towards Steven with a bowie knife to a rose while White Topaz followed her. When she cut the rose's head, Black Rutile finally faced Steven with an evil smile.

"I know you, you're that reporter!" Steven exclaimed. "Why are you hanging with these guys?!"

"I'm hanging with them?" Black Rutile scoffed at Steven. "I believe you're mistaken; THEY'RE hanging with ME!" She then threw away the rose's stem and steepled her fingers together. "Anyways, do you have any last words?"

"This is not good at all certainly fits." Steven declared nervously before the eight Gems slowly began marching towards the boy, eager to finally get their revenge.

However, their plans were quickly cut off before they could be put into action as Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl swooped into saved Steven and Lars from the rogue Gems.

"We trusted you, you psycho!" Pearl roared while her spear clashed with Black Rutile's knife.

"And everyone was dumb enough to trust you." Black Rutile replied snarkily. "So as you humans say, hello pot, meet kettle."

"Seriously, what makes you think we're worse than you are?" Amethyst asked.

"Something about how your ways will make the Gem race a bunch of puny hippies or whatever." White Topaz answered. "No hard feelings when we destroy you and everything you worked so hard for?"

"What did I tell you about getting friendly with the enemy?" Black Rutile hissed at her Topaz bodyguard before turning back to the Crystal Gems. "Now, let me repeat myself. Any last words?"

"My future vision tells me you will fail." Garnet declared defiantly. "And we will find a way to make that future happen."

"Such noble sentiments from a couple of Gems who are gonna die!" Black Rutile replied as her knife turned into a sword that she prepared to slash the Gems with until a loud rumbling sound was heard. "What was that?"

"Need a hand?" Peridot asked as she, Lapis, and Bismuth appeared on a makeshift flying machine made out of scrap metal that she controlled with her ferrokinesis.

"So that's where you ran off to!" Pearl exclaimed while Bismuth picked her up by the hand to toss onto the metal pad.

"No time to talk, we have to move!" Lapis exclaimed, picking everyone else up with her water powers. When everyone was on board, the pad zoomed off.

"Uh, why aren't we stopping them?!" Lapis 1J9G exclaimed before preparing to fly off when Black Rutile stopped her.

"Let them run." Black Rutile smiled deviously. "I want to see how they can lie their ways out of this situation. But in the meantime, I have another idea."

Before the Crystal Gems knew it, they finally returned to the beach house where Hessonite, Squaridot, and the Off-Colors awaited their return.

"I still can't believe it!" Steven gasped in denial of their current situation. "I get that not everyone would like what I've done with Homeworld, but I don't think I'd make them angry enough to want to kill me!"

"I tried to warn you, Steven." Lars declared sassily. "But you just didn't listen! Probably because you're so in denial of wanting to accept that not everything will go your way."

"Lars, this is no time for backtalk, Earth could be in danger!" Pearl scolded the pink-skinned human as the group walked into the house to think of a plan. "That Rutile seems to have thought of everything! I mean, she's a Rutile for crying out loud, they barely held any power in Homeworld!" However, Pearl then turned to the Rutile twins standing right next to her. "Uh, no offense you two."

"None taken." The twins replied.

"Still, she's got quite an army at her side." Lapis said. "She's got one of those Lapises I fought on Aozul 2, she's got Aquamarine, Eyeball, Pyrope & Demantoid, an Emerald, and that's not even accounting for the minions they got!"

"But what does Black Rutile want with us?" Peridot and Squaridot asked in unknowing unison.

"According to her Topaz, it must be something to do with that Steven did to the Gem race." Bismuth analyzed. "But who knows what she'll do next?"

"I know." Garnet declared. "I've looked through dozens of possible timelines trying to uncover Black Rutile's true plans. This is what I feel could be the worst possible one."

"What does it look like?" Steven asked before Garnet kissed him on the head, temporarily bestowing Steven with her future vision and a glimpse at what could be to come.

It took centuries of careful planning but at long last, Black Rutile had finally won. Once the Crystal Gems were finally destroyed and she indoctrinated the Gems they had enslaved to her noble cause, she then reawakened the Cluster that was slumbering within the Earth's crust, ultimately finishing what the Diamonds were too cowardly to do and destroying that annoying little planet once and for all.

Within mere weeks, the Diamonds met their demise, and Black Rutile installed herself as the new ruler of all Gemkind. And with the beginnings of her dictatorship came the Gems reverting to their old ways during Era 4. The caste system was reinstated but also reinvented at the same time. Now, it was Black Rutile above everyone else.

As countless Gems were tormented into building a grand statue to their magnanimous leader, a lone Pearl solemnly marched through the throngs of enslaved Gems under the orders of Emerald, until she was brought before Black Rutile, who was sitting on a throne as black as her body & her heart while the shattered remains of all who opposed her hanged above her in one big bubble.

"My Rutile, I come with the most glorious of tidings." Emerald decreed as she shoved Volleyball forward. "We have succeeded in terminating the resistance, but I feel you'd find particular interest in shattering their leader yourself."

"Ah yes, Pink Diamond's little Pearl." Black Rutile snickered as she descended from her throne to meet Volleyball. "Who would've guessed a submissive little slave would try to start a revolution? Well, anything to say?"

Volleyball, however, was too terrified to speak, having just witnessed her fellow rebels being shattered before her eye and now faced with the thought of being destroyed herself.

"What's that? No grand speech about how hope will live on or that there will be others like you that will rise against me?" Black Rutile asked rhetorically. "Oh please, I've destroyed every last threat to my power on both this planet and the Asteroid Field Formerly Known as Earth." She declared, gesturing towards the shard-filled bubble floating over her throne. "What's another pile of shards to add to the collection?"

With that, Black Rutile extracted her bowie knife from her gem and used it to jab Volleyball in hers, ending her life within mere seconds.

"So ends the legacy of Pink Diamond." Black Rutile purred as she collected the Pearl's shards in a bubble. "A real shame. She had so much potential and wasted it on being a total brat and threatening her own kind."

She then returned to her throne, where she lifted the bubble towards the bigger bubble, and the two merged. Now Volleyball's remains joined the tons of Gems that Black Rutile had heartlessly shattered. Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Hessonite, Citrine, Spinel, the Diamonds, all nothing more than shards. But her proudest achievement was the small gathering of pink dust that was once Steven Universe.

Returning to the present day, Steven was left utterly aghast at this possible future, but it made his resolve to stop Black Rutile even stronger. "We have to keep this future from happening!" he declared. "All we need to do is gather up an army of our own!"

"I'll call Connie and see if she's free to save the world again today." Pearl stated as she picked up her phone and started dialing.

"Which Gems do you want me to recruit out of everyone we evacuated?" Garnet asked.

"I don't know, just pick anyone!" Steven exclaimed.

"That's the Steven we know and love!" Amethyst replied, cheerfully giving Steven a noogie when she came to a realization. "Hey wait, if Black Rutile is gathering up Gems that have a beef with us, then what would you think if she tried recruiting Jasper?"

"Y'know, Jasper did say she was eager to fight again." Steven agreed with the little Quartz. "Maybe we should try and get to her first."

"I'm not sure Steven." Pearl said as she got off the phone with Connie. "Besides, I don't think Jasper would ever want to side with us."

"Black Rutile has gathered as much information as possible on all of us, and Jasper has likely been given the same treatment." Squaridot stated. "So it's just as likely that she'll try and ensnare Jasper to her side."

"We have to get to Jasper before Black Rutile does!" Steven hurriedly declared before turning to the Warp Pad behind him. "Gotta go, I'll be back soon!"

As Steven left for the forest via Warp Pad, the other Gems just gazed at the pad where he once stood.

"Good luck Steven." Pearl muttered before turning to Lion. "Go fetch Connie, okay?"

Lion nodded obediently and let out a roar, creating a portal that he leaped through to get to Connie.

Meanwhile, deep within the woods of Beach City, Jasper had been watching all that was going on in Little Homeworld from on top of her cave. As she watched smoke billow from afar, she couldn't help but feel that Steven brought this upon himself for enforcing peace for all Gems.

"He could've just ended colonization and leave it at that, but no!" Jasper muttered to herself while leaping down to the entrance of her cave. "He had to make them all into peace-loving weaklings!"

"Couldn't agree more." Jasper heard a familiar voice concur with her opinion. When the orange Gem turned around, she discovered Black Rutile leaning on a nearby tree with Aquamarine standing on a branch above her. "Jasper, correct? I don't think we got properly introduced to each other."

"If you're here for another interview, then forget it!" Jasper bellowed at Black Rutile before bringing her attention to Aquamarine. "And I see you got that little brat with you too."

"You are indeed correct Jasper." Aquamarine declared. "In fact, I'm not the only one who she recruited because of how dissatisfied I am with Era 3. Many Gems have been rallied by my master here to rebel against Steven's oppression and create a utopia."

"Are you sure about that?" Jasper asked with an eyebrow raised. "Sounds to me like you're starting some kind of cult?"

"A cult?! Stuff and nonsense!" Black Rutile assured the quartz. "We are simply fighting for our rights! Would you like to join us?"

"Jasper, don't!" Steven exclaimed as he rushed to the cave, where he saw Jasper standing with Black Rutile. "Please, you have to listen, Black Rutile is not to be trusted!"

"Don't you dare listen to him!" Black Rutile insisted. "He's the son of Pink Diamond, and it's both their faults you went from mighty Gem warrior to a lonely shell of your former self! Don't you see, you could finally get your revenge on Pink!"

"Revenge on my Diamond?" Jasper growled. "Fat chance! Why would I ally with some low-ranking Rutile just because she hates Pink like almost every Gem on this planet?! I'd rather be a peace-loving weakling than one of your lackeys!"

"Low-ranking?!" Black Rutile argued. "I'll have you know Jasper, I was one of a kind among Gems of my type because I worked my hardest to receive White Diamond's highest honors and join the upper-class of her court! You're just a mere Jasper who probably didn't even know Pink in person for the selfish, bratty sociopath she w-"

Before the Rutile could finish, Jasper summoned her crash helmet and sent her flying out of the forest with a single headbutt. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, YOU ROTTEN QUARTZ!" Black Rutile cursed Jasper. "YOU JANKING CLOD!"

As Aquamarine chased after the flying Rutile, Jasper turned to Steven with a grumpy look in her eyes. In contrast, the starry-eyed Steven squealed excitedly while staring at Jasper. "Quit looking at me like that." Jasper snarled. "Let me guess, you want to recruit me too?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Steven declared eagerly.

"Yes indeed, my Ministry of Maliciousness shall soon destroy the United Defenders of the World and conquer the world at last!" a weirdly animated mad scientist with three circles arranged in a triangle decorating his bald head declared as he gestured to his fellow supervillains. Amethyst was watching this happen on television with some of the other Gems in Steven's room.

"Apex Predator!" A muscular man decorated in animal skins fired his highly advanced hunting rifle at nothing in particular.

"Electric Ellen!" A young woman in a black suit with lightning bolt patterns demonstrated her powers for the other villains.

"Automato!" A bronze robot with green optics simply stood by his seat at the table of criminals, his soulless eyes unblinking.

"Scare Master!" A large man in a monster costume that continuously leaked hallucinogenic gas and wearing a yellow ring let out a ghoulish laugh.

"The Unidentified Felonious Extraterrestial!" A cybernetic insectoid alien made a shrieking noise, exposing the smaller head in its mouth.

"And of course, your illustrious leader!" the scientist introduced himself. "The world's greatest criminal mind, Professor Poindexter, Ph.D.!"

"Uh, why are we watching this show?" Zuli asked Amethyst while she sat next to Lapis.

"This is what our current sitch reminds me of!" Amethyst explained. "Mangolin's archenemy Professor Poindexter gathers up each of the United Defenders of the Globe's enemies to form, like, a team of supervillains!"

"Why is the animation so lazy?" Peridot wondered as she leaned on Biggs Jasper.

"It was the 70s, limited budget." Amethyst said. "Ooh wait, here comes Mangolin!"

The cartoon then changed scenes from the Ministry of Maliciousness to the United Defenders of the World, which included Mangolin, Uber-Chap, Battle Goddess, Pyro-Nado, Shamrock Cavalier, Gizmo-Chick, and Vincent the Visitor.

"Termite terrors, Defenders!" the pangolin-themed hero Mangolin exclaimed. "Our foe Professor Poindexter has assembled our enemies to destroy us once and for all! We must do something!"

"They just explained that to us!" Nephrite said. "What, do they think the viewers are stupid or something?"

Just then, the group of Gems heard the Warp Pad go off, signaling that Steven has finally returned.

"Hey, Steven's back!" Teal Zircon exclaimed before racing down the stairs to see her half-human friend again, and this time she was in for a surprise. "Hey Jasper, remember me? Your new best friend?"

"I regret this decision already." Jasper cringed at having to ally with Teal as the other Gems came back downstairs. "Oh look, a whole menagerie of useless clods! Why even bring them all together when I can just take Black Rutile's forces on myself?"

"Jasper, no need to brag about your strength." Lapis said to the more muscular Gem. "This is serious, the whole planet is at stake here!"

"And I should care because?" Jasper snarled in disagreement.

"Um, this is your Diamond's planet?" an exasperated Pearl replied. "Surely you wouldn't want anyone to touch what Pink owned, right?"

"I suggest you don't talk that way to a Gem like her." Rhodonite said to Pearl. "She looks like she could go wild on us at any moment."

"Just calm down everyone." Fluorite advised calmly. "I know we're all stressed because of our current situation, but let's not start arguing."

"And who are all of these?" Jasper asked as she gestured to the Off-Colors, Hessonite & Squaridot, Zuli, Snowflake Obsidian, Little Larimar, Nephrite, Topaz, and Biggs Jasper. "I suppose they're all from that stupid school of yours?"

"Well, most of them are." Steven pointed out. "And maybe when this is all over, you could finally give Little Homeschool a chan-"

"Pass." Jasper coldly declared. "Shouldn't we be getting ready to fight right now?"

"Jasper's right." Bismuth agreed. "We're all in this together, for Earth."

And right on cue, Lion finally returned with Connie on his back, her sword at the ready. "How convenient that I finished most of my work in time for another chance at saving the world!" Connie stated as she dismounted from Lion and hugged Steven. "So, who are we fighting?"

"Come with us to Little Homeworld, I'll show you." Steven answered before he began to walk towards the Warp Pad. "Gems, let's get a move on."

And so, the Crystal Gems and all their assorted allies marched towards the Warp Pad, ready to take back Little Homeworld from Black Rutile's rebels and defend the planet once more. When Steven spread out his arms, off they all went in a beam of light.

"Ugh, I'm so bored!" Eyeball complained, pacing around while the rest of the alliance mindlessly caused more damage to Little Homeworld out of complete boredom. "I suppose they finally realized they were stupid to stop us and skipped Earth without telling?"

"Patience Ruby." Aquamarine advised her fusion partner. "They should be coming soon."

"What makes you so sure?" White Topaz asked Aquamarine as she revealed her weapon, a pair of brass knuckles.

"Steven came running for Jasper thinking she can join his side." The little blue Gem answered. "What an idiot, am I right?!"

Suddenly, Aquamarine was in for a scare as Little Homeworld's Warp Pad activated from right behind her, and on it were the Crystal Gems.

"Okay Black Rutile, we're here." Steven declared with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Connie, Lion, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Jasper, Hessonite, Squaridot, Lars, the Off-Colors, TZ, Zuli, Topaz, Snowflake, Larimar, Biggs, and Nephrite behind him. "All of us!"

"Oh, you finally showed up! Good timing." Black Rutile sarcastically applauded her foes. "And I see you got a little rag-tag bunch of over-eager losers by your side too."

"Hey 2F8D, so this is what you've been up to." 1J9G cattily greeted her ex-partner. "Being a pacifist baby and letting yourself be Steven's slave."

"I'm not a slave, neither to him or you!" Zuli yelled at 1J9G. "I came to Little Homeworld not just to learn how to appreciate Earth, but to learn how to make actual friends! Not be submissive to overly-controlling jerks!"

"I thought I could trust you Aquamarine!" Topaz went next. "I thought you changed by meeting that Ruby and fusing with her, but now I see you'll always be the same little monster you always are!"

"Oh stop Topaz, you're too kind!" Aquamarine said to her former Topaz.

"Crystal Gems, assemble!" Garnet bravely pointed forward to prepare for one last attack, but Steven stopped her.

"Wait!" Steven exclaimed. "Before we all get into one big fight, I want to know. Why do you hate me in particular? Outside of Era 3, I mean."

"You really want to know?" Black Rutile replied. "Well, allow me to put this in the only way you'll probably understand." She turned to White Topaz while fetching some kind of device from her gem. "Music please."

White Topaz turned the device on and music began to play, cuing Black Rutile to start a song. "When one era ends, another begins. It's such a big change for all us Gems." She sang. "But some aren't new fans of the old ways, and prefer to look back on the old days. But I on the other hand got a chance, to make this the Crystal Gems' last dance. And now I pray through endless days, to finally get rid of you."

"Is she singing?" Lars gasped at the musical number that just began as drum music kicked in. "Did she have a machine made for that purpose?"

"When I first emerged for my Diamond, White the master tactician!" Black Rutile began telling her origins through holograms on her visor, showing a just-emerged Rutile in a Kindergarten standing before White Diamond. "She revealed to me in secret signs, the markings of a great Gem! And she was indeed no clod, could reduce entire armies to sod! And all the fools that dared cross her, she'd just shrug and then shatter!"

"I studied well, got my tools of the trade, always got nothing but an A-grade!" After Black Rutile did away with the hologram showing her emergence, she started revealing the hard work she did to gain her high status among White Diamond's subjects. "But then he walked in and called himself Pinky, soon everyone got down to one knee." A stylized version of Steven's first arrival on Homeworld came next, and the stylized Black Rutile wasn't very pleased. "What never died was my ambition, and my keen intuition. Both of them gave me a complex, and made me want to rule the universe."

As the song went on, Steven began learning more about the consequences of his actions and how much Black Rutile truly despised him. "Every glimmer from your smile makes me want to puke!" his new foe complained. "Who to slay, who's the one, who's to doom? You know the only one would be my new archenemy, Steven U!"

With that, the chorus soon began with Black Rutile's minions joining in, sans White Topaz. "Wither the rose! Growing shadows! Sow a world of chaos!" the seven Gems sang in harmony. "Wither the rose! Only highs, no lows! In a world of chaos!"

"Is this the time for a song?" Connie asked. "Why don't we just attack them while they're singing?"

"Black Rutile is going to put on an admittedly wonderful song!" Padparadscha exclaimed.

"Ha!" Black Rutile laughed as the musical break reaches its end before turning to her Cluster Gems, cyborg Cactus Stevens and Light Warriors. "Come on minions, hurry along, this little school will soon be gone!" she commanded them before hugging herself in excitement. "I could squeeze myself with glee! Next the Diamonds and then this galaxy! I would really stop at nothing, shattering, treachery and lies! Whatever it takes to reign supreme, you really can't blame me for trying."

The tune soon began to reach its climax. "Wither the rose! Growing shadows! Sow a world of chaos! Wither the rose! Don't you doze!"

"We shall restore Homeworld's true order!" Aquamarine soon joined in.

"Vengeance will soon finally be ours!" Eyeball added sadistically.

"Saying sorry just won't cut it!" Emerald chorused.

"Dismantling the new superpowers!" Lapis 1J9G stated.

"Armies rampaging across the stars!" Demantoid declared.

"Covered in so many scars!" Pyrope boomed.

"Nothing but eternal war," Black Rutile concluded. "Join us as we make our own colony!"

"Genocide, slaughtering, jingoism, in enemy blood we shall wade! The seven Gems announced. "Homeworld Gems come celebrate, as we make this bratty starlight fade!"

The song finally ended and the alliance of hatred took a bow before Black Rutile changed her knife into a broadsword with a massive blade and a tiny handle. "Now that we explained everything," she stated before pointing her sword forward. "CHARGE!"

The two sides finally clashed at Little Homeworld for the fate of Earth. Lapis & Zuli took to the skies against 1J9G, Pyrope & Demantoid led an unwilling Light Army, Emerald sped forth to personally confront Lars, and Black Rutile, White Topaz, Aquamarine & Eyeball personally confronted Steven, Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl.

"Fire!" Demantoid commanded some Light Warriors bearing laser cannons to shoot at Teal Zircon & Nephrite, but Jasper and Topaz were there to shield her from the blasts. "You!"

"You saved me!" TZ exclaimed. "Guess you really do think of me as your best friend, dontcha Jasp?"

"No, I still find you one of the most annoying beings I've ever met." Jasper replied. "But still, better to side with someone as irritating as you."

"I thought we were all friends!" 1J9G exclaimed as she clashed her water with Lapis and Zuli's. "I only joined these guys just so I could get you back!"

"Why would we ever take you back?!" Lapis stated.

"When we ran into 3E8C after years, she showed me that she and Steven were the best of friends!" Zuli added. "Not an overly controlling jerk who refuses to let me have fun!"

"See what she means?!" 1J9G said. "He's brainwashed all of you!" The only response she got was a punch to the face from Zuli.

Down below, Lars and Connie sparred against Emerald. "Don't think Steven will be there to save you today!" Emerald taunted, snapping her fingers and revealing electric powers to fight with. "He'll just throw you away, just like how Pink always threw everything away!"

"Sheesh, sins of the mother much?" Lars dryly commented.

"Steven is nothing like that!" Connie argued. "If you knew him, you'd know he's the sweetest, most caring guy you could ever meet!"

"Oh blah blah blah, I get it, he's too pure for this universe and he must be protected at all costs!" Emerald said. "Black Rutile has shown me what he truly is like."

Finally, the Crystal Gems battled with Black Rutile and her three most loyal followers. Garnet went up against White Topaz, Amethyst vs Eyeball, Pearl vs Aquamarine, and finally Steven vs Black Rutile.

"Why are you doing this?!" Steven asked Black Rutile while in utter denial. "I brought peace to the galaxy, I ended the Diamonds' oppression!"

"And stripped all Gems of their livelihoods in the process." Black Rutile coldly replied as her sword clashed with Steven's shield. "Look around you kid, these Gems came to my side because they have no status, no allies, no power over others! And now, they come to Earth for retribution against you!"

"But this still isn't right!" Steven claimed. "I understand that some may not be comfortable with what I've done, but that doesn't excuse you for all this."

"Kinda like how you excused the Diamonds for all they did just because they were sad, or something stupid like that." Black Rutile insulted.

"That's because they were!" Steven exclaimed. "They were in mourning!"

"Mourning the so-called death of an annoying brat I had the displeasure of sharing a planet with!" Black Rutile yelled as she began fighting in a way that resembled capoeira and gymnastics. "This all could've been avoided if you just put your enemies out of their misery, or at least punished them, rather than just excusing them with a stupid song and acting like everything was just water under the bridge!"

"You're thinking of retributive justice, where the offender did something wrong and the punishment is just as severe in exchange." Steven replied. "We Crystal Gems practice restorative justice, where we actually talk to the offenders and try to see how we can help them without using lethal force."

"Well, whatever you're talking about, you can call me a proud supporter of retributive justice." Black Rutile declared herself. "As in, me and my pals are seeking retribution against you and your posse for what you did to our society, and will do so by any means necessary. Because you think everything can just bend to your will if you just make everyone around you cry?! You really are no better than Pink!"

"Well, I'm trying to be better than my mom, both Pink Diamond, and Rose Quartz." Steven responded, blocking another attack from Black Rutile. "But I'm pretty sure they'd both find a sociopath like you beyond saving."

"Me, a sociopath?! You barely even know me!" Black Rutile yelled before bunting Steven's shield away when he tried to throw it. "Well, you're certainly right on me being a bit selfish, but look at you. I mean, you've made excuses for murderers, bigots, and toxic friends, yet anyone who's just doing what they're made to do is instantly made a pariah just because they don't like you and your dumb little sidekicks!"

Behind Black Rutile's back, however, her alliance was slowly beginning to fall apart, yet she didn't seem to care. Hessonite, Peridot, Biggs, and Squaridot hid behind a wall to avoid the Light Warriors' attacks.

"Got a plan, you guys?" Biggs asked the other three Gems.

"I have." Hessonite replied. "The Peridots shall distract them by taking control of Demantoid's limb enhancers while I swoop in and steal back the Light Prisms! Then perhaps we can turn the Light Army on them."

"I'll see what I can do." Peridot stated, but then Squaridot put a green hand on her shoulder.

"No, allow me." Squaridot stated before using her ferrokinetic powers to meddle with Demantoid's limb enhancers.

"No no, not again!" Demantoid yelled as she was dumped out of her mech, and the Light Prism she was holding hostage fell out with her only to be caught by Hessonite at rapid speed. "My Prism!"

"Demantoid you child, you could've just fought back instead of letting yourself get defeated!" Pyrope said, unaware that her Prism was stolen as well. "Wait, what?"

As Hessonite returned to Peridot and Squaridot with the Light Prisms in hand, the Light Warriors dropped their current activities and began to surround the three Gems peacefully. "Now that you know who's really in charge here," Hessonite bragged before she pointed at her fellow Garnets. "FIRE!"

"No, it can't be!" Pyrope squealed in utter defeat as the Light Warriors pointed their weapons at her and Demantoid.

"Hold me close Pyrope!" Demantoid added while hugging Pyrope in fear before the Light Warriors charged, attacking the pair and poofing them once and for all.

As for Emerald, she was now getting ganged up on by Lars, Connie, and the Off-Colors, who all took turns using Connie's sword against her. "You're all just humans and Off-Color Gems!" Emerald screamed as she desperately tried to fight back. "What makes you think you all can stop me?!"

"'Cause we're all more walk than talk!" Lars declared, once again using his musti-yuddha skills to knock Emerald to the ground. "Connie, care to do the honors?"

"With pleasure!" Connie replied, hopping up on Fluorite's head and jumping high into the air before zooming down with her sword pointed directly at Emerald.

"I hate you all." Emerald snarled bitterly before Connie poofed her, ending the threat she possessed to Lars and the Off-Colors.

High up in the air, the battle of the Lapides raged on with 1J9G using vapor from the clouds as makeshift weapons against her former friends.

"We could've stayed together if 3E8C hadn't been dropped on Earth like an idiot!" 1J9G yelled. "I just wanted us to stay friends!"

"Well, if you want to keep your friends," 3E8C stated, forming a massive water hand from a nearby cloud. "then you should act like a friend." The hand grabbed 1J9G and tossed her to the ground, creating a massive crater that caused a building to start falling over, and one piece of sharp rubble was aimed straight at 1J9G's gem.

"So this is it, huh?" 1J9G monologued to herself as death was mere moments away. "I feel like this is karma for being a horrible friend like they keep calling me. In that case, I'm sorry. Maybe somewhere else, we could've stayed together."

As 1J9G accepted her demise, the rubble was punched out of the way by a massive silhouette in the dust, and it settled to reveal Jasper as her savior.

"Get up you!" Jasper roared at the Lapis.

"But, we're on different sides!" 1J9G exclaimed. "Why did you save me?"

"It's what a certain someone would've done, but he's too busy at the moment." Jasper replied. "Plus, I know what it's like to be alone too."

"Oh look, that Jasper is becoming just like you!" Black Rutile yelled as she watched her alliance break up. "But then again, they set themselves up for this the moment I recruited them all, so what are you gonna do?"

"But still, we're fighting a losing battle!" White Topaz advised her Rutile. "What do we do now?"

"I think I know." Black Rutile smirked before snapping her fingers at one of her surviving allies. "Aquamarine, grab the boy and take him to the nearest mountain!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Aquamarine purred before she grabbed Steven with her wand and began flying off, with Eyeball also in tow, and Black Rutile & White Topaz on a mini-hovercraft. "Oh, where will you be without your precious little abomination?!"

"Steven!" the Crystal Gems all yelled.

"Topaz, subdue the Lapises!" Black Rutile then commanded White Topaz, who gave a shaky nod before leaping up and grabbing Lapis & Zuli, followed by pinning them to the ground.

"Don't worry guys, I got this!" Connie said before mounting on Lion and riding off after Aquamarine.

"The only one who should defeat him is me." Jasper said as Connie fled, right before following the human. "Wait up girl!"

At the mountain, Steven was dropped by Aquamarine at the highest cliff, where Black Rutile stood by with a boulder next to her and White Topaz.

"What do you want now Black Rutile?" Steven asked as he got up to face the evil Rutile.

"Simple, toss you over the edge and throw a boulder to crush you to death, since you can fly apparently." Black Rutile declared. "I've been waiting for ages to destroy Pink Diamond, and you, my little friend, are just the thing to satisfy my vendetta."

"But why do you hate Pink so much?" Steven exclaimed. "Let me guess, she treated you like trash just like almost every other Gem I've faced?"

"No, she didn't treat me like trash!" Black Rutile answered. "She treated everyone around her like trash, yet the Diamonds almost always let her get away with everything! And here you are forcing Gems against their will to change their very way of living! Hey, at least you didn't fake your death to recklessly endanger the lives of others, because I'm going to endanger yours!"

Black Rutile then picked up Steven by his shirt collar and walked to the edge of the cliff, where she dangled him over such dangerously high heights. "You know what's ironic?" she smiled cheerfully before it turned to a hateful scowl. "You're able to get humans and Gems to get along, yet you're neither of them yourself."

With that, Black Rutile released her grip on Steven's shirt and he began falling from the cliff, followed shortly by White Topaz tossing a boulder that fell right above him. "NO HARD FEELINGS!" she yelled.

"So this is how I'll die, falling to my death off a cliff while a boulder is going to crush me." Steven realized as he fell to his doom. "Maybe Black Rutile's right. Maybe this is punishment for only thinking of myself all the time, and never taking others' feelings into account. Punishment for letting all these enemies run free instead of punishing them. Punishment for being an awful person in general."

However, just as Steven shut his eyes, accepted his demise, and did not even use any of his powers to escape, a voice cried out to him. "STEVEN!"

"Connie?" Steven exclaimed as she warped in via Lion's portal and reach out to him. "Don't worry, I'm with you till the end of the line! Just grab my hand!"

Steven gave a big smile, realizing that even with all his faults there were still people looking out for him, and took Connie's hand, causing the two to merge into a mass of light.

"Well, that should take care of him." Black Rutile declared, dusting off her hands and beginning to walk away. "Come along you three, let's go reawaken the Cluster and wipe this planet off the face of this universe for good."

"Uh, my Rutile?" White Topaz said while she, Aquamarine, and Eyeball gazed over the edge of the cliff to discover a pink light rapidly approaching them. "I think Steven is….not dead."

"Wait, seriously?!" Black Rutile yelled before Stevonnie leaped up the mountain and onto the cliff where the four enemy Gems stood. "You fused with a human?!"

"Bet you didn't see that coming!" Stevonnie declared as they swung their sword to try and poof Aquamarine, but she swiftly dodged and fused with Eyeball to form Bluebird Azurite.

"Of course I knew you can fuse with humans kid, it was in my data!" Black Rutile exclaimed before turning to White Topaz staring in amazement at the fusion. "Topaz, fuse with me!"

"Wait, we get to fuse too?!" White Topaz giddily exclaimed. "Eee, I can't wait, we've been practicing for so long!"

"Just shut up already." Black Rutile snarled before extending her hand. "Now, may I have this dance?"

"Gladly." White Topaz responded, taking her superior's hand before they began dancing the tango, their gems glowing as they danced until they formed into a giant light that resulted in a new, much larger fusion with four eyes & arms, spiky hair that went down to her back, a black-and-grey uniform and Black Rutile's white cape.

"BEHOLD FOOLISH LESSER BEINGS!" the new fusion bombastically declared. "THE GODLIKE SUPERIORITY OF THE MIGHTY LEPIDOLITE!"

"One fusion against two fusions." Stevonnie muttered. "Have to admit, those aren't very good odds."

"You bet." Jasper declared, zooming up the mountain to stand by Stevonnie's side and pounding her fists together. "For them!"

"You followed us?" Stevonnie asked Jasper.

"I don't like the Crystal Gems, but I hate them just as much." Jasper explained roughly. "Now come on, let's finish this!"

"Oh, a fair game, I see!" Lepidolite asked as she summoned two pairs of claws on each pair of her hands that extended from her knuckles while Bluebird summoned her ice cutlass. "Well, game on!"

Lepidolite clashed her claws with Stevonnie's sword while Jasper grabbed Bluebird in her massive hand and smashed her face into the rock face. However, despite Lepidolite being surprisingly evenly matched with Stevonnie, there was one thing they had that she lacked. Control over the fusion itself.

"So you can fuse with humans?!" White Topaz exclaimed cheerfully while Lepidolite slashed at Stevonnie before she switched to Black Rutile. "Did you even listen to Aquamarine's report, why are you acting like this is so new to you?!" Black Rutile yelled. "Why do you always have to be so dense?!"

"This is almost like Malachite." Stevonnie compared the abusive control Black Rutile had over White Topaz to the strained but peaceful relationship between Lapis and Jasper. "Listen, why can't you just work together?!"

"Because she's a completely moronic clod!" Black Rutile yelled through Lepidolite.

"Even if she treats me like trash, she's still my boss!" White Topaz added. "After all, isn't that what master/servant relationships are kinda like?"

"Master, don't!" Bluebird yelled as Jasper kept beating her up. "You're going to make them do some speech about the stupid power of friendship or something!"

"Well, you want us to work together?!" Lepidolite said, now no longer personified through Black Rutile and White Topaz's arguing. "Then work together we shall!"

Lepidolite then grabbed Stevonnie by their arms and once again threw them over the edge of the cliff before walking off to assist Bluebird. But just like when Steven was tossed over the cliff, things went horribly wrong for them.

Stevonnie reappeared in a massive gust of wind, now bathed in a pink glow and with a furious snarl replacing their confident grin. "Why won't you listen?!" they yelled, lunging at Lepidolite and striking their sword straight into her chest. "I'm not the real monster, YOU ARE!"

"No no no no no no!" Lepidolite screamed as Stevonnie's sword cut into her body and striking her straight in Black Rutile's gem, causing the two to ultimately defuse. As the pair of Gems were dropped to the ground, White Topaz laid on her back, utterly stupefied. Black Rutile on the other hand was terrified beyond all recognition, a far cry from the confident mastermind she normally is.

"W-w-who are you!?" Black Rutile shivered in fear of the pink Stevonnie, who now had a psychotic smile on their face. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"I'm-" Stevonnie began when they suddenly stopped and gazed at their hands. "I don't know." With that, Stevonnie finally un-fused back into Steven and Connie, just in time for the other Gems to arrive.

"Steven, Connie!" Garnet cried as she, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Bismuth, Hessonite, Lars, Squaridot, and the Light Prisms were carried up the mountain by a massive water elevator created by the trio of Lapides. When they reached the cliff, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all rushed to give the two kids a big hug. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Connie replied shakily. "First we fused into Stevonnie to fight Black Rutile, who fused with White Topaz to create this big fusion called Lepidolite, then after we were tossed over a cliff, Stevonnie turned pink and-"

"Wait, pink?" Pearl wondered. "It's just like all those other times Steven lost control! What could it be?"

"That's exactly what I'd like to know too!" the utterly defeated Black Rutile yelled. "What is that, a human thing?"

"Uh, no everyone! Everything's fine!" Steven began lying. "It's just a human thing, but I'm the only one who can do it!"

"Alright, keep your secrets brat." Black Rutile declared before she snapped her fingers again. Getting up from Jasper's beatdown, Bluebird picked up Black Rutile & White Topaz and carried them away. "Your little power fantasy will soon come to an end!" she declared. "And Gems, I'd keep an eye out on that monster if I were you! He could become a bigger threat to Earth than I am!"

As the three Gems got farther away, everybody turned to Steven with nervous looks on their faces.

"Steven, is there anything you need to tell us?" Connie asked her best friend.

"Uh, anyone wanna go out for pizzas?" Steven tried to change the subject, and everyone went silent in response.

"What is this pizza you speak of?" Hessonite piped up.

Later that day, reconstruction of Little Homeworld had quickly begun. With Peridot and Squaridot's help, the Cactus Stevens were now fully organic once more and helped in the repairs, alongside the Light creatures created by George and his sisters.

"Wow George, you, Elaine, and Cosma are one great team!" Steven said to George as they looked upon the Light Army's hard work. George turned to Steven with a confused look on his face. "Oh, I came up with those names for your sisters based on this TV show with a character also named George."

"Hey Steven, the pizzas are here!" Lapis called for Steven.

"Ooh, gotta go you guys!" Steven said before leaving George and his newly named sisters to work. "See you again soon!"

Steven returned to the Little Homeworld Warp Pad, where the Crystal Gems and the Off-Colors were setting up a little picnic with pizza boxes all around. "You see, this is what we need more of." Steven said. "Just us hanging out, no Gem monsters or evil Gems threatening and scarring our lives."

"Are you sure you're okay kid?" 1J9G asked Steven.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Steven replied. "Wait, what are you doing here? Weren't you on Black Rutile's side?"

"That Jasper saved my life because she knew what it was like to be alone, so I'm coming here as gratitude." 1J9G stated. "I came with Black Rutile as 1J9G, and I'll learn to become a better friend as Laz. You like the new name I got?"

"I love it!" Zuli exclaimed happily. "It's so wet!"

"Well, if you say so." Steven said awkwardly before he found Lars and Hessonite collecting the inactive gemstones of Emerald, Pyrope, Demantoid and all the Cluster Gems. "And what are you going to do with those?"

"We'll take the Cluster Gems back to Homeworld." Lars answered before pointing to Emerald and the Garnets. "As for these three, I'm not sure yet."

"They'll be safe with us." Garnet said, taking the three Gems out of the bubble. "And who knows? Maybe they'll become students of Little Homeschool."

"Speaking of which, Squaridot." Hessonite said to her Peridot sidekick. "You said that you were given the chance to come to Little Homeschool before you joined me? You think the offer still stands?"

"You know what?" Squaridot said. "I think I'm gonna stay here. Thank you Hessonite for everything." She then hugged the orange Garnet. "And tell Citrine I said hi if you find her."

As the group all sat down to their victory picnic, many eyes were still on Steven, who paid more attention to his slice of pie.

"Seriously, that boy just ain't right!" Jasper said as she prepared to leave.

"Yo Jasper, have a little more tact!" Amethyst scolded her fellow quartz while turning to Steven. "But what if Black Rutile is right? What if Steven becomes a threat to Earth?"

Steven still didn't pay any attention and kept on eating, but the Gems guessed that he might've been deliberately distracting himself. But why?

Elsewhere, Black Rutile had now touched down deeper in the forest, letting Bluebird Azurite drop her off in front of a cave. "Ah, this should make a good hideout."

"Why can't we just flee on your dropship?" White Topaz asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's been seized by now." Black Rutile said as she sat down on a rock formation, slouching and pressing her fingers together. "Tell me, my friends, what do you think is Steven's greatest weakness?"

"He can't fend for himself!" Aquamarine stated as she and Eyeball un-fused.

"He always has to get his nose in everyone's business." Eyeball remarked, rolling her eye with arms crossed.

"Uh, he's got boatloads of trauma that no one bothers to bring up?" White Topaz asked meekly.

"Correct Topaz, very good for once." Black Rutile congratulated her Topaz. "Now, as you see, he can't deal with his whole worldview changing, since learning there were so many Gems against him shattered everything he almost knew about his actions." She declared. "But what if we did the same, but we turn the humans against him?"

END OF PART 2: GRADUATION

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3: FRAGMENTED MIND

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 1: Together Forever

Pearl stood in line at the Buddwick Public Library alongside many other parents and parental figures like her, waiting as a bearded, glasses-wearing Japanese-American man signed books at a table.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to not be from around here, right?" a single dad standing behind Pearl asked her.

"Well, technically yes," Pearl informed the father. "I come from a planet of beings similar to myself who are all based around gemstones, which explains my appearance. Also, just last week I helped save your world from a sociopathic revolutionary, so you're welcome."

"You foreigners say the craziest things!" the father giggled in disbelief of Pearl, who just groaned flatly as the line began to pick up.

Eventually, Pearl was at the front of the line and now face to face with childcare author George Ikari, who had his fingers clasped together as he gazed at Pearl.

"Let me guess, you are here because of your own son, daughter, or whatever pronouns your child prefers to be dubbed?" George asked Pearl while he took out another copy of his book, titled "When Your Child Wants Time Apart", to sign for the Gem.

"Well, he's not really my son, but Steven is the closest thing my team, the Crystal Gems, have to one after his mother died giving birth to him." Pearl explained as George got to signing. "And that's not even getting into the fact that his mother was a former despotic alien conqueror who grew tired of her life and the constant neglect from her fellow despots, so she faked her death because of how much she valued your planet as part of a big war, then thousands of years later she met a rock star and fell in love with him before they consummated their relationship and she gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven."

George just stared in shock at Pearl's tale before she tried to continue. "And just last week, there was this other Gem with a vendetta against Steven's mother who tried to destroy the planet and kill us a-"

"Stop." George commanded Pearl with a raise of his hand before handing over the signed book. "Just take the book and leave. Your tales are holding up the line."

"What did I tell ya, foreigners say the craziest things!" the single father from before laughed.

"I'm deeply sorry Mr. Ikari, it's just that Steven has been going through some rough times lately." Pearl apologized to the author.

"I completely understand miss." George said while pulling out his phone to show Pearl a picture of his own son, a young man with scruffy brown hair, a white dress shirt, and a nervous expression on his face. "My son Shane has had his fair share of troubles ever since his mother died, troubles that he insisted on running away from rather than facing them maturely."

"Just like Steven." Pearl compared the two boys sympathetically. "I am deeply sorry for your loss sir."

"Thank you for your kindness." George smiled, putting away his phone. "The best thing I feel could work for a situation like this is to let things play out and discuss his problems when the time is right."

"Thank you very much George." Pearl thanked the author as she finally began to leave the library with her new book in hand. "Though I doubt that'll be of any use to Steven."

Not too far away from the library, Steven was sitting in his room talking to Connie on the phone while she was on her study break.

"Wow Connie, looks like you got all this college stuff figured out." Steven laughed with his dear human friend over his phone.

"I've got a whole plan figured out for early admission into the University of Jayhawk, but I'm still not sure about my major," Connie explained to Steven. "Maybe I should major in political science and minor in sociology, or perhaps the other way around."

"Did all our galactic adventures together get you interested in politics?" Steven asked.

"Maybe." Connie chuckled. "But I'm thinking more down to earth, as far as long-term careers go." As the two laughed at Connie's pun, the timer on her phone began to go off. "Wow, fifteen minutes went by pretty fast."

"Aw man, these study breaks are too short." Steven complained before he realized something. "Hey wait, you left a brochure at my place last time." He stated, pulling out a brochure for Connie's college of choice to show her. "You want it back?"

"It's alright Steven, I still have two more, and the Internet too." Connie answered smiling.

"Oh, right." Steven realized. "Well, call me when you still wanna hang out, okay?"

"You know I will, silly!" Connie beamed. "Okay, for real now, bye!"

After Connie ended the call, Steven turned over on his back and gazed at the brochure in his hands. "The University of Jayhawk, huh?" he muttered to himself. "And how far is that from here?" Steven then opened up the brochure to learn how far the distance between Beach City and the university's location in Kansas was. "Oh, that far."

Once again, Steven began to glow pink as he sadly sank into his bed, fretting over how little often he'd be able to see Connie regularly. Gazing at his rose-colored hand, he then started pondering on whether he should do something about this new condition, as he had been thinking about since the titanic battle with Black Rutile.

Soon, Steven had decided to get up off his bed and walk downstairs, to which he found Garnet standing in the living room dressed in a hat and kerchief. "Oh Garnet, you're still here?"

"Steven." Garnet greeted Steven tersely.

"I could really use your advice right now." Steven declared racing over to the fusion. "It's about-"

"Not right now Steven, I gotta split." Garnet cut Steven off before un-fusing into Ruby and Sapphire.

"I'm terribly sorry Steven, but I'm running late for my lecture on alternate timelines." Sapphire apologized while taking off the scoutmaster's hat and giving it to Ruby, along with a kiss on the cheek, before racing off to her lecture. "See you soon!"

"Sapphire might be going, but you still got good ol' Ruby to talk to." Ruby said to Steven as she went to fetch a backpack. "Let's walk and talk scout, I got things to do."

"Oh, okay." Steven agreed as he followed Ruby to the Warp Pad, and the two set off.

Later that day, Steven had joined Ruby's class, consisting of Onion, Zebra Jasper, and Little Larimar, as they strolled through the woods on a gorgeous afternoon. When the class got to a good stopping point near a stump, Ruby hopped up on the stump to speak. "Okay everyone, you remember what we learned last week, right?" she asked her students. "Well, today is the day! Brace yourselves, 'cause today we're sketching nature and the animals around us!"

Onion and his Gem classmates excitedly took out their notepads to draw on as Ruby continued. "Draw to your heart's content scouts!" Ruby declared. "Feel the beauty of everything around you, and you'll have the honor of receiving this Nature Sketching Badge!" She then presented a patch depicting a paint palette and brush in front of depictions of a wolf and a bird. "Got that? Now get to drawing!"

As soon as the three pupils left to go draw the beauty of nature around them, Ruby took it as her cue to jump down from the stump to talk with Steven. "So, what did you need Garnet for?"

"It's about Connie." Steven admitted to the small red Gem. "Every time I talk with her, I feel like she knows exactly what to do with her life, mostly thanks to her parents, and I don't. When we're together as Stevonnie, I feel so ready for anything, but on my own, I feel so lost. Just, what do I want with life?"

"That's tough Steven." Ruby declared sympathetically.

"Exactly!" Steven replied. "Connie is gonna go super far away for college, and I'm gonna be stuck here in Beach City where barely anything can go right for me nowadays and I don't know what to do about them! I want to be with Connie forever, like how you and Sapphire are basically together forever as Garnet!" That was when he came to a conclusion. "Wait, if I want to be together with Connie, then she's my future!"

Steven's revelation made Ruby super excited, and she began scuttling in place with stars in her eyes, her rapid footsteps creating a small fire beneath her feet. "STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN!" she cheered, but stopped short once she noticed the fire she created. "Oh my gosh, one sec!" Ruby quickly ran off and came back with a towel that she used to put it out. "Anyways, STEVEN, YOU GOTTA PROPOSE!"

"Wait, propose?!" Steven exclaimed in shock. "But, we're only teenagers, we can't get married yet! But then again…"

"Don't say you haven't thought of it!" Ruby added cheerfully. "Besides, aren't there couples in this country that get married at 18 or something?"

"Y-yeah, I thought of it." Steven began blushing, which he tried to hide within his jacket. "I mean, we just had this discussion."

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Ruby yelled happily while jumping up and grabbing onto his head. "DO IT, DO IT, DO IT! DO IT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!"

"Are you still really sure?" Steven asked the overly eager Gem. "As I said, Connie and I are still only teenagers."

"C'mon, we told you about how it worked for Sapphire and I." Ruby responded. "And if you're successful, you'll have the honor of receiving this!" She presented Steven with a badge depicting one figure popping the question to another. "The Proposal Badge! And if you're not so sure, well, seeing the future would be really helpful here."

Steven gasped, knowing just who Ruby was implying.

Far away from Ruby, Sapphire sat down with her class, made up of the Watermelon Tourmaline fusion, two of the Nephrites, Orange Spodumene, Cherry Quartz, and Angel Aura Quartz, while drawing lines in the sand with a stick.

"Okay class, let's begin our lesson." Sapphire announced to her students when she spotted Steven racing towards her with a big smile on his face. "Ah, Steven. I've been expecting you."

"Hi, Sapphire." Steven greeted Sapphire. "I'm sorry to interrupt your class, but I got big news! I've been thinking about my future with Connie lately, and a chat with Ruby convinced me that I should propose!"

"Wait, don't you have to wait until you're a grown-up to do that?" Cherry Quartz inquired with a raise of her hand.

"Let me guess, you're here because of my future vision?" Sapphire asked. "Let's run the numbers then." She then let Steven stand next to her before beginning to speak to her class. "Okay class, let's review what we've learned today." She began while drawing complex math equations in the sand. "Using the concepts we discussed so far, let us calculate the probability of Steven succeeding in asking Connie to marry him. Let's begin with the probability that she'll want to spend her life with someone, and then we'll multiply that by the differential factor in sociocultural marriage acceptance. Next, we multiply that by a possibly happy cohabitation, the factor of fear of engagement, the intensity of the love you share, and finally the robustness of your goals in life." As Sapphire finished her equation, she finally turned back to Steven. "Are you following so far, Steven?"

"Uh, maybe?" Steven answered as he stared at the equation Sapphire had jotted down for him in the sand, but it wasn't long before the ocean tides began to wash them away. "Oh no, your work!"

"And there we have it." Sapphire declared with a chuckle. "Don't you get it, Steven? My marriage to Ruby, our fusion as Garnet, it eluded my future vision for so long, defied the odds, and perhaps even changed the course of time itself!" she declared encouragingly. "We could just write equations in the sand all day, but then a wave of chance can come crashing in and wash everything away! Love is truly unquantifiable! Even with my gift of clairvoyance, I know far better than anyone that love can make the impossible possible! And that is why I say do it! Do it, Steven, just do it!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Steven began getting pumped up before turning to Sapphire's class. "Get one last good look at me, everyone, because after today you're gonna be calling me Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe-Maheswaran!"

The class began cheering vibrantly, bringing a big smile to Steven's face as he finally realized what his future now held.

As the afternoon slowly began to give way to evening, Ruby and Sapphire reunited by rushing towards each other on the sand, excited about the big proposal.

"Steven told me first, and I led him to you!" Ruby cheered, spinning her little blue wife around by the waist.

"I told him to go for it!" Sapphire laughed. "Oh, it's going to be so wonderful!"

As the two fused back into Garnet, she stood still for a few moments, contemplating her components' decisions before coming to one of her own. "I take full responsibility for their actions." Just then, Garnet heard footsteps and found Pearl walking behind her, her pointy nose stuck in a book. "Pearl, I'm guessing you want to see me about the book you're reading."

"I was just thinking about calling up you and Amethyst," Pearl announced as her gaze turned from the pages to her leader. "Where's Steven?"

"Oh, nothing much," Garnet answered. "Just going to make a rash decision that'll emotionally damage him in the long run."

"Oh, that's ni-" Pearl began before she did a double-take. "WAIT, WHAT?!"

As for Steven, he was too busy getting ready for an evening with Connie without a care in the world, picking up a cake from Spacetries that said 'Together forever!' on it, buying some flowers from Crazy Lace Agate, lighting up the glow bracelet that brought him & Connie together to begin with and dressing up in some nice clothes. If all goes well, he would soon become Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe-Maheswaran.

Meanwhile, at Connie's house, Connie kept on studying for the University of Jayhawk when she heard a roar coming from outside her window. Walking over to the window, she discovered Steven parked outside her home with Lion by his side.

"Evening Connie, how are you doing?" Steven asked his ladylove.

"Steven?" Connie replied. "What are you doing here, and why are you all dressed up like that?"

"You got a fifteen-minute study break in two minutes, right?" Steven inquired, gazing at his watch to check if his timing is correct.

"Whoa, spot-on!" Connie exclaimed, gazing at her phone to learn that he was indeed right. "So, what did you come here for?"

"You want to go for a walk with me?" Steven offered. "I'm sure you could use some fresh air."

"That's very sweet Steven." Connie smiled. "I'd really love to, but I-"

"Don't worry, we can take Lion, and then I'll bring you home in fifteen!" Steven declared with a thumbs up.

"Okay, let's do this!" Connie accepted the offer and left her room to meet Steven outside, taking a moment to tell her parents along the way. "Bye Mom and Dad, I'm spending my study break with Steven!"

Once Connie was out the door, she and Steven mounted on Lion's back and he ran away from the Maheswaran residence.

"Remember when we first met here?" Steven asked Connie as they dismounted from Lion and began walking down the beach.

"You mean when you tried riding a bike in the sand and then started running away screaming?" Connie replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I was trying to get your attention." Steven added.

"Last I remember, I was more focused on my book than your silly antics." Connie stated.

"Well, that all happened right here." Steven declared, gesturing to a picnic at the very spot where he and Connie first met all those years ago. "You like what I have here?"

"Steven!" Connie exclaimed in awe at the picnic set before them. "I don't know what to say! I also can't believe you still remember this exact spot!"

"I just remember it like it was yesterday!" Steven exclaimed just as eagerly before running over to a nearby rock to sit on.

"This is too cute." Connie squealed while blushing.

"And without further ado," Steven announced as he picked up a guitar to play while Connie sat down. "There's something very important that I'd like to tell you today." With that, he started strumming the guitar and began to sing. "I'd rather be tall, I'd rather be smart, I'd rather be sure you know I care." He sang for Connie. "Wherever you go, wherever you start, I'd rather be sure you know I'm there. I'd rather I always be a part of whatever you do. I'd rather be me, with you."

Although Connie was a little turned off by the deeper meaning of Steven's song, she chose to just keep those feelings hidden to not hurt Steven's while he continued singing. "Wherever we go, I already trust, I'd know what to do if it were us. I'd know what to say, I'd know how to be, I'd know your entire syllabus." Steven continued as the song reached its climax. "I can't think of any other thing in the world that I would rather do. If I could be, I'd rather be me with you."

"Oh Steven, that's so beautiful!" Connie applauded the love song. "If a little unsettling, but I'd rather not say it out loud because-" Steven then got down on one knee and presented him her old glow bracelet. "Huh?"

"Connie, will you marry me?" Steven popped the question at last.

"Come again?" Connie asked, completely taken off guard by such a proposal.

"Let's get married and live together as Stevonnie, just like Garnet!" Steven reiterated for his possible wife.

"Are you serious?" Connie chuckled at the marriage proposal. "I think we should talk about this first."

"You might think I'm being sentimental, but this makes sense!" Steven exclaimed. "I don't know what you'll be studying, but I'm sure Stevonnie will! We can go to Jayhawk together!"

"I really appreciate this little date, but come on! You're still young!" Connie said as she stood up. "And acting a little clingy, I might add." She added under her breath.

"What was that?" Steven asked Connie.

"Nothing!" Connie lied. "Like I said, we're still young. And even if some couples get married at like, eighteen, I don't think we're fit to be one of those."

"So, you don't want to be Stevonnie with me?" Steven asked despondently, but Connie was there to comfort him.

"Of course I'd want to be Stevonnie, but I'd like to be my own person too," Connie answered reassuringly. "You get that, right?"

"Yeah, but," Steven began while putting the bracelet away as Connie hugged him. "Is it a no?"

"I'd say it's not right now." Connie answered.

"But if we're going to spend our lives together, why didn't you say it now?" Steven kept on inquiring fretfully.

"We got plenty of time." Connie declared, moving on from hugging Steven to holding his hands. "Don't you worry."

"I'm not worried, honest." Steven tried correcting his best friend. "I'm just happy when I'm with you."

"I'm happy around you too." Connie replied. "It's just that-" Before Connie could finish, the alarm on her phone went off. "Oh snap, my alarm!" she yelped in realization while pulling her phone out. "Forget studying right now, I don't think it matters."

"But it does matter to you!" Steven yelled.

"And you're just as important!" Connie responded, beginning to notice Steven getting more stressed out.

"I'm fine, we can talk about it later." Steven began rapidly panting. "Look, Lion's still right there, you can go now."

"Are you sure Steven?" Connie wondered sympathetically. "You're looking a little on edge. Maybe I can hook you up with a good therapist. She's a good friend of my mom named Dr. Rebe-"

"I'm sure I'm fine." Steven cut Connie off. "Now go."

"Okay." Connie obliged before giving Steven a goodbye hug. "I'll call you again tomorrow at noon." She said before walking towards Lion to have him take her home.

"Have fun studying!" Steven continued putting up a happy front as he bid Connie farewell. But as soon as she was out of sight, that front completely fell. "Nobody I love ever wants to stay."

With that, Steven fell back-first to the sand and turned pink, the resulting impact ruining the nice picnic around him as he wallowed in a crater of his sadness, and stayed there for the rest of the day.

Many hours later, Steven kept on lying in the crater long into the night with tears in his eyes, and when he finally decided to get up, Garnet was there waiting for him with the picnic basket containing the cake still intact.

"I assume it didn't go well." Garnet theorized as she helped Steven up from the crater and began walking him home.

"I don't get it," Steven muttered cynically. "Ruby and Sapphire said I should go for it, and I did, but everything went wrong."

"I apologize on their behalf," Garnet stated. "You just can't trust love advice from hopeless romantics like those two."

"Then why didn't you stop me?" Steven asked the fusion.

"I couldn't see a future where you didn't try proposing to Connie," Garnet answered. "However, there were quite a few where after she said no, you forced her to fuse with you and subsequently went insane."

"Of course." Steven moaned. "Even in alternate timelines, nothing can ever go right for me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Garnet comforted her half-human ward with a hug to the side. "Your soulmate should be your complement, not a missing piece. Ruby and Sapphire may deeply love each other, but they still have their own thoughts, feelings, and lives." The pair soon reached the beach house and sat down on the steps together. "Whatever hole you have in your life Steven, I want you to know that Connie or Stevonnie might not fill it."

"It's just that you guys make it so easy!" Steven revealed as he took the basket from Garnet. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but it's kinda your fault for being so dang perfect!"

"I know you're upset Steven, and I take responsibility for your plight," Garnet apologized to Steven. "but blaming others as much as you blame yourself won't help."

"Then maybe shoving this adorable cake in my face will!" Steven declared as he opened the picnic basket to reveal that the cake was in pieces.

"It probably won't." Garnet deadpanned, but Steven didn't listen and started eating the broken cake anyways.

"Well, I'm still gonna do it!" Steven exclaimed, his mouth now full of cake.

"I know," Garnet added as she gazed up at the sky. However, what she didn't catch was a fly buzzing around her and Steven, and its green eyes started blinking.

"Ah, romance. So utterly futile." Black Rutile grimaced as she watched the live footage of Steven drowning his sorrows in cake through a hard light welding mask. "Still, all that trauma could be useful in the future."

As Black Rutile was spectating on Steven's pain, she was hard at work on her plans for revenge, using a blowtorch to put together the final touches on a special wrist-mounted device. Once she was done, the villainous Rutile aimed the device at a rock carved into the exact shape of White Diamond's gem and fired. The resulting blast destroyed the rock and left a massive cloud of ash where it once was, but she wasn't satisfied with the smattering of pebbles that once made up the rock.

"Hm, need to work on the disintegration aspect a bit more." Black Rutile pondered while retracting the welding mask into her visor and began going back to the drawing board.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 2: Growing Pains

The day after his failed date with Connie, Steven stayed in his bedroom for most of the morning where he was surrounded by ice cream and watching the preview for a new Dogcopter movie, which showed the titular canine standing on top of a black car chasing a blue car and a mail van while a pug gave him orders.

"I know you're eager to catch the mail truck Dogcopter, but it's really a decoy!" the other dog at the wheel named Drew ordered Dogcopter. "Chase the blue car instead! Good boys chase the blue car, and you're a good boy Dogcopter!"

With a fearless expression, Dogcopter leaped off the black car and used the propeller on his back to fly towards the black car, followed by using a pair of extendable hands to open up the trunk, revealing a bomb and a ring box inside.

"Nice work DC, now get the bomb outta the trunk and off the bridge!" Drew congratulated Dogcopter. "We're almost out of time!"

However, it was too late for Dogcopter. The bomb went off as he tossed it off the bridge, and the resulting explosion blew him away. As Dogcopter collapsed on the bridge, the ring box fell from his mechanical hands and onto the asphalt.

"Dogcopter, no!" Drew cried as he burst from the car to keep his friend alive. "I can't lose you Dogcopter!" Luckily, Dogcopter was unharmed and he woke up to pop open the ring box, which contained a ring shaped like a dog bone that he presented to Drew. "Is that?"

"DOGCOPTER 6: TILL DEATH DO WE BARK: I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU MAN AND WOOF!" the announcer read the film's title as it appeared on the screen, making Steven groan in agony at the irony of the trailer he was watching.

"Everyone's getting married except me!" Steven yelled as he sank into his bed and started turning pink. "Even Dogcopter succeeded in popping the question! I feel like poop." Steven then picked up his phone and tried calling one of the Crystal Gems, but he unfortunately got no answer. "Wish the Gems weren't doing a field trip to Homeworld today. I wonder if they got any reception?"

Meanwhile, on the Gem Homeworld, it was a rather tense time. Following the exposure of Black Rutile's revolution and attempted massacre of the Crystal Gems, the citizens were in fear of who among them could still be a supporter of her. And three followers, in particular, were about to be put on trial.

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth led their classes into the Diamonds' throne room, which was already set up like a courtroom with stands for the judge, jury, witnesses, attorneys, and the accused. Those accused were Holly Blue Agate, Morganite, and Navy, who sat down at the plaintiff's bench with varying expressions of irritation, resignation, and sadness.

"Now class, we want you all to be on your best behavior," Garnet advised the Gem students. "This is a serious time for our kind, and we want absolute silence for most of this trial. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Garnet." The Gems obliged before they retreated to the jury box while their teachers took their seats at the prosecutor's stand. That was when Garnet took notice of Pearl sticking her nose in the book by George Ikari that she had gotten at yesterday's signing.

"I see you're keeping yourself busy Pearl." Garnet remarked, forcing Pearl to look up from her book.

"Thanks for noticing Garnet." Pearl replied to the fusion. "I've just been a little enraptured by this little tome lately. George uses such flowery terms for such simple concepts, and the concepts in question could be very useful to Steven too."

"All y'all, shush!" Amethyst ordered her two seniors. "Here comes the judge!"

"All rise for the honorable Yellow Diamond!" Yellow Pearl announced, serving as the bailiff for this trial, before her former Diamond emerged from the curtained entrance and made her way to her throne.

"Good day to you Gems." Yellow Diamond greeted the other Gems in the makeshift courtroom with utmost seriousness. "In case you are wondering, Blue and White Diamond are out searching for more of Black Rutile's supporters, so I shall serve as sole judge for these proceedings." She informed. "Now without further ado, read the charges."

"Holly Blue Agate-12B, Morganite-8HK, and Ruby-EJ9, you stand here accused of your support of the intelligence officer turned terrorist Black Rutile." Yellow Pearl announced as she read off a hologram. "How do you all plead?"

"Not guilty!" Holly Blue declared, speaking on behalf of all three of them. "Black Rutile is no terrorist, she had big dreams for our kind! She simply wanted to restore us to our old ways because she believed Steven had made us weak, no doubt weak enough to be so easily conquered!"

"Liar. Kinda not surprised you would do this." Amethyst snarked in-between fake coughing, inciting a glare from the Agate before she continued her plea.

"If you can find it within yourself, your most grand clarity, to scrub this silly trial altogether and let us go, it would be most grand." Holly Blue continued.

"Request denied." Yellow declared coldly. "If you really insist on begging on your knees this whole time, then I guess your defense attorney might not be needed."

"Wait, attorney?" Amethyst wondered out loud just as a new Gem stepped into the room.

"Sorry for being so fashionably late, Yellow!" a tall, confident Gem apologized as she strode into the throne room. In addition to the honey yellow pantsuit with large diamond-shaped buttons she wore to match the gemstone above her upper lip that resembled a mole, a straight bob-cut, and a cat's tail emerging from her rear, this new Gem also wore a large sunhat, a neon fur coat, sunglasses, high heels, mustard yellow opera gloves, and a cigarette holder in her left hand. "Had to quell a few uprisings a few districts over. Hope you're not too mad."

"Oh goody." Bismuth shared the sentiments of her fellow Crystal Gems as they grimaced at the cat-like defense attorney, all except for Amethyst.

"Who's the new pussycat here?" Amethyst asked about the attorney.

"That's Cat's Eye, one of the most affluent uppercrusts on Homeworld." Bismuth informed the smaller Gem.

"And one of the most irritating." Lapis groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

"She's almost like an Earth cat in a way." Peridot added. "Incredibly smug, loves making others mad solely for her amusement, and that grin on her face just rubs me the wrong way."

"So Cat, how have you been lately?" Pearl asked the opposing attorney with a strained smile.

"Miserable, my darling Pearl. Perfectly wretched." Cat's Eye answered as she made her coat, hat and sunglasses disappear with a snap of her fingers, revealing a pair of cat ears atop her hair. "Now then, let us get down to business." With that, Cat's Eye took her place alongside the prosecuted trio and kicked her legs up on the table.

"Oh Cat's Eye, thank you so much for coming out today!" Holly Blue exclaimed gratefully. "These horrible traitors have framed us for a crime we clearly didn't commit, and now we could lose every-"

"Could you move approximately 30 centimeters away from me?" Cat's Eye raised a paw-like hand to Holly's face while filing her sharp nails. "You're invading my personal space." The Agate meekly complied and returned to her seat, causing Amethyst to laugh raucously.

"That cat may be trouble, but seeing Holly put in her place will always crack me up!" Amethyst cackled, but her chuckling was cut short when Cat's Eye turned her cigarette holder into a riding crop to whip Amethyst in the hands with. "MEOWCH! Bad kitty, what the H?!"

"Order in the court." Cat's Eye declared crossly as she returned her weapon to her gem and took a stand. "Now, without further ado, I'd like to make my case for these three Gems and call a witness."

"Go right ahead Cat's Eye." Yellow rolled her eyes before the cymophane made her plea.

"Your honor, Gems of the court, these three stand here wrongly accused by these band of ingrates for allying themselves with a known terrorist who once filled a high seat in White Diamond's court." Cat's Eye stated. "But, maybe they could've been spared this fate if the Crystal Gems had simply shown them a little kindness."

"OBJECTION!" Pearl yelled and pointed an accusing finger at Cat. "We tried to show Navy here kindness, but it was all a ploy to steal back her squadron's ship!"

"That is true." Navy agreed. "But I simply played nice because you left us all to drift forever in space, even after Steven said you'd get us all back!"

"I'll admit, she raises a good point." Garnet found herself agreeing with the Ruby. "We were in a rush to get back to Earth, so rescuing the Rubies just flew over our heads."

"I rest my case." Cat's Eye declared with a prideful smirk. "Now, if we have nothing else to discuss, I'd like to call Yellow Zircon to the stand."

The Gems in the gallery began muttering among themselves as Yellow Zircon sadly got up from her seat and marched to the witness's stand, while her blue counterpart gave her a cheeky grin. "Whatever you do," Yellow Zircon said to Blue Zircon. "don't make a fool out of me."

"Oh, I won't." Blue Zircon said innocently as Yellow Zircon made her way to the stands, where Cat's Eye sat down in front of her with a seductive gaze.

"Now my dearest Zircon, do try to not make a fool of yourself for me." Cat cooed, cupping the Zircon's face in her hand and squeezing her cheeks, making her usually arrogant witness blush.

"I-I won't." Yellow Zircon sheepishly obliged and sat down in the witness's box. "But how did you become an attorney? You don't know the first thing about law and order!"

"Well, I'm here because I'm smarter than you think I am!" Cat's Eye yelled at Yellow Zircon's face, a far cry from the smug seductress she presented herself as. "Not because I'm so gorgeous! Though I really am."

"This is going to take a while." Pearl groaned before picking up her book again. "I wonder how Steven is doing."

Back on Earth, Steven continued to scroll through all the numbers he had on his phone. Pretty much most of the people in his contacts had either already began to drift away from him, would probably be too busy to call, or simply didn't have time for him. All except for one.

"Hi, Steven!" Greg greeted his son on the other end after Steven decided to give him a call.

"Hi Dad, how's it going?" Steven asked his father.

"The tour's been going great!" Greg replied happily. "Which reminds me, how have you been doing? You been throwing any dope ragers while you got the house to yourself?"

"Yeah, you know me. Steven the party animal." Steven responded sarcastically. "I'm glad you're finally coming home tonight Dad. I wanna talk to you about something that's happened between me and Connie?"

"Oh, this isn't that whole situation after you came back from Homeworld the first time again, right?" Greg asked sympathetically. "By the way, Sadie and Shep wanna say hi while they're working on a new routine that they're excited to show off. And guess what? The tour got extended!"

"Wow, that's-that's great." Steven tried to sound happy for the musicians and their manager, but at the same time, he was sad that he'd have to wait a little while longer for his dad to come home.

"Yeah." Even if they were far apart, Greg could sense the disappointment in his half-alien son's voice before trying to turn things around. "I get that you want to see me again soon, but this manager job is working great for me! Takes me back to when I was touring as a lad. Anyways, we're gonna go through a tunnel. You wanna call me back about your Connie sitch?"

"I-it's not really important." Steven fibbed.

"You sure?" Greg asked Steven. "You know, I can make a quick stop when we pass through Delmarva."

"No, I'm totally fine. Have fun!" Steven reiterated before hanging up and letting out a deep sigh. "Maybe I should get some more ice cream."

Steven then walked down to the kitchen to fetch some more of that dairy goodness from the freezer, but when he opened the freezer door, he discovered Connie's glow bracelet left in there after last night. Taken by surprise, the depressed half-Gem once again turned pink, but this time was different.

This time, parts of Steven's body began swelling up like a balloon and tearing through his pajamas as he accidentally tore the freezer door off its hinges before slowly turning back to normal. As Steven was left aghast at this new development, he decided to take a breather on the couch. However, his body began swelling up for the second time in a row as Connie began calling him on his phone.

"I shouldn't worry her." Steven tried to hang up on Connie upon realizing her promise yesterday to call him at noon. "You know what, I'll let her go to voicemail!" Steven's body had other plans as his right arm began to inflate and took the call for him, allowing Connie to be seen on his screen while the arm returned to normal.

"Steven, are you there?" Connie asked through video call.

"Hey Connie, what's up?" Steven casually asked, trying to hide the strange new changes his body was going through.

"I've been worried about you Steven." Connie answered when she noticed how pink her best friend was. "Um, are you glowing?" she asked before Steven's face began to puff up. "Good grief, what's wrong with your face?!"

"Wait, my face?" Steven mumbled through his inflated head. "What's wrong with my face?"

"Uh…." Connie replied.

"Oh right, the swelling." Steven realized what his would've been-wife was talking about. "Parts of my body have been randomly growing for some reason. But I'm sure it doesn't hurt, I'm perfectly fine!"

"How long has this been happening?" Connie inquired.

"Since this morning." Steven meekly replied, causing his face to blow up some more.

"What do the Gems think?" Connie began pressing further.

"Can't reach them right now." Steven answered as his face returned to normal while the rest of his body kept growing. "Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were asked to serve as prosecutors for a trial on Homeworld, so they decided to make it into a Little Homeschool field trip." As Steven finished, his form returned to its normal size. "It's really nothing to worry about."

"You don't look well." Connie nervously observed. "I think you should see a doctor. I can ask my mom if she'd like to give you a checkup."

"I wouldn't want to bother her." Steven declared. "Besides, I already got a pretty okay idea of what doctors do when I went to see Lars in the hospital after his crash landing."

"Steven, you need to see a medical professional," Connie demanded. "Doesn't matter if my mom can see you or not, you need help."

"Okay, you're right." Steven accepted the opportunity while his face began to deform yet again. "Call me when she's ready."

Thankfully for Steven, Connie's mother had an opening and soon enough, Steven was sitting in her office with Connie by his side.

"You're lucky I had a cancellation today," Priyanka stated as she prepared for work. "Usually, I'm booked weeks in advance."

"Think you'll be able to help Steven out?" Connie asked her mother. "Even if this is some sort of Gem issue?"

"Gem issue or otherwise, he still has a human body, which means we can run tests." Priyanka remarked. "At the very least, we can see if you're suffering from a non-Gem condition, Steven."

"See? Everything will be fine." Connie assured Steven. "I'm sure everything will be fine." As Connie left the examination room, she began dialing on her phone and put it to her ear.

"Okay, give me all you got." Steven said reluctantly to the doctor.

"Alright, let's check for symptoms first." Priyanka said before putting a thermometer in Steven's ear to check his temperature. "Mild fever." She observed before walking away to pick up a stethoscope, returning to find that Steven is starting to once again glow pink. "Glowing pink color to the skin." Priyanka continued as she put the stethoscope to Steven's heart and then his gem. Next, she reached for a blood pressure device to check Steven's blood pressure, but it caused his arm to swell up and break the machine, causing his doctor to fall over in alarm.

However, Priyanka was quick to regain her composure as she looked over the notes she had taken. "Blood pressure is high!" she realized as she got up. "Well, these readings are quite interesting. Tell me, Steven, if you don't mind, who's your GP?"

"GP?" Steven wondered.

"Your general practitioner?" Priyanka explained to her patient. "As in, your regular doctor?"

"I guess you?" Steven answered confusedly. "I never have been to a doctor's appointment before, mostly because I have the Gems, my dad, or my healing spit to rely on whenever I get hurt."

"You're almost seventeen and you have never seen a doctor?!" a shocked Priyanka yelled, causing Steven to once again turn pink and inflate before she tried to calm him down. "I-it's okay, it's okay! I'll talk with your father later, but now we'll just need to run some more tests."

Steven looked nervously at Connie's mom as she walked over to a cupboard, opening it to fetch some hospital gowns. "Get undressed, then we'll help you into a gown." Priyanka ordered.

"Is that one of those blue things that don't cover your butt?" Steven asked embarrassedly before he was thrown a hospital gown.

"Yes, now let's get started." Priyanka declared before snapping on a rubber glove.

"Thank you for your testimony little Peridot." Cat's Eye thanked Squaridot, while licking the back of her hand, as the square-headed Peridot finished her testimony. "Tell us your designation so we may enter it into the records."

"Peridot, Facet-4E3M Cut-7ZY." Squaridot stated as she left the witness's stand and rejoined her classmates. "But everyone calls me Squaridot."

"Squaridot?" Cat's Eye repeated with utter disgust. "Who comes up with these abhorrent names?! I mean, Laz, Zuli, and now Squaridot?!"

"Would you care to get to the point?" Bismuth snarked to the catlike defendant.

"Gladly." Cat's Eye answered before clearing her throat. "Gems of this courtroom, the testimonies we have heard so far have given me enough to make my deduction." She announced to the courtroom. "These Crystal Gems are only kind to other Gems who treat them kindly in exchange. And that DOES, NOT, MAKE, SENSE!" She emphasized her declaration by slamming her fist into her open palm with each word. "If they say that they practice restorative justice, then why didn't they use that kind of justice on my clients here?"

"OBJECTION!" Amethyst yelled. "Girl, did you even see the Human Zoo back in the day?! Holly Blue was treating my quartz peeps like garbage!"

"That is because they were beneath her in the caste system!" Cat's Eye argued with Amethyst. "I swear you droll quartz, did you emerge yesterday or something?!"

"Actually, she was," Pearl answered for the purple Gem. "And you're just making stuff up in the hopes of sounding smart!"

"Do I have 'stupid' written on my gem, you no-good servant?!" Cat's Eye shouted at the white Gem, making sure to whip Pearl's hands for added emphasis. "Let's review what we have learned so far. Those two Lapis Lazulis retaliated violently when ordered to not terraform and their friend came close to poofing them both, yet 2F8D immediately forgot all that when coming to your silly little school!" she analyzed. "That does NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"Laz and I argued about going to Little Homeschool!" Zuli objected to Cat's Eye's observation. "An argument you obviously weren't there for-" Before Zuli could finish, she got a whip in the hands by Cat's Eye's riding crop.

"No backtalk!" Cat's Eye exclaimed as she returned to her statement. "Back on subject, then came Miss Squaridot here," she once again cringed at the name while gesturing to Squaridot. "who was given a second chance, yet was poofed without a second thought! That does NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"I tried to give Squari a second chance after I released her from her bubble," Peridot began. "but she then just ran off and got herself taken over by Hessonite's warship."

"Ah yes, the swashbuckling vigilante Hessonite." Cat's Eye said smugly. "Tell me, why isn't she here today to give a testimony?"

"Hessonite is off weeding out more of Black Rutile's supporters across many of our former colonies, alongside Citrine." Yellow Diamond answered.

"Speaking of Black Rutile, what if, and a very big if here." Cat's Eye stated. "What if Black Rutile wanted to do better than the Crystal Gems by offering these lost Gems a helping hand?"

"OBJECTION!" Pearl roared and once again pointed straight at Cat's Eye. "That no-good Rutile didn't care one bit for her subordinates! Not only did she let them all get defeated by us, but she abused her Topaz as well!"

"As I had stated earlier with Holly Blue, the Topaz was merely a subordinate to Black Rutile, especially since the Rutile had such a shockingly high status in White Diamond's court." Cat replied.

"Same with my Ruby and Pearl that fused into Rhodonite," Morganite spoke up. "It was only natural that we mistreated those beneath us."

"And on the topic of Pink Diamond's entourage," Cat declared. "allow me to call her former Pearl to the stand."

Rising from her seat, Volleyball separated from her Little Homeschool classmates to walk to the witness's stand, where Cat was awaiting her.

"My dear Pearl, you truly deserved a better Diamond than Pink." Cat cooed to Volleyball while stroking her broken eye, which was now showing the absolute faintest signs of a pupil following her fusion with her white-colored successor at the Reef. "Tell us all this court needs to know sweetie,

"Actually, you can call me Volleyball now." Volleyball corrected the defense attorney. "That's the name Steven gave me."

"VOLLEYBALL?!" Cat's Eye shrieked outrageously at the top of her lungs, quickly returning to her normal condescending tone. "I shouldn't have spoken too soon after complaining about that Peridot." She muttered while pointing a thumb over to Squaridot. "Now tell me, word on the street is that you may know a thing or two about this revolution. Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true." Volleyball revealed remorsefully, shocking the prosecutors and the jury. "Not too long after Era 3 began, I was left wondering what purpose I could still serve now that Pink Diamond was gone, until Black Rutile and Holly Blue Agate approached me with the chance to seek revenge by spying on their enemies."

"That is a bold-faced lie if I ever saw one!" Holly Blue fibbed while beginning to sweat profusely. "I never approached her in the slightest, the poor Pearl came crawling to me in tears, begging, no, pleading that she get some sort of payback for the abuse she suffered!"

"Really laying it on thick Holly." Morganite stoically muttered to the Agate.

"Yes, I can clearly see you lying." Pearl added before she walked over for Volleyball. "But as for you Volley, is it true? Did you really join Black Rutile and spy on us this whole time?"

"I'm truly sorry Pearl, they gave me no other choice." Volleyball apologized, now on the verge of tears. "I was so horrified by how they wanted to fight back against you, that I decided to back out after you and Steven offered to fix my eye." Volleyball then began to sob as she rushed out of the witness's stand and into Pearl's arms. "Please forgive me, I just didn't know any better!"

"It's okay VB, I'm here." Pearl comforted her crying fellow ex-servant. "Just let it all out."

"Wah wah wah, I betrayed your trust!" Cat's Eye mockingly cried. "Please forgive me even though I was allied with a proud sociopath! Oh brother, this era has lost all sense of justice. At least give her a week's punishment, anything."

"Big talk coming from the alleycat who doesn't have a single clue about justice." Pearl growled at Cat while Volleyball's tears started drying and she returned to the jury.

"Big talk coming from a Pearl who wanted to be free despite still essentially serving her Diamond." Cat snapped back at the Pearl. "And on that note, I feel we are ignoring the big Jasper in the room." Biggs Jasper raised her hand. "I wasn't talking to you!" Biggs lowered her hand while Cat kept a stiff upper lip. "But really, I wish to speak of a certain Jasper that has been housed on Earth lately."

"Here we go." Lapis rolled her eyes at whatever outlandish claims the defendant was going to make now.

"You see, the Jasper is just as much of a victim of Pink Diamond's faked death as pretty much everyone on this planet." Cat's Eye proclaimed. "And did the Crystal Gems ever try to extend a hand in friendship and sympathy? NO! They just let her get dragged to the bottom of the ocean in an unstable fusion, fall into an earthquake, rocketed sky-high by that Lapis, and later corrupted! That does-"

"Not make sense, we get it." Garnet interrupted what was essentially Cat's catchphrase at this point. "We tried so many times to help Jasper, but she just kept refusing out of her vendetta against Rose."

"And doesn't anyone find it ironic that Jasper has a burning hatred for a Gem that was her Diamond in disguise?" Cat shook her head with a cheeky smile. "Oh, how cruel fate can be."

"Good grief, how long can this puddytat keep yapping?" Amethyst whispered to Pearl, who just groaned and got back to her book.

As for Steven, Priyanka had gotten to work on examining her unusual patient. However, with each test she made him take, things just kept going wrong. Sticking a tongue depressor in Steven's mouth made him glow pink for the second time this appointment, taking his height stretched his neck up high, and testing his reflexes bubbled the hammer she was using. But it was taking Steven's X-rays that really clued Priyanka in on what was going on.

"So this is an average human skeleton." Priyanka demonstrated the X-ray image of exactly that to Steven before moving on to X-rays of the Crystal Gems. "By comparison, these are X-ray images that the Crystal Gems allowed me to take for research purposes. Their charts look like this."

Due to Gems having bodies of light, only their gemstones could be pictured. And in Amethyst's case, whatever she ate that day could be seen too. The doctor then showed off Steven's own skeleton, which was covered in cracks. "And this is your chart." Priyanka continued. "Definitely the skeleton of a human your age, albeit quite a large amount of fractures in the skull." She pointed out the various cracks that decorated Steven's skull. "Yet despite the injuries, everything is still perfectly aligned. Almost like the injuries healed just as fast as they were gained."

"That's good, right?" Steven nervously asked.

"Well, you've made miraculous recoveries," Priyanka replied. "but that doesn't change the fact that you've clearly been traumatized. You may have recovered physically, but what about mentally?"

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my brain?!" Steven cried as he glowed pink.

"Not wrong!" Priyanka assured Steven while kneeling to his gaze, turning his body back to its normal hue. "It's that adverse childhood experiences, or childhood trauma, can leave a lasting impact on how your body reacts to stress." She explained. "This can affect all kinds of development, social, emotional, and physical. When humans are in crisis, their brains release a hormone called cortisol. It can cause your heart to race, your muscles to tense, among other effects. I wonder if your body is perhaps reacting to the Gem equivalent of cortisol, if any. Steven, can you recall any childhood experiences that particularly stuck with you?"

"I can list so many." Steven stated before he began recounting some traumatic experiences. "It all started when I learned my favorite ice cream was discontinued around the same time I nearly got eaten by a bug monster. Then there were even more monsters that threatened my life, I got stuck in a bubble & nearly drowned, I made a new friend who nearly killed me; which is pretty often, I got turned into a giant pulsating blob of cat heads after an attempt at shapeshifting, got so old I nearly died, saw the Gems die multiple times, I woke up on a spaceship with a black eye, and more recently got tossed off a cliff."

"Steven, this is serious!" Priyanka yelled worriedly.

"That was only some of the earlier stuff!" Steven cried. "You really should've been there when I was tossed off the cliff. Black Rutile was a sociopath and proud of it!"

"I think all these experiences have subjected your body to an almost inhuman level of stress, and it's affected your ability to healthily react to new forms of stress." Priyanka deduced as Steven looked back on more harrowing experiences he's been through, from legitimately traumatizing moments to parts that would at first be seen as mere jokes or accidents. "You've been dealing with genuine threats to your life from such a young age, whether big or small, your body is responding to such minuscule threats like your life is always in danger!"

"But, why am I only swelling up now?!" Steven began fretting as he slowly felt his body change once more.

"Stress can be far less harmful when we have a circle of loved ones who can help you," Priyanka advised, causing Steven to flashback to yesterday evening's failed proposal. "Maybe if you've been drifting away from people who would've supported you, or if a recent experience had felt particularly off-"

Before Priyanka can finish, Steven began trembling in place while bolting from his chair before he began to swell up to possibly the biggest size he's ever been today, to the point of cracking the ceiling with a bash of his head.

"There are just some who don't want to be helped, and we try to respect that!" Pearl kept arguing with Cat's Eye while everyone else in the courtroom awkwardly spectating the event.

"And there are also some who you've forced to change without their consent!" Cat's Eye replied, baring her sharp teeth at the former servant. "Think of it, Black Rutile believed she could be a better ruler because she would take into account the feelings of everyone!"

"Are you sure you're not another one of her spies?!" Pearl asked, folding her arms and turning away from the defendant.

"I couldn't care less about what she's doing, I just think she raises many good points for a maniac!" Cat answered while her stuck-up image began cracking apart more and more, slowly revealing the petulant aristocrat underneath. "For example, in ending an oppressive empire, Steven created an even worse one where all who don't agree with him are deemed outcasts!"

"Steven is simply trying his best!" Pearl yelled back.

"You know, I am so glad that we invited our Homeschool classes, because this is way too much fun for just us three to get involved in." Amethyst whispered to the other Little Homeworld teachers.

"You're right, watching an uppercrust get humiliated puts a real big smile on my face." Bismuth grinned.

"They've been going on for too long." Morganite mumbled as her face was buried in the table. "Can't we just shut them up and reach a verdict already?"

"Well, if you're so loving towards Steven, then where is he now?" Cat's Eye asked one final question. "Did you actually care for him to begin with?"

"That is where you are absolutely wrong Cat." Pearl declared with a smug grin as she presented George Ikari's book to her opponent. "Steven is currently going through some tough times, and we're trying our best to help him thanks to this book from Earth. The author has a son much like Steven who lost his mother too, so he knows what he's talking about." With that, Pearl returned the book to her gem and took a bow. "Court adjourned."

It was here where Cat's Eye finally lost all control and lunged at Pearl with a mighty yowl. Gone was the smug and austere wannabe lawyer, and in with the furious predator going in for the kill.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" Cat's Eye shrieked as she wrestled with Pearl and kept trying to chomp at her face. "I AM CAT'S EYE, AND I WILL NOT BE TALKED DOWN TO BY A MERE PEARL!"

"Woo, catfight!" Amethyst cheered before Garnet put a stop to her revelry and prepared for a fight.

"Get ready Gems, we're in for a fight." Garnet declared while summoning her gauntlets, and the other Gems prepared for battle against the feral defendant. But fortunately for them, and unfortunately for Cat, the judge finally decided enough was enough.

"Okay, I've had enough sitting down and watching." Yellow declared fiercely before getting up from her throne and flicking a ball of electricity at Cat's Eye, making yellow lines course through her body and finally poofing her, leaving only her small gemstone to be collected by Yellow Pearl. "Now that that's settled, have we reached a verdict?"

"I believe so." Pearl responded after getting up and dusting herself off before turning to the other Gems. "What shall be decided?"

The Gems in the jury all rose up, their decision clear as day. "We, the jury, hereby declare Holly Blue Agate, Morganite, and Navy guilty as charged. In addition, Cat's Eye shall be tried for public assault of the prosecutors." Squaridot announced on the behalf of her classmates, to the horror of Holly Blue as she and her two compatriots were escorted away by Amethysts. While Morganite and Navy had resigned themselves to their fates, Holly was far less than pleased. In fact, she was furious.

"Get your hands off me, you no-good Kindergarten spawn!" Holly Blue shrieked at the Amethysts dragging her away by the arms before turning to the Crystal Gems with hatred in her eyes. "I hope you're happy Crystal Gems! Era 3 has destroyed this planet!" she yelled at the Gems. "Pretty soon, this planet is going to burn! We're all going to die! The Gem race shall be driven to extinction all because of you!"

As soon as Holly Blue was fully removed from the premises, all was finally quiet in the makeshift courtroom as the trial adjourned. Pearl let out a dramatic sigh as Garnet and Amethyst helped her back to her feet and walked her back to the prosecutor's table.

"Court is usually a lot more funny on TV." Amethyst remarked. "What Cat and Holly tried to do was just sad."

"Still, what if they're right?" Pearl moaned in exhaustion and grief. "What if we are soon to be our kind's downfall? Maybe we should've just ended colonization and left it at that."

"Don't get too down on yourself Miss Pearl." Blue Zircon lent some comforting words to Pearl. "You all tried the best you could, and that's all that should matter."

"Uh, can I go now?" Yellow Zircon shakily inquired to her fellow Gems, still reeling from being publically humiliated at the witness's stand.

"Yeah, you're dismissed." Blue Zircon told her fellow Zircon and turned back to Pearl.

"Yeah, we tried our best with Era 3, kinda like how we're trying our best with Steven." Lapis reiterated the other blue Gem's kind words. "Speaking of which, wonder how he's doing?"

"I'll go call him right now!" Pearl stated eagerly as she unsheathed her phone from her gem and began dialing Steven, but she got no answer. "Darn, no signal on Homeworld." She huffed in frustration. "Well, I hope he's doing fine."

Little did Pearl know, there was more than one reason why as to why Steven was unable to reach her, that reason being he was so stressed out, he was swelling up to a massive size.

As Dr. Laurie walked past the office Steven was in with a cup of coffee, he took one look at the giant pink boy, then back at his mug before dumping its contents into a nearby drinking fountain while Connie raced back to the office to aid her friend.

"Mom, what's happening?!" Connie asked her mother while they watched the inflating Steven fill up most of the doctor's office.

"I'm not sure dear, I just asked if he had any stressful experiences lately." Priyanka answered, trying to remain as calm in a crisis as possible while other doctors huddle around the window to watch what was happening, along with a man in sunglasses who seemed to blend in with the crowd.

"Steven, you don't think?" Connie then asked Steven.

"It's not you Connie, it's everything that's been going down lately!" Steven yelled as he grew larger and larger with every second.

"What is he talking about?" Priyanka asked, glaring at Connie.

"You haven't told your mom yet?!" Steven yelled.

"Told me what?!" Priyanka started yelling as well.

"It's not your fault Connie!" Steven tried to assure Connie amidst his growing stress. "But I still think you need to leave!"

"I refuse to leave your side!" Connie's mom fiercely declared. "This is a medical emergency!"

"Hey, you know one of us can take over!" one of the doctors watching Steven called from outside.

"No, he needs to be alone!" Connie stated. "I think anyone else being in here with him is making things worse!"

When Steven's height increased to the point of ripping his hospital gown, breaking the ceiling over him, and causing alarms to sound, the doctors took it as their cue to leave. "Point taken." That same doctor who suggested one of them take care of Steven realized before rushing away.

"Oh no!" Steven was in full-on panic mode now. If he grew any larger, the hospital would surely be destroyed. "Please, just go!"

"Steven!" Connie yelled sorrowfully.

"I just…" Steven began to cry before starting to get angry. "I CAN'T BE AROUND YOU RIGHT NOW!" The Maheswarans braced for impact as Steven's screaming broke the window behind them when suddenly, Greg came barging into the office.

"Steven!" Greg called his son's name while Connie and Priyanka turned to notice him.

"Dad?!" Steven exclaimed while finally beginning to settle down at the sight of his father.

"I'm here for you kiddo!" Greg declared as he ran up to his giant son, turning to the Maheswarans who took it as their cue to leave the area as well.

"Come on Mom, let's give them some space." Connie said to her mother as they abdicated the office.

"Alright." Priyanka agreed and took her daughter's hand while Greg took Steven's side.

"How did you know I was here?" Steven asked Greg.

"Connie called me an hour ago." Greg answered comfortingly. "Plus, I was the only one she could reach since she told me the Gems were off in space today."

"Connie?" Steven called for his friend when she and her mother were outside. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Connie beamed and spoke to him through the broken window. "I'll come when you're ready."

"I'm so sorry Steven." Greg apologized to Steven. "If I had known, I definitely would've been a big help."

"It's alright Dad," Steven sighed. "you were super busy and I didn't know what was going on."

"Come on Steven, talk to me," Greg suggested. "Just you and me, father to son."

"I, well, um," Steven stammered before tears began welling up in his eyes again. "I tried proposing to Connie!"

"You what?!" Greg yelped in alarm. "Steven, aren't you a little too young to think about marriage right now?"

"I know." Steven kept on crying. "That's one of the reasons why she said no."

"Oh, Steven." Greg sighed.

"My body, it keeps reacting like it's always the end of the world." Steven kept on complaining tearfully. "I think I've nearly witnessed the end of the world so many times now, that everything that goes wrong for me just feels that extreme! I should be feeling happy these days, Earth is at peace and it's Era 3, but Black Rutile is still out there saying I'm a bad person and I'm swelling up over all these third-era problems! What do I do now?! How do I move on after every horrible thing that's happened to me?! How can I still live my life when every day it feels like I'm going to die?!"

Despite Steven being overcome with trauma to the point of sobbing, Greg was there to lend a hand like he always did. "It's going to be alright Schtu-ball." He said while holding his son's giant finger. "I'm here for you till the end of the line."

At long last, Steven finally calmed down and began to regress to his normal size, and he only had one request for Greg. "I just want to go home."

"You bet." Greg obliged, and Steven began to fetch his clothes while Connie and Priyanka stepped back into the office. "So, what's up doc?"

"This has certainly been an eventful appointment," Priyanka stated shakily. "Real eye-opener. As I'm sure your son has already told you, he has been through more stress than is normal for a human. I suggest finding ways to monitor these breakdowns."

"I'll see what I can do." Greg nodded while Steven returned to his side fully dressed when Connie gave Steven a big hug.

Outside the office, the doctor in the sunglasses from earlier peeked from behind a corner and spoke into an earpiece. "Giant boy crisis averted." He spoke in a deep voice to someone on the other end. "Yes sir, retrieving copies of the Gems' X-ray scans as we speak." Looking around to see if anyone had caught him, the man then took off his doctor's coat to reveal a black suit underneath and walked away with no one the wiser.

That night, Steven had been returned home and taken to bed, where Greg had prepared him a warm cup of tea and a sympathetic ear to his son's plight.

"I guess I thought I could follow Connie to college." Steven explained to his dad while sipping the tea. "Like, if we got married, I'd know what to do with myself for once. But turns out I still gotta figure everything out on my own."

"Cut yourself some slack, kiddo." Greg smiled earnestly. "It's okay to be worried and make mistakes when figuring out what to do with life, nothing unusual. Okay, maybe turning pink and the swelling is kind of unusual, but I'm sure the Gems will know what to do. And if you want to be a giant boy, I can lend you the carwash to take a shower in."

"Yeah, that's the thing." Steven revealed calmly. "I haven't told the Gems everything yet because I don't want them to worry so much, just like the old days when I was just some little kid who was way over his head." That was when he made a realization and spat out his tea. "Wait Dad, your tour!"

"Don't worry about me." Greg assured his son. "Shep and Sadie will be fine on their own. Just get some rest Steven; you can't just solve every problem in one night. Speaking of the Gems, where are they?"

Just then, the father and son heard the Warp Pad activate from Steven's conservatory, and the Crystal Gems marched into his room utterly exhausted from the trial they had just returned from.

"If I meet another Gem like Cat's Eye ever again, I swear I'm going to freak!" Pearl yelled with her hands buried in her face when she noticed Steven and Greg in the same room. "Oh, good evening you two. How was your day?"

"Nothing really special you guys." Steven fibbed. "Nothing at all."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 3: Change your Heart

A few days after Steven's faithful visit to the doctor, he went about today trying to keep a lid on his emotions as much as possible as he strolled through the boardwalk, passing by his Beach City friends and tourists along the way.

"Just gotta find something that always makes me happy to take my mind off all that trauma," Steven muttered to himself. He could go to the Big Donut, but something told him it just wouldn't be the same with Dewey running the counter instead of Lars and Sadie. He could also go to Fish Stew Pizza or the docks, but then he would just be reminded of Sadie Killer and the Suspects breaking up. However, there was still one local hangout associated with a friend that hasn't drifted apart from Steven just yet. "Maybe I could give the arcade a shot."

Walking towards the Funland Arcade, Steven found Mr. Smiley just getting done with carrying some new games into the arcade while a poster advertising those games was hanging outside the building. "Just came in: multiplayer version of beloved video game series Undiscovered." Steven read the poster. "Come one, come all."

"That's not all, the good folks at Sumy also have a ton of other classics downloaded too!" Mr. Smiley said to Steven. "Champion of Conflict, Pressure Scramble, Distorted Plastic, all of them GameStation legends! Come try one of them once in a while."

"Well, maybe Undiscovered could help me blow off some steam after the past two days." Steven realized as he stepped into the arcade to play some Undiscovered and pick the series' rugged, hot-shot leading man William Vespucci to play as. However, what he didn't realize until it was too late was that someone else had picked Vespucci's friendly rival Columbus.

"Well well well, been a long while, hasn't it….uh…." Kevin greeted Steven, only to stop short while trying to remember his young one-sided enemy's name. "Ben, was it? You look like a Ben. Or maybe a Finn."

"Hello, Kevin." Steven greeted the bad boy in a strained voice, resisting the urge to put the controller down and punch him in the face. "What brings you here?"

"Well, word on the street is that you've been teaching Gems that once tried to kill you how to be nice to others." Kevin stated. "And I thought, 'hey, why don't I have a slice of that pie?' So that's why I found you."

"Are you sure this is not another excuse to see Stevonnie again?" Steven asked as the game continued. "Because Connie and I are currently abstaining from-"

"Look kid, you were able to get a bunch of sexy galactic terrorists to stop being terrorists, so why not do the same with me?" Kevin suggested with a smarmy grin. "Well, minus the terrorists part. You still get what I mean, right?"

Steven paused the game and turned to Kevin suspiciously. On one hand, the older boy did seem genuine in his offer, but on the other, it seemed like just another excuse to hit on girls. However, Steven did give the likes of Peridot and the Diamonds a second chance, so as Kevin said, he could probably do the same to him.

"Alright, I'll help you." Steven accepted the offer. "After this round of Undiscovered, I'm gonna take you to Little Homeworld to show you around and teach you some basic kindness. But know this, I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Oh, don't you worry, I'm going to be 100% respectful of others the whole way through." Kevin stated confidently. "Now let's get back to gaming."

The two then returned to playing Undiscovered, and they kept on playing for most of the morning until Steven decided it was time for them to go.

"So, this is where the magic happens, eh?" Kevin asked Steven as he was driven out of Beach City and taken to Little Homeworld, where he watched many Gems of all shapes and sizes learn how to fit in on Earth and let go of their oppressive pasts. "Is it true that most of these babes were monsters at some point?"

"Yes, they were monsters." Steven answered. "And please don't call them babes, we discussed this."

"I know, but who's to blame for making them all women?" Kevin tried justifying his earlier comment while they got out of the Dondai.

"You know, I never once asked about where the Gem race came from." Steven came to a realization. "Might have to make a note of that later." As Steven looked around the Gem village to see who he can introduce Kevin to first, he could hear a certain voice crying for revenge.

"LET ME GO YOU TRAITORS!" Emerald shrieked while Demantoid and Pyrope tried to keep her from reaching the Warp Pad at the center of Little Homeworld. "I must find our master, she is the only one that can save me!"

"She's been like this ever since we were unbubbled and enrolled here." Demantoid revealed. "While Pyrope and I have slowly gotten more acclimated to the place, Emerald here hasn't."

"Can't you see this tiny slave driver has brainwashed you all?!" Emerald declared with a finger pointed at Steven. "I will never submit to your concentration camp, never!"

"Yeah, she's going to be one tough nut to crack." Pyrope remarked before she got a look at Kevin. "Oh, and who could this be?"

"Name's Kevin, nice dress." Kevin greeted the Garnet with a kiss of her hand. "And I see your little screaming friend's got one eye. Not gonna discriminate, I like that in a girl."

"Kevin." Steven scolded his rival. "I'm teaching Kevin here how to be nicer to folks and less of a pervert. I think he really wants to change, but I'm still keeping an eye on him."

"But I complimented Pyrope's dress. That's gotta mean something, right?" Kevin asked Steven.

"That's a pretty good start, I'll admit, but you gotta do more than that." Steven advised. "Try striking up a conversation with her."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Kevin said before turning back to Pyrope. "So, how did you first get here?"

"Well Kevin, it all began when my partner Demantoid and I attempted an uprising against Era 3 using the Light Prisms we owned." Pyrope began explaining her backstory to the human. "We believed the Gem race would be lost without order and sought to install ourselves as the new rulers in place of the Diamonds. However, that would turn out badly and we were poofed & imprisoned, at least until Black Rutile broke us out of our prison to recruit us into her own uprising. But that turned out badly too and we were poofed in the ensuing battle for Earth. Since then, the only other member of Black Rutile's resistance that remained beside the three of us was a belligerent Lapis Lazuli who decided to come here after a Jasper saved her from shattering."

As Pyrope went on, Kevin, out of boredom, rolled his eyes and began to walk elsewhere while Steven crossly looked at him and Pyrope realized too late that Kevin was gone. "Um, where is he?" she asked.

"I'll find him." Steven groaned exasperatedly and walked off after Kevin.

"Pyrope, while you were talking, Emerald had made her escape." Demantoid stated to Pyrope. "I was able to keep her from using the Warp Pad, but that didn't stop her from hiding."

"Oh dear, how could I be so distracted?!" Pyrope exclaimed and raced off with the other Garnet to find Emerald.

"Hey cutie, like your curls." Kevin said while trying to hit on a very confused Laz. "What's your name, Baby Blue?"

"Um, Gems here call me Laz." Laz awkwardly introduced herself. "And you are?"

"You can call me the boy of your dreams!" Kevin declared with a flip of his hair, but his advances would have to wait.

"Kevin!" Steven yelled crossly. "You shouldn't have just walked out on Pyrope like that! And you were making good progress too by asking about her story."

"Hey, sorry, she just went on a bit too long." Kevin stated defensively. "And hey, I'm even making a new friend too."

"I was just minding my own business when he walked up and started smooth-talking me, honest." Laz added.

"Well, how about we use this opportunity to give you another lesson?" Steven suggested. "Say you're crossing the street and a woman is in front of a big puddle. What do you do?"

"Tell her to just walk around it?" Kevin answered, causing Steven to facepalm.

"No, you gotta take off your jacket and drop it over the puddle so she can cross." Steven corrected Kevin. "Like in the super old movies. Laz, could you make a puddle?"

"Okay then." Laz complied and generated a small puddle that looked ready to be stepped in with some water nearby. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked Kevin. "Just toss the jacket!"

"Seriously?! This is expensive, ya know!" Kevin grumbled while taking off his jacket to spread out on the puddle. "I didn't sign up for this." Once Kevin shed his jacket, he dropped it on the puddle and allowed Laz to cross.

"Thanks, I guess." Laz thanked the human awkwardly before turning to Steven. "See you around Steven."

"You're welcome." Kevin replied with a bow while Steven picked up the jacket. "There, I learned basic politeness. How about that?"

"Yeah, that's a good start." Steven complimented. "Good job Kev."

"Yes!" Kevin cheered. "Wait, did you just call me Kev?"

"Yeah, I didn't know what just happened either." Steven admitted. "Let's go for one more trial for today."

At the greenhouse where Peridot usually had her classes, the Cactus Stevens, now freed from Black Rutile's control, were helping Volleyball, Little Larimar, Orange Spodumene, and Crazy Lace Agate with some gardening when Steven & Kevin walked in.

"Oh, hello Steven." Volleyball greeted Steven. "Haven't seen you in a while, how are things?"

"Doing fine, just had a little meltdown a few days ago, but I'm recovering." Steven replied. "And by the way, I heard what happened at that trial on Homeworld. How long were you spying on us for Black Rutile?"

"Since not too long after you faced White Diamond." Volleyball revealed shyly while tears began to leak. "I was only forced to do it by Black Rutile and Holly Blue, though. But can you still forgive me?"

Before Steven could answer, Kevin pretended to loudly clear his throat to get everyone's attention. "It's cute that Cyclops here wants to apologize for whatever, but remember me?!"

"Sorry, Kevin." Steven apologized before introducing him to the Pearl. "I'd like you to meet Volleyball. She was Pink Diamond's former Pearl before getting her eye cracked and later brainwashed by White Diamond. Volleyball, meet Kevin. I hate his guts, but he wants to become a better person so I'm giving him a chance."

"So, your eye is cracked." Kevin gestured to Volleyball's damaged eye. "What's it like seeing with one eye? Does it, like, affect your sense of direction or whatever?"

"Oh no, I get around pretty fine, especially after fusing with Pearl." Volleyball answered brightly. "Ever since then, the crack still's there but you can barely see a pupil now too."

"Cool, cool." Kevin responded, trying to sound interested before he started looking around the greenhouse. "So let me guess, you grow plants here?"

"Exactly Kevin," Larimar said while holding a potted plant in her hands. "Look at the hydrangeas I'm growing!"

"And my daffodils." Orange Spodumene added as she showed off her flower.

"Watching them all grow is the best part!" Crazy Lace Agate cooed while intensely watching the hyacinths growing in her pot.

"Wow, you are all really into flowers, huh?" Kevin wondered while looking over Crazy Lace's shoulder. "I mean, Steven's teaching you all how to be crazy for Earth, so I won't judge."

"See, you're getting interested in what they're doing, and no sign of hitting on them." Steven declared. "Good job Kevin."

"I mean, after you yelled at me for getting bored during Pyrope's story, I just thought I should wise up a little bit." Kevin stated. "Isn't that what humans do or something, learn from mistakes and grow from them?"

"Yeah, that's pretty profound." Steven answered. "Especially coming from someone like you."

"You're right." Kevin realized. "Did I really just change that fast? I mean, I heard you were able to get those Diamonds to play nice with a silly one-liner and they changed just as quickly!"

"Well, not quite." Steven said. "They still got a lot to work out. Everybody does, even you. And me."

"Uh, what do you mean by that, and why do I have a feeling I'm not going to get a good answer?" Kevin asked nervously. Steven sheepishly looked around at the Gems in the greenhouse before taking Kevin away.

"Let's take this outside." Steven declared.

Steven took Kevin back to his car and the two drove away from Little Homeworld all the way back to Beach City in complete silence. A silence that Kevin found a bit concerning before the two returned to town before he finally spoke up. "Uh, anything the matter?" he asked. "You've been quiet since we left the greenhouse."

"It's just about what I've been through lately." Steven finally spoke up while stopping the car. "Ever since we last saw each other at that party, I've learned that my mom Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, went to Homeworld where I saw the Crystal Gems get turned into extensions of White Diamond, nearly got killed by Spinel while all organic life was at risk of being killed by her injector, learned that a sociopathic revolutionary wants to kill me & conquer the galaxy and nearly got thrown off a cliff to my death. And that's only a few notable incidents."

"Wait, thrown off a cliff?!" Kevin exclaimed while the two boys emerged from the Dondai Supremo. "Sociopathic revolutionary? Dang, you been through a lot."

"Yep, and after all that, I learned that I basically have PTSD and my body has been acting really weird lately." Steven continued. "I sometimes turn pink when I get real angry, and more recently my body started inflating out of control a few days ago."

"Yeesh, am I lucky to not have a mom who's a Gem, no offense." Kevin sardonically sympathized. "My parents are usually off doing business or going to fancy parties."

"You know, that reminds me." Steven said as he sat down on the front of the Supremo. "What was your life like? I don't think I ever bothered to ask. Or maybe I hated you too much back then to even think of asking."

"You want my backstory? Well, here goes." Kevin answered and sat down next to Steven. "Just like me, my old man Winston was a real player and a pretty well-off guy. His philosophy of using the right words and moves to win hearts was what won him a wife, my mom Venus, and then came yours truly." He explained. "I was kind of a bit like you as a kid, really sensitive and sweet. But when my girlfriend Sabina ditched me, that was when my dad decided to teach me how to be a charmer. But unfortunately, that didn't win me many friends, especially you. But after spending time with you and helping you get back together with Connie, I just thought it would be time to make a change, but you were too busy to hear me out."

"So, you been wanting this ever since that night?" Steven gasped in realization.

"Yeah, right." Kevin replied. "Then again, like you said, I still got a lot to work out. Which reminds me, what's the status on you and Connie?"

"That's the thing, Kevin." Steven blushed while curling up into a ball. "I tried proposing to Connie so that I'd know what my future would hold, but she said no, and I let it bottle up until the next day at the doctor."

"Wait, you proposed to Connie?!" Kevin exclaimed in shock. "I mean, like, marriage proposal?! Aren't you a little young to get married?"

"Yes, yes I am." Steven replied solemnly. "But still, it was nice getting to talk about it with someone, even if it was with someone I hated in the past."

"You got that right." Kevin declared. "We sure got off on the wrong foot, but even I know you've been through a lot."

"And I know you can be different from your dad," Steven responded. "like how I want to be different from my mom."

"Yeah." Kevin stated before looking at his watch. "Whoo, look at the time!" he realized before hopping off the Dondai's hood. "Got places to be, but maybe we can do this again sometime!"

"If you ever want more niceness tips, you know who to call." Steven said goodbye to Kevin.

"Likewise." Kevin grinned as he walked away. "Catch you later!"

After the two boys waved each other goodbye, Steven got off the hood of his car and began driving it back to the beach house while monologuing to himself. "If I can change Kevin, maybe I could change Black Rutile too." He muttered, but the mere thought of Black Rutile turned Steven's optimistic grin into a tense frown. "Maybe."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 4: Gems' Night Out

Late at night in Beach City, the Crystal Gems were getting all dressed up for a night on the town.

Pearl pulled on some jeans over her pants and doffed her blazer in favor of a jacket colored in a garish mix of purple, dark pink, gold, and light blue.

Lapis snapped her fingers and replaced her standard attire with her baseball uniform, this time with a denim blue hoodie over it.

Peridot simply put on sunglasses over her regular glasses and made a pair of finger guns to no one in particular.

Bismuth once again put on a white button-up shirt and tied her hair up, much like how she looked on her rollerskating date with Pearl & Sheena.

Amethyst also tied her hair back in a ponytail, but unlike Bismuth she put on a plaid scarf around her neck.

Finally, Garnet decided on wearing one of Greg's old shirts for the night, one that had a design of a purple-skinned gargoyle with white glowing eyes bursting out of a stone statue, its wings spread as a show of dominance.

"It's so nice that you decided that we go for a night out Steven," Pearl thanked Steven while adjusting her jacket. "but why aren't you coming along with us? Surely you might need a break after all this time."

"Don't worry about me, this is all about you girls!" Steven assured Pearl. As much as it was a chance for the Gems to relax after thousands of years, it was also an excuse for Steven to try and control his powers on his own without anyone worrying too much about him. "So, where are you planning on going?"

"We're going to Los Diego, Calivada!" Amethyst announced excitedly while bouncing on the couch. "Home to some of the best conventions, casinos, restaurants, and all sorts of other touristy stuff in the country! Woo, Viva Los Diego!"

"I get you're hyped Amethyst, but please save some of that energy for the city." Garnet coolly stated while grabbing Amethyst by the arms mid-bounce and setting her down.

"I don't think I've been anywhere else on Earth since I started living here," Peridot stated.

"Yeah, me neither." Bismuth added. "' Course, that's mostly because I missed out on everything that's happened these past thousands of years."

"I've flown outside of the barn before after the Gems freed me from Malachite." Lapis revealed. "Though I don't think I've ever seen a city up close before."

"Well, you'll all be happy to know Los Diego can be reached via Warp Pad." Pearl declared. "We set one up in what would become Calivada during the Rebellion, and I think it's remained there ever since." She added before turning on her heel to the temple's Warp Pad. "Now come along now everyone!"

"Bye guys!" Steven bade the Crystal Gems farewell before they left for Los Diego. Once he made sure he was all alone, Steven took a deep breath and strolled into the bathroom. However, while he washed his face, Steven was unaware of an uninvited guest closing in on the beach house.

Los Diego, the capital of Calivada. A shining bayside city that has been called one of the biggest cities in the United States, home to some of the most famous landmarks in the country in addition to some very popular restaurants, casinos, beaches, theaters, museums, the works.

However, the Crystal Gems did not bear witness to any of those on the other end of the Warp Pad when they reached Los Diego. Instead, they found that the Warp Pad was located in a dingy alleyway that was equidistant to the main city and a homeless man petting some local vermin.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Peridot inquired Pearl before accidentally stepping in something gross that she'd rather not talk about. "Ew, this is disgusting!"

"Oh, this is merely just an alleyway everyone," Pearl assured the other Gems before pointing to the homeless man. "Look, there's even a street bum right over there!"

The homeless man turned to look at the colorful women standing close to him and let out a loud scream. "AAHH, THE SUCCUBUSES HAVE COME FOR ME AT LEAST!" he yelled while dropping to his knees. "Please have mercy on me, I don't have that much life force to spare!"

"Weirdo." Lapis scoffed at the bum before the Gems finally left the alley.

"Well, if you don't want to bang me to death, then do any of you got change?!" the homeless man yelled at the departing Crystal Gems, shaking a Styrofoam cup around. "Aw come on, help a guy out, will ya?! C'mon, change!"

Compared to the dingy back-alley the Gems arrived to Los Diego in, the big city itself was glistening with big, shining lights all around. Massive billboards hanged above them advertising the latest blockbuster films, new specials at the restaurants, and an advertisement for Vesuvius Beach featured a couple of blonde lifeguard girls in tight red one-pieces. People of all kinds roamed the streets, traffic jams were essentially turned into car shows with how many fancy automobiles were impatiently waiting to start moving, and even the street signs were very flashy.

"Dang, why couldn't we have moved here instead?!" Amethyst exclaimed in awe. "No offense to Beach City, but this place has everything!"

"Don't get too excited Amethyst," Pearl advised the small quartz while handing her a wad of $500. "You all each get five hundred dollars, courtesy of Greg, and I have a set schedule for our activities tonight." As Pearl pulled a large planner from her gem, Amethyst let out a loud groan.

"Cheer up Amethyst, maybe we can find some way to make this night fun." Garnet assured Amethyst before Pearl began reading off the schedule.

"First order of business, going to the opera." Pearl stated. "I hear Carmen is at the Pagliacci Theater tonight. One of the greats, I've heard everyone say! Next up, we go on a sightseeing tour of the Renfield Zoo, then we go find some affluent celebrities to get their autographs from for Steven to admire. Anyone got that?"

However, Pearl realized a bit too late that Lapis, Amethyst, Garnet & Bismuth had left while she was reading from the schedule, leaving the ex-servant alone with only Peridot to keep her company. "Drat." Pearl snapped her fingers in defeat before turning to the smaller genius. "Well, at least you'd like to come with me, right Peridot?"

"Oh sure, I'm sticking by you." Peridot said to Pearl. "But there's something I want to go to instead." She then pointed towards another billboard, this time depicting three men playing a tabletop RPG. "The Los Diego National Nerds and Geeks Convention, or LDNNGC for short."

"I'm going to assume it's filled with nerds and geeks?" Pearl declared sarcastically.

"Oh, it's not just that!" Peridot replied eagerly. "Movie directors, comic book writers, cartoon creators, TV show producers, all that and even more come here to announce the hottest new shows, movies, and comics! We just gotta go!"

"But, my schedule!" Pearl tried to object, but Peridot's big puppy dog eyes proved to be too much for her. "Ah, how can I say no to a face like that?" Pearl chuckled. "Our combined total is a thousand dollars, so maybe we can spend it on souvenirs for you and Steven."

"Yay!" Peridot cheered before she raced off. "This is like a dream come true!" The little nerdy Gem was so eager to be among dorks like her, she didn't even care that she ran into a lamppost because she was wearing sunglasses at night.

"Whatever makes you happy." Pearl chuckled as she followed Peridot before her thoughts began shifting to the others. "I wonder what everyone else is getting up to?"

Lapis soared through Los Diego's skyline with Amethyst clinging onto her arms, looking for an attraction to explore.

"There are so many choices!" Amethyst gawked at everything she could see from above the city. "Maybe we could crash a fancy restaurant or go to the local parks! Maybe we could even sneak into Vesuvius Beach and go skinny d-"

"Or maybe we could go over there with the big lights." Lapis cut Amethyst off before she could make a rather lewd suggestion.

"Gonna have to be a bit more specific Double-Ell," Amethyst replied.

"I mean, I can see a big sign over there." Lapis reiterated as she spied a massive neon sign of a sharply dressed woman standing in front of a card table. "I think it says 'The Guessing Girl'."

"So, you wanna go gambling?" Amethyst asked with a smirk. "I mean, we got a full G between us, why not put it to good use?"

The two Gems landed at the front of the Guessing Girl casino, the biggest casino in the entire city. Patrons entering and exiting the establishment were in awe of the cute blue girl touching down in front of them with wings like an angel and her little purple friend eagerly flicking through a wad of half a G as they strolled into the joint.

"Wow, this is some place." Lapis whistled in amazement at the variety of seedy card tables, slot machines being used by people wasting their lives away, roulette wheels with beautiful waitresses over them, and many, many more.

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let it ride!" Amethyst exclaimed as she raced off towards the nearest poker game, while a top-heavy bouncer glared at the two Gems.

"This is Agent Milton, reporting." The bouncer privately spoke into an earpiece. "The rabbit is in the warren. I repeat, the rabbit is in the warren."

"Excellent work Milton." The earpiece stated. "Now, allow Lennie to do the rest."

A suave man in a three-piece suit lit up another cigarette as he scored another hand at poker. "Good game my friends." He nodded politely in a silky English accent before noticing a new player racing up to the table. "Oh, here comes a new challenger."

"Deal us in." Lapis ordered while setting down her 500 dollars on the table in unison with Amethyst.

"Bodypaint enthusiasts I see." The man in the suit remarked at the Gems' appearances.

"It ain't paint, that's just how we look." Amethyst said while looking through her set of cards and made a call.

"Yeah, we don't come from around here." Lapis added.

"Small world, I'm not from around here either." The man replied. "The name's Jones. Bane Jones. And you are?"

"Thyst, Amethyst." Amethyst introduced herself, copying how Bane Jones said his name.

"And I'm Lazuli, Lapis Lazuli." Lapis tried to repeat and looked through her cards, having no idea what to do with them. "Uh, go fish?"

"This is poker, my dear." Bane stated before a waiter who looked like a sniveling rat stopped by the table with a plate of lasagna and a martini glass.

"Your order sir." The waiter said. "Vodka martini. Stirred, not shaken."

"Thank you, my boy." Bane thanked the waiter before he made a realization. "Wait, did I order the lasagna?"

"Doesn't matter, just enjoy." The waiter made an evil grin at Mr. Jones before he left with a snicker while rubbing his hands together.

"What's with Rat King over there?" Amethyst asked about the fiendish waiter before she heard a ticking sound. "And anyone else hear that sound?"

Everyone at the card table put their ears to their watches as the ticking sound got louder, and everyone realized that it was coming from the lasagna.

"There's a bomb in the lasagna!" Bane cried out. "Everyone, evacuate!" he commanded his fellow poker players to flee the scene, and the panicking caused everyone else in the casino to run away as well.

"Don't worry, I got this covered!" Amethyst declared before jumping onto the table and swallowing the lasagna in one gulp. The bomb soon detonated from inside of Amethyst, and the result was her burping out some smoke. "' Scuse me."

"Great Scott, they're onto me!" Bane Jones assumed about the exploding lasagna.

"Who's onto you?" Lapis asked.

"No time to explain, quickly now!" Bane replied and the three ran from the card table. "You may be wondering why I was served some exploding pasta?"

"Is it some kind of dinner special?" Amethyst asked while weaving her way through the nervous crowds.

"No, it was an attack!" Bane answered. "I am 00014, an elite spy for the World Defense Agency fighting the evil forces of the Power-Hungry All-National Team of Madmen in their repeated plots for world domination!"

"Wait, you're a spy?!" Amethyst shrieked elatedly. "Can you take us on your cool spy adventure, please please please?!"

"You sure Amethyst?" Lapis said skeptically. "I mean, we just met the guy and now we're running from exploding lasagna!"

"Do not worry Miss Lazuli, all shall be revealed in time." Bane said as the trio got to safety and he called up a sleek, dark gray Rumbakini Tormenta car with doors that opened by themselves. "Ladies first."

"Cool!" Amethyst gasped as she hopped into the backseat with Lapis. As soon as 00014 got behind the steering wheel, he tapped on the car's highly advanced HUD to mark his chosen destination and raced away from the Guessing Girl.

Far from the casino, Garnet and Bismuth were walking down the street, sticking out quite a bit from everyone else walking with them. Unlike Lapis & Amethyst and Pearl & Peridot, the two couldn't think of anything to do.

"You think we should've just stayed with Pearl instead?" Bismuth asked Garnet. "Don't think there's anything for us to do in this part of Los Diego." However, Garnet was a little too busy with something else.

"Hey, can I get your stylist sometime? That hair is so fleek!" a young woman complimented Garnet's cubic afro.

"Oh, I don't go to a stylist, this hair comes naturally," Garnet answered, a hand to her curls.

"Lucky you, babe!" the woman exclaimed. "I wish hair that amazing could come naturally for me."

"It doesn't matter how you look on the outside miss," Garnet told the other female. "the inside should be just as important."

"Hey Garnet, over here!" Bismuth called for the fusion while looking at the aftermath of a robbery being investigated. "Reckon we should check that out?"

"I'm not too sure." Garnet mused their choices. "I don't think this should really be our business, but it would be nice to solve a mystery."

While taking a drink of coffee, one of the officers, who had a mustache and a bit of a potbelly, turned to discover the two Gems debating and began waving to them. "Oh, howdy there!" he greeted Garnet and Bismuth. "Nice night we're having, huh?"

"Hello there, I'm Garnet." Garnet introduced herself. "This is my friend Bismuth. I suppose you must be one of the officers investigating this robbery."

"Nice to meet you guys, they call me The Officer." The Officer introduced himself. "I don't have a precinct; I just wander around the country checkin' to see who needs help. I don't suppose you might be needin' a left, do ya?"

"No, but I think you could." Bismuth answered. "What's happening here?"

"A string of robberies been going down these past couple of weeks." The Officer declared while gesturing to the crime scene. "Just now, there's been a break-in at the electronics store, and last week we found out someone's broken into a lab out of town. Everything's just getting curiouser and curiouser."

"That means you want us to come along, I assume." Garnet asked. "Okay, let's go."

"That's the spirit!" Bismuth chuckled while grabbing Garnet in a tight side hug.

The grand Los Diego Civic Center was filled with nerds, geeks, cosplayers, and many more of all shapes and sizes, each professing their love for their fandoms, and Pearl & Peridot were just about to blend right in with them.

"Look, all I'm saying is that if you dare like this problematic show, you are officially dead to me, and I wish the most painful death possible upon you." One nerd threatened a fellow nerd.

"Same to you, loser." the second nerd declared.

"I'm not saying I'm homophobic because I'm not a fan of your ship," a fanfiction writer said to a small group of angry fangirls. "I'm saying you can't queerbait if there's nothing queer to be baited with!" The fangirls then descended upon him like a pack of angry wolves.

"Your waifu is trash compared to mine!" an anime fan argued with another otaku while clinging onto an anime body pillow. "She has everything that turns me on! Curves in all the right places, glistening red locks, blue eyes you could get lost for days in, an absolutely shameless personality, incredibly confident in her hot bod, and above all else, she actually acts her age, unlike the deity who looks like a high schooler you profess your love to!" The fan's eyes then went wide with lust. "YES!"

"Wow, you're an idiot!" the other otaku declared, pointing a finger to the one with the body pillow.

"Humans find such fascinating ways to waste their time." Pearl mused as she looked around at the booths selling fandom memorabilia, cosplayers taking pictures with fans, and autograph hounds stalking their favorite celebrities to get their signature. "And I think some might be a little obsessed."

"They're just professing their love for their favorite media in a variety of ways, like how I adore Camp Pining Hearts!" Peridot explained. "The original minus Season 5, not that reboot."

"Oh em gee!" a young woman squealed at Peridot as she and another adoring woman surrounded the green Gem. "Look at this cutie and her costume! She's like a little alien!"

"That's because I am an alien!" Peridot declared before the two ladies picked her up to cuddle. "Hey, wait, hands off you clods! Put me down, I am the great and lovable Peridot! Pearl, save me!"

"You seem to be making friends here, Peridot." Pearl giggled with a wry smirk. "I think I'll just go and explore a bit." Just as Pearl was about to leave, she heard someone gasp loudly.

"I can't believe it, you're here!" a middle-aged Englishman dressed like a hipster twenty years younger than he's supposed to be exclaimed. "As I live and breathe, one of the Crystal Gems, here at LDNNGC! Never would I see the day!"

"Oh, hello mister." Pearl said while the man excitedly shook her hand. "My name's Pearl. And you are?"

"Oh, pardon me, Miss Pearl, allow me to introduce myself." The man dusted himself off to look more regal and visionary. "I am Neil Michaels, a world-renowned film director and artiste. You've watched some of my works before, like Morning of the Dead Living, correct?"

"I don't think I've even heard of you before." Pearl answered. "So, what's gotten you excited?"

"Why, you are just the Gem I need to review my latest upcoming film!" Neil replied. "Now then, are any of the others with you?"

"Oh, I did come here with Peridot," Pearl pointed to her green plus-one still being smothered by the amorous fangirls. "but she's currently got some fans to deal with."

Without even saying a word, Neil quickly walked over to the fangirls and plucked Peridot from their grasp by the collar, and dropped her at his feet.

"Oh thank you, I thought I would never leave me alone." Peridot thanked Neil before realizing who she was speaking to. "Wait, is that who I think it is?"

"Ah, I see one of your own is a fan of my work!" Neil said while kneeling to Peridot's height. "You must be Peridot, correct?"

"And you know my name!" Peridot squealed with delight.

"Are you kidding me? I've been following you ever since those Diamonds first came to Earth." Neil said while adjusting his scarf and fedora. "Now then, would you like a look at my upcoming masterpiece featuring your team?"

"DO I?!" Peridot shrieked even louder. "Come on Pearl, let's go see!"

"Okay Peridot, I'll come with." Pearl said as Neil led the two Gems towards his booth where a widescreen television and DVD player sat and let them be seated.

"Now then, brace yourselves, my friends." Neil announced while preparing a rough cut of his upcoming movie. "You are about to witness cinema history."

When Neil inserted a disk labeled "THE BEES", what Pearl saw as the TV powered on was not cinema history. Instead, she saw a pretentious, nonsensical mess where the Crystal Gems weren't actual Gems. Rather, they were turned into very sexually provocative humans played by A-list actors who unfortunately took a backseat to a leading man who seemed like a mix of too overdramatic and too boring.

"My God!" the lead actor of Michaels' new film declared as he discovered a murderous swarm of honeybees flying over him, and the two words he said after that formed the film's title. "THE BEES!"

"So, how do you two like it?" Neil asked Pearl and Peridot as he took the disk out of the DVD player. Before Peridot can give Neil her glowing praise, Pearl forced her mouth shut to allow some less than nice words.

"So this piece of cinema history starring us just has us reduced to sex symbols taking a backseat to that maniac?!" Pearl shouted at Neil.

"I'd rather not make fun of Christopher Cage if I were you!" Neil declared. "The two of us are thick as thieves, it's because of me that Cage has become very profitable in the last decade!"

"How can one act so deranged yet make so much money?!" Pearl bickered with the director. "And you! Oh, what can I say about your work?! It's an utterly pretentious mess!"

"Pretentious?!" Neil shouted, horribly offended by Pearl's insult. "I am a visionary, and you cannot speak to visionaries this way!"

Soon, the bickering escalated into a shouting match between the Crystal Gem and the arrogant filmmaker, one that Peridot decided that she didn't want a part in as she hopped off her chair and strolled away from the arguing duo.

"I think you just should be left alone for a bit." Peridot said to the pair, but they were too busy arguing to notice her. "Whatever, I think I'll just explore the rest of the con. Maybe get some souvenirs for Steven!"

On the topic of Steven, he was still in the beach house getting some Cookie Cats left over from long ago from the fridge, still fresh despite being in cold storage for more than two years. "Maybe I should make some of my own one day. But right now, gotta find a way to get myself under control."

Just then, the door squeaked open and Steven heard a pair of footsteps. And he has just received a guest he'd rather not invite at all. "Black Rutile?!"

"Steven Universe. Long time no see, old friend." Black Rutile greeted the half-Gem like a good friend, but she was no doubt the same monster beneath that genial smile. "So, Gems leaving you home for the night. How does that feel?"

"A little strange, but I think I can manage." Steven answered. "So, why are you in my house? Have you finally decided to change your ways and come to Little Homesch-"

"NO!" Black Rutile suddenly roared in defiance, only to put on her mask of politeness back on just as quickly. "I just came here to talk." She said. "I just came here to talk about all that's happened to you recently." Black Rutile then sat down on the couch and motioned for Steven to sit next to her. "You may not realize it, but I've been watching you. And although my hatred for you burns hotter & brighter than WR-102, the hottest known star in the universe by the way, I can't help but feel sorry for your pathetic self at the same time."

"Pity me how?" Steven asked nervously while seating himself next to his taller archnemesis.

"Think of it boy, nothing has gone right for you lately." Black Rutile added, snatching up Steven's Cookie Cat and reclining on the couch. "Your girlfriend ditched you, that obese moron you call a father never once took you to see an Earth doctor before, and now your so-called guardians have abandoned you to slack off while leaving me to find you."

"You leave my dad out of this!" Steven yelled angrily. "And as for the Gems, it was my idea that they go have fun while I try to keep my powers under control!"

"Oh please sport, you and I both know that no one ever really cared for you." Black Rutile purred before taking a bit out of the Cookie Cat. "You know, I don't see why you were so obsessed with this snack food."

"People care for me!" Steven objected. "Everyone in Beach City loves me!"

"Then why are they leaving you without even a goodbye?" Black Rutile continued. "Like those so-called Cool Kids, for instance, Sadie Killer and the Suspects? They're breaking up and didn't even tell you until that silly little graduation ceremony from your prison camp. Or that Lars boy and his band of Off-Colors. He suddenly decides that living in space forever while leaving everyone here to just rot is a great idea since he's basically immortal now, and you didn't even learn that until also the graduation."

"Because they're all moving on with their lives." Steven corrected Black Rutile, who groaned loudly in response. "Though I really wish I was given a heads up beforehand. Still, there are others who won't leave me."

"Do you have the slightest idea how little I care?" Black Rutile growled with a roll of her eyes. "Eventually, they're going to ditch you too! That Meema-swag-oon kid is going off to higher learning and that My-Dad is most definitely going to have the sands of time take his life one day! And what of the Gems? They're probably going to keep dumping all their problems onto you! If no one truly cares about you as a person anymore, then why should you keep doing the same?!"

"Just stop it already!" Steven yelled as he slowly began to turn pink. "Yeah, I'm still sick of the Gems leaving me to solve everyone's problems because Pink Diamond happens to be the source of all of them! Sometimes, I'd rather live a life where Gems never existed and I'm just a normal human boy with a normal human life!" When Steven came back to his senses, he realized what he had just said to Black Rutile. "I'm sorry, I don't mean all that, honest!"

"Oh, don't be sorry sweetie." Black Rutile said with the fakest affection she could muster while uncomfortably stroking Steven's face to further rile him up. "I know a liar when I see one."

Back in Los Diego, Bane Jones pulled his Rumbakini Tormenta up to an embassy with the letters WDA hanging over the entrance. "Welcome ladies to the World Defense Agency headquarters. Now then, right this way."

"This is just like in the old spy movies I watch!" Amethyst exclaimed as Bane led her and Lapis into the embassy. "Cool guy in a cool suit with a cool car, and I bet there are some cool gadgets on the way too!"

"Indeed, the gadgets I use are most impressive." Bane responded before he and the Gems boarded an elevator. "You can thank G for that."

"He's the guy who builds stuff for you, right?" Lapis asked the secret agent.

"Exactly." Jones replied before the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal an elaborate laboratory where a man in a labcoat with greying hair was hard at work on his latest invention, while a middle-aged woman in a suit checked on his progress.

"Ah, Mr. Jones." The woman said upon seeing Jones and walked over to him, Lapis and Amethyst. "I trust that your investigation went swimmingly?"

"Indeed B." Bane nodded. "However, my progress was halted when I was nearly taken out by some exploding lasagna. Luckily, one of my new friends here was able to save me." Bane then looked to Amethyst and gestured his head towards B, beckoning the Gem to introduce herself.

"Oh, my name is Amethyst." Amethyst stated. "You may remember me as the gal who survived eating the bomb in the lasagna."

"And I'm Lapis Lazuli." Lapis added. "Nice to meet you, miss."

"I am B, head of the World Defense Agency." B introduced herself to the Gems. "And this is the head of our Research and Development department, G."

"A pleasure to meet some potential allies." G said as he got up to greet the Gems, but quickly got sidetracked by their appearances. "My word, are you real-life alien lifeforms?!"

"Uh, yeah." Lapis answered snarkily.

"I can't believe it, real-life extraterrestrials in our offices!" G yelled eagerly as he began taking notes on the pair. "Tell me, could you explain the origins of your species?"

"Pay attention G!" B scolded her subordinate.

"Oops, my apologies." G sheepishly apologized and put on a more serious face than the eager dork he passed off as seconds ago.

"So, who are you investigating?" Amethyst asked.

"I'm glad you asked Ms. Amethyst." G answered and pressed a button to reveal a hologram of a man dressed like a standard spy movie antagonist, complete with stroking an animal on his lap. "This is Francis von Bowling, one of the most diabolical masterminds in the world and leader of P.H.A.N.T.O.M, the Power-Hungry All-National Team of Madmen."

"I know where this is going." Amethyst said. "He wants to take over the world or something?"

"Not quite." B answered nervously. "We have reason to believe he plots to unleash a pathogen into the atmosphere that will control the minds of all breathing creatures, thus allowing him to conquer the Earth."

"However, there is a way to stop this pathogen." G added. "Now pay attention 00014, and Gems. I have built a special air freshener device to combat this pathogen, but it has unfortunately gone missing not too long ago."

"So now we gotta find it before the bad guys do, correct?" Lapis asked.

"Exactly Miss Lazuli." B declared. "Good luck you three. Hopefully, von Bowling doesn't have the same idea."

"How could anyone survive eating a bomb?!" the ratlike waiter from the Guessing Girl casino complained, pounding on a wall in a hidden room with his fist while the bouncer played with his phone. "It seems Jones has acquired some new friends, friends that could ruin our plans!" However, the bouncer wasn't listening and continued laughing at his phone. "Milton, are you even paying attention?!"

"Sorry Lennie, just lookin' at funny rabbit memes." Milton apologized to Lennie before going back to his phone.

"I swear, we have got to set up times for when you can use your phone." Lennie growled like an irritated parent of a teenager before a nearby television turned on. "Milton, over here! It's the boss!"

"The boss?!" Milton yelped and put down his phone. "Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" The two men stood at attention as the television static faded and revealed their master Francis von Bowling on the screen.

"Mr. Lennie, Mr. Milton." Francis greeted his two minions while stroking a wolf in his lap. "How has your progress been on locating the freshener?"

"Not very good boss," Lennie answered with a bow. "Bane Jones nearly got in our way, and I tried to eliminate him with a bomb in some lasagna, but then this little purple girl swallowed the dish whole and survived the explosion."

"Purple girl?" von Bowling asked, a pinky finger to his lips in contemplation. "Our P.H.A.N.T.O.M spy cameras have detected the exact same girl entering the Guessing Girl, along with a taller blue woman who can fly."

"She can fly!" Milton exclaimed joyously at the security footage of Amethyst and Lapis arriving at the casino.

"Yes, that she can." The leader of P.H.A.N.T.O.M humored his massive subordinate while rolling his eyes. "These two may possess abilities far beyond our comprehension, abilities that the WDA could use against us. Find that air freshener at once and return it to me ASAP. There should be no room for error."

"We shall do as you command Mr. von Bowling." Lennie bowed to Francis as the television faded to snow and then suddenly short-circuited, ending the message. "Come now Milton, we must find the air freshener posthaste."

"But where can we find it, Lennie?" Milton asked while scratching his head.

"My precious." A neckbearded convention-goer admired his latest find at the NNGC amongst a pile of many other pieces of merchandise. It was a highly advanced air freshener that seemed to clean all surrounding air, and it was now his to keep.

"Excuse me sir, do you perhaps want to trade a part of your collection for one of my purchases?" Peridot asked the collector while covered from head to toe in convention memorabilia. "Maybe that air freshener you're admiring." Unfortunately, the collector wasn't easy to agree with.

"No, these are all my precious!" the neckbeard hissed like he was possessing something needed to save the world that he refused to let go of. "Go get your own precious!"

"I was asking politely, sheesh." Peridot groaned as she walked away from the creepy collector. "Seriously, what could possibly be so precious about a simple air freshener?" she muttered to herself while imitating the collector before she found a man taking autographs, and he wore a Camp Pining Hearts T-shirt with his lanyard. "Oh my stars, are you a writer for Camp Pining Hearts?!"

"Uh, yes I am." The teen drama writer answered. "You looking for your mother, little girl?"

"For your information, I am thousands of years older than you." Peridot corrected the writer of her favorite show. "But enough about me, let's talk about you!" She then put the shopping bags hanging from her arms down before pulling a large stack of storyboards from her Gem. "Let's discuss that Camp Pining Hearts reboot and how I would change it!"

Outside the civic center, Garnet, Bismuth, and the Officer now stood before the Bank of Los Diego, now a victim of a recent robbery as other police officers investigated the building.

"Now who could've possibly caused this?" the Officer wondered aloud.

"It was a robber." Garnet answered while adjusting her glasses. "They must still be on the run, and we have to catch them in their tracks."

"Took the words right outta my mouth." The Officer turned to Garnet. "Anyways, we gotta-"

"Investigate the bank and see if we can find any leads." Garnet continued, which started to annoy the Officer a bit.

"You okay there Garnet?" the Officer asked the fusion.

"It's my future vision." Garnet answered. "I use it to multiple possible outcomes to certain events."

"She can basically see the future." Bismuth put it in simpler terms for the Officer to understand. "And I think using your future vision might be taking the fun out of solving a mystery." She then turned to Garnet. "I mean, most good mysteries are supposed to keep you guessing until you find out the answer."

"So I guess you want me to stop using my future vision for this mystery." Garnet said.

"Exactly!" Bismuth exclaimed. "If I win, you gotta help in the forge for a week when we get back."

"So that must mean if I win, you'll have to do something for me." Garnet responded.

"Which is?" Bismuth asked.

"You'll see." Garnet smirked.

"Uh ladies, can you save this bet for later?" the enigmatic lawman asked the Gems. "We still got a case to work on."

"Right, let's get to work." Garnet declared and the two Gems joined the other police officers in investigating the bank robbery.

"If you think everything in this film has a deeper meaning, then why are we reduced to sexual objects that only serve as props for the main character?!" Pearl continued bickering with Neil Michaels, an event that many visitors to the NNGC found very entertaining as they watched the pair go back and forth at each other.

"I did it as a commentary on the sexualization of women in the media!" Neil declared. "There truly is a deeper meaning to these provocative characters!"

"Or maybe you're just a misogynist hypocrite!" Pearl argued back, which caused many members of their audience to cheer and laugh at her insult.

Neil was left speechless at this and gazed around the assembled crowd, many of whom had their phones out to record the whole argument. If one of them were to post a video online, it could ruin his reputation, and all because of a woman who likely didn't know how the Internet worked. He needed to do something to save face, but how?

"Oh, of course, I'm not a misogynist, I love all kinds of people!" Neil declared while putting an arm around Pearl's shoulder. "As a show of goodwill, how about we get some soup from over there? My treat!"

"Oh, I don't need to eat as I don't require sustenance like you humans do," Pearl stated as the director led her to a soup stand run by a chef with a mustache and a fierce look in his eyes. "Nor do I really want to. But I'm sure Amethyst would want a meal to go." The people in line to get soup immediately allowed Neil and Pearl to cut to the front of the line out of reverence for Neil, and Pearl was allowed to order first. "Hello there good sir. I'd like to have the medium crab bisque to go please, with some bread."

"Medium crab bisque with bread on the side, two dollars for the bread." The salesman said while handing Pearl a takeout container of crab bisque.

"What, but everyone here seems to have gotten their bread for free." Pearl responded confusedly. "What's the big idea?"

"Okay then, three dollars!" the salesman raised the price of the bread.

"That is utterly absurd!" Pearl bickered with the chef.

"You want absurd? Then no soup for you!" the chef responded hotly while snatching the soup away from Pearl.

"I don't think your bad attitude should be allowed!" Pearl stated. "Where is your manager?! I want to speak with him at once!"

"Sorry Karen, I am manager!" the salesman shook his head. As a result of the insult, Pearl began to blush a bright blue while Neil gazed at her with a self-assured smirk and everyone else in line began to laugh.

"Walked right into that one." Pearl groaned in defeat. "Wonder how Steven must be doing?"

"What makes you really think no one ever loved me?" Steven asked Black Rutile during their confrontation at the beach house.

"Let's review some of the bad things that happened to you these past few years." Black Rutile replied while projecting several images from her visor. "Let's see, the Crystal Gems constantly toss you into harm's way regularly, a lot of their problems always trace back to you and Pink Diamond, that human girl abandoned you after your first trip to Homeworld like an ungrateful brat for no real reason, and so much more. Yet, you let them off the hook out of a foolish belief that they still care for you even after all that. Trust me kid, and I'm saying this from experience, everyone has the potential to be completely irredeemable pieces of dirt."

"Let me guess, Pink Diamond hurt you back in the day?" Steven growled as he slowly turned pink again.

"Well, yes, but actually not quite." Black Rutile answered. "Pink Diamond didn't hurt me, I hurt her. You know how much I despised that brat for always getting what she wants despite acting like a petulant organic lifeform? Well, to make matters worse, whenever the Diamonds were too busy acting like the conquerors they were supposed to be, they always forced me to babysit Pink! All the planets I conquered for them, she tried to protect, and her arguments as to why always made me sick to my nonexistent stomach!"

As Steven's body fully turned pink, Black Rutile took notice of this and smiled. "So, still trying to keep a lid on that condition, eh?" she grinned. "Well, why not use that for something other than whining like your mother and face me one-on-one?"

"Fine, but let's take this outside." Steven snarled as his left eye began twitching from trying to keep a cool head despite the insults slung at his friends and family. "I don't want anyone coming home to worry about me like always."

"It's a deal." Black Rutile stated and the two shook hands. "Now follow me!" She then backflipped out of the front door and Steven followed behind, eventually stopping on the sand where she stood, turned away from Steven with arms folded behind her back. "Shall we dance?"

"If you want to get crazy," Steven began before launching himself at Black Rutile with a fist ready to punch her with. "we can get crazy!"

However, Black Rutile dodged the punch by bending over backward with the flexibility of a contortionist before striking him in the back with a punch of her own. However, Steven suddenly generated a pink forcefield that slowed everything down except for him, and he used the opportunity to headbutt Black Rutile into a stone hand on the beach.

"When can you do that?!" Black Rutile yelled before brandishing her sword and clashing it with Steven's shield. "Seriously, even in all my countless hours of research, I have no idea what that's supposed to be!"

"I have no idea what any of these new powers are either!" Steven agreed with his opponent. "But I'll use them to stop you for good!"

"Then what are you waiting for Steven?" Black Rutile offered Steven. "You're strong enough! Go ahead and shatter me if you like! Prove to me that you really are a monster underneath!"

"NEVER!" Steven yelled and began charging at Black Rutile with his shield again, and she did the same with her sword.

Back in Los Diego, Garnet, Bismuth and the Officer continued working together to find the culprit behind the string of robberies, and their latest clue led them straight to the civic center.

"So our crook could be here?" Bismuth asked while looking at the National Nerds and Geeks Convention in front of them.

"That's right, I'm sure it could be any one of these nerds." The Officer stated while looking around at the various groups of geeks surrounding them before pointing to one. "You there boy, seen any felons with a giant pile of stuff 'round here?"

"I wouldn't say anyone here is a felon, that I know of," the gamer said while playing on his handheld console. "but this weirdo is running around with this huge pile of collectibles, and he gets all super protective of them like Gosmeal from Emperor of the Bands."

"I guess that must be him over there." Garnet said while pointing to a neckbeard who was hauling around a giant pile of collectibles that seemed to get bigger and bigger. Turning to face the trio, the neckbeard jumped up the pile and snatched the air freshener from the very top before running away.

"There he is, get him!" Bismuth yelled and began chasing the neckbeard around the civic center.

"No, stay away from my precious!" the neckbeard cried, protectively holding onto the freshener as the two Gems and the police officer followed his trail.

Meanwhile, the convention has now received a few more visitors. Lapis, Amethyst, and Bane Jones entered from one side of the civic center while Lennie and Milton entered from another, both planning to find the air freshener.

"Sources tell me a thief was seen with the air freshener in his possession." Bane stated while gazing at a device given to him by G that seemed to trace the freshener's location. "Once we get it out of their hands, we can take the fight to von Bowling and stop his plans."

"Our spies from within this gathering of basement dwellers say the freshener is around here somewhere." Lennie stated to Milton. "Once we find it, it's as good as destroyed and the boss can move on with his plans!"

Just then, a chubby blur speeded past the two groups, followed by Garnet, Bismuth, and the Officer in hot pursuit. As soon as they all had time to recover, the two opposing teams quickly joined the chase.

"It's the bouncer and the waiter from the Guessing Girl!" Amethyst pointed out Lennie and Milton's presence.

"von Bowling's cronies, Lennie and Milton. I should've known." Bane muttered.

"HAND OVER THE AIR FRESHENER AT ONCE!" Bane, the Officer, and Lennie all shouted at the neckbeard.

"No, these are all my preciouses!" the neckbeard yelled back. "You cannot have them, you can never have them!"

"Well, looks like you'll have to answer to me!" Amethyst said while pulling out her whip and using it to steal the air freshener from the collector's collection, before tossing it straight into Jones's hands.

"Milton, now!" Lennie commanded, and Milton obeyed by bodyslamming Bane into the floor and snatching the freshener from his hands.

"We did it Lennie, we got the air freshener!" Milton celebrated the duo's victory. "The boss will be so happy about this!"

"Quite. And it seems we got a package deal here." Lennie smirked while using an energy cage to round up Lapis, Amethyst, Garnet, Bismuth, the Officer, and the collector. "Now then, to headquarters!"

The two henchmen then raced off with their prize and captives in tow, while the surrounding congoers gazed in awe of what just happened.

"Did we just witness a real-life spy movie?" a movie buff asked aloud.

Lennie and Milton quickly returned to the headquarters of P.H.A.N.T.O.M at the top of the highest skyscraper in Los Diego and awaiting them was their malicious boss Francis von Bowling, sitting in an office chair while stroking his wolf.

"Ah, Mr. Jones." Francis greeted his archenemy while turning around in his chair to face the captive group. "I see you and your new allies have acquainted yourselves with my two associates. And you even brought some guests along for the ride."

"We got Jones and his new buddies, boss!" Milton bounced up and down with a big smile. "What do we get?"

"My respect, that's what." Von Bowling said, getting up to give Milton and Lennie a handshake each.

"So, you captured us now." Amethyst said to the leader of P.H.A.N.T.O.M. "You gonna tell us why you want that air freshener gone so bad?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Francis answered. "You see, humanity has a strong love of being incompetent and violent, which more often than not leads to wars that take the lives of others, many of whom are equally stupid." He explained before putting his pathogen under a microscope and connecting the microscope to a projector. "With this pathogen that I shall unleash into the atmosphere, I shall create my own brand of world peace by controlling the minds of all breathing lifeforms and thus, taking over the world."

"I see, pretty basic world domination junk." Lapis remarked.

"You won't get away with this von Bowling!" Bane declared fiercely.

"I believe that's where you're wrong Mr. Jones." Francis replied.

"Let me guess, you got a shark tank?" Amethyst asked while she, Jones, Lapis, Garnet, and Bismuth were let out of the energy cage and forced into another cage that was dangling over a shark pool. "This is all so cliché, I'm loving it!"

"And to ensure that I know you have perished, I shall leave my pet wolf Alphonse to watch your demise." Von Bowling said while gesturing to his wolf. "She shall serve as my eyes and ears to your demise, as I have surgically installed a video recording system into her nerves. Now then, I bid you all adieu."

Francis then left the office with his two cronies, and the Gems & spy were left to hang over the pool of sharks while the Officer and the collector were still in the energy cage and Alphonse stood watch.

"So this is your idea of having fun in Los Diego?" Bismuth asked Lapis. "Going on a spy mission with What's His Face here?"

"Jones, Bane Jones." Bane introduced himself to the blacksmith and the fusion.

"We need to find a way to break out of this cage and stop that madman from taking over the world!" Garnet exclaimed.

"Don't worry guys, I got this covered!" Amethyst replied before she began shapeshifting her hand. "Ha, key hand!" she declared and used the key hand to open the cage, setting everyone free. "That was way too easy."

"You are correct Amethyst." Bane replied. "Now come along, we must stop Bowling!"

"Right." Garnet said. "I don't know how we got roped into this, but we're coming with." Then she turned to the Officer. "Officer, get this man to the proper authorities."

"You got it Garnet!" the Officer boldly responded and brandished a pair of handcuffs to trap the collector with while Bane and the Gems raced to stop Francis, taking care to knock out Alphonse along the way.

Meanwhile, down below at the Nerds and Geeks Convention, everyone continued laughing at Pearl for the soup seller calling her a Karen while Neil decided to turn and leave, at least until Pearl grabbed the director by the collar.

"So Pearl, how does it feel being on the other end of the insult knife?" Neil grinned. "You know, maybe my next film after The Bees should be a horror-comedy about the life of some overly entitled woman, and the real horror should come from how it's even possible for this person to fit into normal society! I'm gonna call it 'Seeing the Manager'!"

"Why can't you just accept that sometimes, you aren't the genius visionary that you think you are?!" Pearl yelled at the director's face. "What would your mother think about this?"

"Oh, bringing my mother into this, I see." Michaels declared. "Well, she'd say yo mama so fat, that Lord Boxman would look like an Adonis in comparison!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Pearl asked.

"Lord Boxman, he's a character from a video game." Neil explained. "I'm basically doing a yo mama joke! Now you try!"

"Okay then." Pearl rolled up her sleeves and took a jab at yo mama jokes. "Your mother is so obscene; she'd make the most foul-mouthed comedian look squeaky clean in comparison." The crowd gathered around them laughed loudly at Pearl's insult.

"Yo mama so ugly, she looked out the window and got arrested for mooning!" Neil retaliated, inciting more laughter.

"I believe your mom is so perky, the only time she went low was at limbo!" Pearl fought back.

"Get 'em Bird Karen!" a cosplayer cheered Pearl on. Being called that name again of course made Pearl blush.

"Low, eh?" Neil chuckled arrogantly. "Well, how's this for low?! YO MAMA SO FAT, SHE-"

Neil's joke was then cut off by a loud explosion coming from a skyscraper across town, and a helicopter that Garnet, Amethyst, Bismuth, and Bane were clinging onto while Lapis flew after them.

"I will not let you foil me this time!" Francis von Bowling exclaimed while protectively holding onto a beaker containing his mind-controlling pathogen.

"On the contrary von Bowling, this game is over!" Bane declared while holding up the air freshener. "Gems, now!"

"On it!" Lapis answered while snatching the air freshener from the secret agent's hands and using it to spritz the pathogen into nothingness, ending Francis's plans once and for all.

"No!" Francis cried before turning to his two minions piloting the helicopter. "FUBAR you two, FUBAR!"

"Boss, watch your language!" Milton exclaimed while taking his hands off the chopper controls.

"Milton you dolt, the helicopter!" Lennie cried to his larger partner as the helicopter flew out of control & crashed to the ground, leaving the fates of the supervillain and his minions uncertain while Bane and the Gems managed to land safely on the ground.

"Just take a deep breath Francis." Bane quipped as Francis, Lennie & Milton emerged from the wreckage to find themselves surrounded by the police.

"Looks like it's behind bars for you three again." The Officer declared as he emerged from the horde of cops with the collector in handcuffs behind him.

"You fools may have won, but I'll be back!" von Bowling vowed revenge as he and his two henchmen were carted off to prison while Pearl & Peridot raced through the crowds to see their friends.

"Are you all okay?" Pearl asked worriedly.

"Okay? I'm great!" Amethyst declared. "That was the most fun night I've ever had!"

"Glad you had a good time Amethyst." Bane Jones thanked Amethyst. "If you ever want to find me again, you know where to go."

"Exemplary work Mr. Jones, as always." B congratulated her subordinate through an earpiece. "Return to base at once. And give those Gems my regards."

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but duty calls." Bane said before he summoned his Tormenta to drive away in. "Till we meet again."

The Tormenta drove off into the dark city streets, leaving the Gems behind while Neil Michaels raced towards them.

"Hey, we haven't settled things yet!" Neil declared.

"You know what, this was all so silly to begin with." Pearl smirked while tapping Neil on his nose. "Kind of like many of your movies."

"Yeah, I'm just beat after tonight," Amethyst added. "I'd rather just turn in for the night when we get back and never get up."

"You're right Amethyst," Garnet agreed. "I think it's time we go home."

"Leaving so soon? But I just met you guys!" the Officer said, then he started looking around before whispering to them. "But that reminds me, someone's gonna need a big hug soon."

The Officer soon left the Crystal Gems with that cryptic warning, one that none of them knew meant at the moment but would soon be very critical.

Back outside the beach house, the battle between Steven and Black Rutile continued long into the night. Although Steven's pink form was very powerful, Black Rutile eventually found her way around it through some strategizing, and it quickly became a mere annoyance for her, eventually resulting in the two becoming evenly matched.

"Why can't you just stay down?!" Steven roared at Black Rutile before grabbing her by the back of her head and smashing her face into the sand.

"Because at this rate, I'm starting to pity you more and more!" Black Rutile confessed, forcing Steven to stop in his tracks and return to normal. "Seriously, think Steven think!" she yelled with fingers to her temples before making grand sweeping hand gestures to prove her point. "The reason why everyone is drifting away from you is not just because they're all moving on with their lives, but because you're such an outrageously toxic creature who thinks everything should revolve around him!"

"How is that pity?" Steven said tersely.

"What I'm trying to say is that you should grow a spine for once." The evil Rutile stated. "Kindness is a mere concept that can easily be exploited and turned against you. That is why I prefer power through fear and control. And you should start doing the same. When you think someone is deliberately doing something selfish without thinking of you despite you being dragged along, you must fight back! Got it?!"

Steven kept silent despite Black Rutile getting incredibly close to his face. "Ugh, I can't even with you." She groaned before deciding to walk away. "But then again, I've already broken you enough. What's the point of talking to you for any longer?"

Black Rutile soon finally left Steven alone at the beach to contemplate her words. Was he truly as toxic and controlling as she claims he is, or was it just more lies to further drive him off the deep end? Those questions would have to wait as Steven raced back to the beach house just as the Crystal Gems finally returned from Calivada.

"What a night." Pearl moaned in relief that they were finally back in Beach City. "I think I'm ready to just fall on the couch and never get up."

"Ditto." Amethyst said while eating some mulligatawny from the soup salesman. "Oh hey Steven, how was your night?"

"Oh it's fine, everything went okay!" Steven lied to keep his encounter with Black Rutile a secret from the others. "No uninvited guests coming to turn me against you!"

"That's a little oddly specific." Garnet lowered her eyelids before sitting down on the couch with a loud sigh. "What do you say, Steven, you need to sit down?"

"Do I ever." Steven exhaled loudly before falling on the sofa next to Garnet, and the two were soon engulfed in a cuddle pile with the other Gems, who were simply too exhausted to do or say anything else. However, Steven still had some nasty thoughts racing through his mind. "She's wrong, they still love me." He muttered while quietly shedding a few tears. "They still love me."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 5: Playdate

One afternoon in Beach City, Steven was once again left alone in the beach house. However, there thankfully was no sociopathic Rutiles wanting to break in and gaslight him into turning against his friends today. Instead, he stood in his room while gazing at a sign that said "Days since Turning Pink" hanging on his wall, with a blank spot that had the number 3 written on it.

"Wow, three days since my last outburst." Steven congratulated himself before patting his shoulder. "Good job Steven, making real progress." However, his pride soon turned into worry as he began contemplating how long it would take before he would explode again. "At least, for now."

Suddenly, Steven heard a loud rumbling sound coming from outside that made everything in his room shake, and he raced outside to find a massive yellow arm descending from the skies and heading straight for him. "Yellow?"

The arm immediately stopped itself before turning over and opening its palm, allowing Yellow Diamond to emerge with her arms folded behind her back and a genial smile on her face. "Good day to you Steven." The Diamond greeted Steven. "I suppose you're probably wondering why I come here today."

"If you're asking for any of the Gems, I don't think they can come today." Steven answered. "They're on the hunt for Black Rutile's current whereabouts, but every time they think they found her, she's always one step ahead of them."

"Everyone on Homeworld is still doing their part to quell her uprising," Yellow responded. "but one of us just wants to see you again." Once Yellow finished speaking, a pink and white blur bounced up from behind her and tackled Steven to the ground.

"Steven!" Spinel cried, wrapping Steven into a tight hug. "It's been so long! How you been buddy?!"

"I'm doing good Spinel." Steven laughed nervously, both at once again hiding everything he's been through recently and at how the last time Spinel's been on Earth, she nearly destroyed it, before disentangling himself from the stretchy Gem's embrace. "So, how have things been going for you on Homeworld? The Diamonds treating you okay?"

"Oh, it's fine Steven, no need to worry!" Spinel assured Steven. "Sure, they do coddle me a bit, but I'm overall livin' the dream there! I get to meet so many new Gems, learn about everything that's happened while I was stuck in the garden, and I also get to use Pink's old room! But I thought it would be nice to get a real taste of Earth without, y'know, trying to destroy it because I was left behind."

"I figured that since I'll be busy all day searching for more Gems allied with Black Rutile, Spinel could use what you humans call a babysitter." Yellow stated. "Would you be willing to watch over her here?"

"Sure, it'd be nice to catch up with Spinel." Steven agreed to the offer before he got an idea. "Hey, I got an idea. Why don't I take you to Empire City?" he asked Spinel. "It's an Earth city not too far from here, and I think you'd really like the sights there."

"Wow, a new place?!" Spinel cheered. "That'd be so much fun!"

"Yes, that would be delightful." Yellow smiled before she retreated into her ship. "Now I'll be back by nightfall, so do come back by then."

"Bye Yellow!" Spinel waved the Diamond goodbye as it flew away from Earth. "So, when can we leave Steven?"

"We can leave right now if you want," Steven answered. "I just gotta get ready first."

"Yay!" Spinel cheered.

A few minutes later, Steven led Spinel into the Dondai Supremo and drove away from Beach City to Empire City, and Spinel was super excited to get there.

"Are we there yet?" Spinel asked.

"No." Steven laughed.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"How about I turn on the radio to pass the time?" Steven offered before adjusting the dials on the car radio.

"-nd that was Royalty with My Lord." The radio announcer declared. "And coming up next on 13.2 "The Band", we got Rhiannon Giddens with her hit single Wandering Roads!"

"Wandering roads that carry me home, lead me through both right and wrong." Rhiannon Giddens sang over the radio. "I may love and I may lose, still I know I'll always choose."

"What kinda music is this?" Spinel asked Steven while the song continued.

"This is what humans call country music." Steven answered. "Not a lot of people like it very much."

"Well, I like it." Spinel said before she began to sing along with Rhiannon. "Since the day that you were born, footsteps fall on a path well-worn. Strings that pull, you'll never see. Chains that bind you, set you free. All on your journey home."

"I thought you'd like it." Steven chuckled at the singing Gem as they passed a sign saying "Now entering Jersey", signifying that their long journey to Empire City was almost at an end. "Hey, wanna head to a rest stop?"

"Do I?!" Spinel took a break from singing to answer Steven's question. "Uh, what's a rest stop?"

"That's a rest stop." Steven pointed to a rest area that he pulled the car into before the two got out. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom, be back soon."

"Sounds good to me." Spinel agreed as she leaned against the Supremo while Steven walked away to the restroom. Although the pink Gem obediently stayed behind at the car, her curiosity of the world around her got the better of her and Spinel decided to look around the rest stop.

Touring the oasis around her, Spinel could see many humans milling about the establishment. Some came alone, while others had friends, family, or both to spend time with at the included restaurants, arcades, and gift shops. And there was one item at the gift shop that caught her eye.

"Find something you like little girl?" the burly gift shop owner with a massive blonde pompadour asked Spinel while she gazed at his inventory.

"Yeah, what's that supposed to be?" Spinel inquired, pointing at a white bag with red heart designs in front of her.

"That fanny pack?" the salesman replied. "It can be yours for only $14.99."

"Sorry pal, I don't have any of that." Spinel declared. "What else can I use to get it?"

"You got a credit card?" the seller asked, and Spinel shook her head. "Check?" Spinel shook her head again. "Lotto ticket?" Again. "Any possessions you can trade me?"

"Still no." Spinel admitted. "I barely know what you're talking about, I just want that bag."

Just then, Steven finally emerged from the rest stop bathroom and found Spinel conversing with the gift shop owner, so he walked up to the pair to see what's going on. "Anything the matter here?"

"I want this thing, but I don't got any of what this guy's talking about!" Spinel explained while sticking a thumb out to the seller and the fanny pack.

"She some kinda hobo?" the seller asked Steven.

"No, she's just an alien with barely any knowledge about our Earth currency." Steven said while pulling out his wallet. "How much for the fanny pack?"

"$14.99." the seller answered, and Steven replied by handing him fifteen dollars. "Thank you kid, here's your butt sack."

"Hehe, butt sack!" Spinel giggled at the name of her new fanny pack while she put it on around her waist. "So what do you think Steven," she asked Steven while showing off her new accessory by swinging her hips. "do I make this look good or what?"

"Yeah, it really suits you." Steven answered before the two began walking back to the Dondai Supremo. "But why do you want that?"

"I just thought the butt sack looked cool." Spinel answered. "Plus, that's what I'm calling it from now on, my butt sack."

"Aside from looking cool, the butt sack can also be really useful." Steven said while turning on the car and driving away from the rest stop. "It's basically a bag, but you wear it around your waist so you can carry stuff while keeping your hands free."

"Sounds neat!" Spinel exclaimed. "So, how much longer till Empire City?"

"Not too long." Steven answered while checking the map between Beach and Empire City on his phone. "The trip usually takes around three hours, so we can find ways to spend the time until we get there."

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's have some fun!" Spinel declared before she switched on the radio to a country music channel and began singing along, and Steven soon joined in.

A few hours later, Steven and Spinel finally arrived in Empire City. The metropolis itself was utterly mindblowing to Spinel, as she saw seemingly endless skyscrapers outside the window and all sorts of humans wandering the streets. Some looked a little like Steven, and others were completely different.

"So this is Empire City?" Spinel asked Steven while he parked the car.

"You bet it is." Steven declared before the two got out. "We're currently in one of its boroughs, Brooklyn. Here you'll find Coney Island, the House of Yes, DUMBO, and many more." He said while gazing at his phone to look up things to do during their trip. "Where do you want to go first?"

"I wanna go to that Coney Island place." Spinel answered as she gazed over Steven's shoulder at his phone. "Are there actual cones there?"

"No, it's only one of the most famous amusement parks in the world!" Steven declared. "I think you'd like it there. Besides, it's only a forty-minute drive."

"Aw, another drive?! But we just got here!" Spinel complained before the two got back in the Supremo.

"Oh, don't get so down," Steven assured as he started the car again and set off for Coney Island. "The journey will surely be worth it."

And indeed, the journey was worth it. As soon as the two reached Coney Island and Steven paid for admission into one of the amusement parks, Spinel raced in to try out as many rides & games as she could and won as many prizes as she could fit into her new fanny bag, and Steven indulged in her excitement all the way.

Unfortunately for Spinel, the fun could only last for so long and the pair had to leave to see some of the other sights of Empire City, but she still found it all worth it for all the fun she had at Coney Island.

Steven and Spinel's tour of Empire City soon took them to the Bowery, where Steven decided that they should take a break to eat at Pepe's Burgers, the same restaurant that used one of Greg's songs in their commercials which made him a millionaire.

"Here you go miss, five triple-decker cheeseburgers and two large fries." The cashier announced while handing Spinel five large burgers & two packs of French fries that she happily took away from the counter and back to the table where Steven was sitting.

"Thank you so much for taking me out Steven," Spinel said gratefully while stuffing her mouth full of burgers and tenderly stroking a stuffed rabbit poking out of her fanny pack. "this is the most fun I've ever had in thousands of years!"

"You're very welcome Spinel." Steven smiled happily. "I'm glad you're having fun here, but me? I'm getting kind of tired. We should probably head back to Beach City soon."

"Geez, no need to be a buzzkill." Spinel complained again while eating another cheeseburger. "But then again, we never did something you wanted to do, this has been all about me today. What do you think we should do next?"

"WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY!" an announcer on a television behind the duo yelled, taking them by surprise. "Hey you, sitting down! You on a trip with a friend and they ask what you want to do?!"

"Why, yes!" Steven answered. "That's a little convenient."

"Well, I know what you're going to do today!" the television continued before cutting to an aerial shot of a massive basketball stadium, the sight of which made Steven excited. "Come on down to Maramba Stadium, home to the Empire City Vipers where they'll be playing their most important game this season! It's ECV versus the Keystone Coyotes! Be there, be there, be there!"

"The Vipers, that's it!" Steven realized happily and burst from his seat. "Come on Spinel, let's go see the Empire City Vipers!"

"YEAH!" Spinel exclaimed as she jumped out after Steven. "Uh, who are the Vipers?"

"The Empire City Vipers are my favorite basketball team ever!" Steven explained while pulling out his wallet to show off a basketball card depicting a middle-aged man with large sideburns dribbling on the court. "Their star player is one of my heroes, Beckham "Muttonchops" Jordan!"

"Nice hair." Spinel commented on Beckham's trademark sideburns.

"Come on, let's go!" Steven said while taking Spinel's hand, but the game would have to wait.

"Hold on a second kid!" the cashier stopped Steven and Spinel in their tracks. "You still need to pay for your meal."

"Sorry sir, got a little excited." Steven apologized as he took some money and left it at the table before getting back to racing out of the restaurant.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in-between, welcome to the grand playoffs between Empire City and Keystone!" a basketball commentator announced at Maramba Stadium, where dozens of excited fans gathered to watch the epic basketball game, Steven and Spinel included. "We're bound to have a good day today folks, so without further ado, your starting line-up for the Empire City Vipers!"

First off was a young man in a blue and yellow basketball uniform with a smug grin on his face who strolled into the arena with a stride in his step. "BEN "BUGS" AVERY!"

Next up was an excitable dark-skinned fellow who put up peace signs for his adoring fans. "DANIEL "DAFFY" JONES!"

A stout and meek man was up next, giving a polite wave to the spectators. "PERCY "PORKY" FRELENG!"

A much skinner guy was up next, excitedly jogging in place with his tongue out. "RORY "THE RUNNER" MCKIMSON!"

Finally, a much taller, hairier, and more muscular man emerged from the corner to join his teammates on the court, waving to the fans along the way. "AND FINALLY, THE MAN HIMSELF! HIS ROYAL SLAM-JESTY, BECKHAM "MUTTONCHOPS" JORDAN!"

"MUTTONCHOPS! MUTTONCHOPS! MUTTONCHOPS!" the crowds began cheering for Beckham Jordan as the Empire City Vipers took their places on the court, standing face to face with their rivals from Keystone. Although Steven was joining in on the chanting, Spinel was left completely lost.

"I don't get it. What's so appealing about this?" Spinel asked out loud. "What is it about these guys that makes everyone so excited?"

"It's the intensity of the game that gets everyone on the edge of their seats Spinel." Steven replied as the big game began. "Two teams of five players compete to see who can score the most points by dunking the ball into either team's hoop."

"So that's it, just throwing a ball around?" Spinel muttered. "Puh-lease, I did the exact same thing with Pink, and there weren't thousands of humans to watch me!"

"You'll learn to like it Spinel, I'm sure of it." Steven assured his mom's old best friend while the game continued, and Beckham quickly scored a point for the Vipers. "WOO, GO BECKHAM!"

As the game went on, Steven and Spinel's reactions were as different as night and day. While Steven continued cheering on his favorite player, Spinel just watched with a mild interest in the event while stroking the head of the stuffed bunny in her fanny pack. "Hey, I got a question. What's with all the funny names these players have?"

"Those are all nicknames Spinel." Steven explained once again. "For example, The Runner gets his name because he's so fast on the court, Daffy is absolutely unpredictable, and Bugs really likes getting under his opponents' skins."

Down below in the grand game between the Vipers and the Coyotes, Bugs Avery demonstrated just how annoying he could be to his rivals while snatching the ball out of an enemy player's hands. "Gotcha doc!"

"Hey, that's my ball!" the Charm City Coyotes' power forward bellowed.

"No, it ain't!" Bugs sneered.

"Yes, it is!" the other player yelled.

"No, it ain't!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it ain't!"

"No, it ain't!"

"Yes, it is!" Bugs declared.

"No, it ain't!" the enemy player said before he suddenly realized that Bugs had played him for a fool. "Wait, what?!"

"And Bugs employs his classic reverse psychology!" the commentator declared as Bugs made a bank shot, scoring a point for the Vipers. "How despicable!"

"That's Bugs's signature move!" Steven exclaimed. "He doesn't even need to use his hands for that one, just a little way with words!"

Just then, a horn sounded as the score was displayed as 25 for the Vipers and 15 for the Coyotes, and below it was a sign declaring "HALFTIME!"

"I say, I say, time out!" the referee exclaimed while forming his hands into a T.

"Looks like we got halftime, folks!" the announcer boomed while the players stopped what they were doing and returned to their respective locker rooms. "Let's allow our stars to relax for a bit while taking a moment for the ECV cheer squad to take the stage!"

As soon as both basketball teams left the court, a group of young women in midriff-baring tops bearing the colors of the Vipers & blue skirts holding matching-colored pom-poms marched out onto the court and got ready to perform.

"Ready?" the head cheerleader, an olive-skinned Asian woman with spiky red hair in a high ponytail asked her squadmates.

"OKAY!" the other cheerleaders yelled as they began to dance. "Come on Vipers, you can't miss! Show them how you really hiss! Just like a rattlesnake, you know how to make them shake!"

"What are those humans doing?" Spinel gasped in amazement at the cheerleaders as they started stacking themselves into a pyramid.

"That's just the Empire City Vipers' cheerleading team," Steven said. "They're really good at pumping up the crowd."

"Please, I can do better!" Spinel boasted before she took off her fanny pack. "Hold my butt sack." Spinel then started glowing and changed her attire to be an exact copy of the cheerleaders' uniform, though with her heart-shaped gem in place of the ECW on the top, while tying her hair into a heart-shaped ponytail. "How do I look?"

"Uh…." Steven muttered confusedly while Spinel struck a few poses in her makeshift cheerleading costume before she bounced away. "Spinel, wait!" Steven called out to the elastic Gem as Spinel took over the cheer squad's pyramid while turning her hands into pom-poms.

"WOO, GO VIPERS!" Spinel yelled as she stood on top of the head cheerleader at the tip of the pyramid, making everyone go deathly silent. "Hey, come on guys! You all love the Vipers, don'tcha?"

"Who's this chick?" one of the cheerleaders at the bottom of the pyramid whispered to another.

"I think she jumped out of the audience." The other cheerleader replied.

"Okay girls, let me down." The head cheerleader commanded her squadmates to carefully carry her down the pyramid and back onto the floor. "Megaphone." She then asked for a bullhorn to speak into. "Will whoever's watching over this stretchy pink girl please come down to pick her up?"

"Spinel!" Steven facepalmed at Spinel's disruption and got up from his seat. "Excuse me, you guys." He apologized to the spectators he sat between before hopping up in the air and hovering over to the court.

"WITCHCRAFT!" one audience member yelled, inciting mutters of shock and amazement at Steven's abilities as he landed next to Spinel, and some even took out their phones to record.

"Spinel, did you really have to do that?" Steven groaned exasperatedly at the pink Gem, who was looking very apologetic. "You just made a big scene all because you just wanted to show off!"

"I'm sowwy Steven!" Spinel apologized while sounding like a little kid. "I thought we were gonna have fun here!"

"I'm sorry too Spinel," Steven replied. "But-"

"Something the matter here?" the voice of a black man wearing a T-shirt bearing the colors of the Vipers asked as he stepped out into the court with Beckham Jordan.

"Hey Monroe, this girl here just hijacked our routine." The Vipers' head cheerleader said, gesturing to Spinel.

"And I see she's got a friend, Makoto." Beckham Jordan replied as he turned his attention to Steven & Spinel, the former left to gasp and gape in utter shock at his favorite basketball player looking right at him. "Something the matter, sport?"

"Sorry, he's a real big fan." Spinel laughed before slapping Steven in the face, bringing him back to reality.

"Thanks Spinel." Steven said gratefully before his jaw dropped again at the sight of Beckham. "Beckham Jordan is talking to me?!"

"Yes, Beckham Jordan is indeed talking to you." The star player of the Vipers beamed. "This is our coach, Matt Monroe." He then introduced the black man. "And I suppose you're familiar with my good friend here, head Vipers cheerleader Makoto Fuji."

"Nice to meetcha, I'm Spinel!" Spinel introduced herself by shaking Beckham's hand and giving him a big kiss that covered most of his head. "And this is my buddy, Steven! Say hi Steven!"

"Uh, uh, hi." Steven sheepishly greeted his Royal Slam-Jesty.

"Looks like lil' flyboy here's a bit starstruck." The commentator pointed out. "Anyone got anything to say or are we just gonna keep up the silent treatment?"

"Come on boy, say something ya big shnook!" the referee called out to Steven, giving him the courage to properly speak to his basketball idol.

"My name's Steven Universe." Steven introduced himself to Beckham. "I'm a super huge fan of you Mr. Jordan, loved you ever since I watched you with my dad on TV back in 2006, I think."

"Ah yes, the good ol' Jayhawk Pussycats." Beckham declared nostalgically. "Nice place, Jayhawk was. If you're ever in the area, come on down to a little place called Los Pollos Hermanos and tell 'em Beckham sent ya."

"So, are we in trouble?" Spinel nervously asked.

"Naw, it's okay girlie." Matt chuckled deeply. "This ain't the first time it happened this season."

"I still recall when we had to call security on that girl." Makoto added. "Though we did give her a free uniform as compensation."

"Hey, I got an idea." Beckham stated. "Steven, why don't you and Spinel come on over to my place after the game so we can shoot some hoops together?"

"Me, play against you?!" Steven gasped excitedly. "It would be an honor, Mr. Jordan!"

"Pleasure's all mine, little guy." Beckham replied gratefully. "And please, just call me Beck."

"Well, that was certainly the weirdest halftime we've gotten this season!" the announcer boomed over the speakers as Steven and Spinel returned to their seats and Beckham to the locker room. "Not only did we get another cheerleader hijacking, but a flying Beckham fanboy too, and a lucky one at that!"

"You still mad about what just happened?" Spinel asked remorsefully.

"It's alright Spinel." Steven laughed. "Besides, thanks to you, I'm gonna play with Beckham Jordan and see his penthouse!" he added before giving Spinel a big hug. "Thanks so much!"

"No prob Bob." Spinel replied just as happily while wrapping Steven in her extendable arms while the game started back up.

Eventually, the big basketball game ended with the Empire City Vipers winning against the Charm City 55-49, to the delight of their fans. As soon as Beckham Jordan, Matt Monroe, and Makoto Fuji left the stadium with Steven & Spinel in tow, a limousine was there to drive the five away from Maramba Stadium to their destination at Beckham's penthouse.

"Well, here we are you two." Beckham, now having switched his uniform for a T-shirt & jeans, announced as they got off the elevator at an opulent apartment building and he turned on the lights, revealing a grand living room before them all. "Welcome to my pad and our favorite hangout spot."

"Like what you see?" Makoto, now clad in a burgundy sports bra underneath a tank top with a picture of a dancing frog holding a top hat & cane and some spandex shorts, asked the pair.

"Like it? I love it!" Steven exclaimed while looking around at the big screen TV, massive couch, refined kitchen, an entrance to what he assumed to be Beck's training court, and many, many posters depicting his accomplishments, including one featuring Dogcopter that caught his eye. "Wait, is that the Vipers vs Dogcopter movie?!"

"Yeah, good ol' basically a commercial for my line of sneakers." Beck answered. "I was young and needed the money, but I still had a fun time nonetheless." He then motioned towards a picture of himself shaking hands with a man in a suit who was pointing at Beck with a cheerful smile. "And this is me with Secretary of Health Benjamin Rouleau. Real talkative fellow, he was."

"Protein shake?" Makoto offered while getting some milk from the fridge.

"I'll take one!" Spinel accepted. "Gems don't need to eat, but I'd sure like to."

"Don't need to eat?" Makoto gasped after pouring the milk in a blender and turning to get some more ingredients for the shake like fruit, yogurt, and peanut butter. "Wow, sometimes I wish I didn't need to eat either so I wouldn't hog all the snacks!"

"So, a Gem, eh?" Matt asked while fishing a diamond ring from his pocket. "You mean like this?"

However, the sight of the ring made Spinel very confused and start questioning everything. "Uh, where did you get that?"

"I think it's best we don't ask any questions Spinel." Steven declared just as nervously as he sat Spinel down on the couch. "But to answer your question, Gems are not entirely like your jewelry. They're immortal light-based beings that come in pretty much every color you can think of. Their powers depend on what kind of Gem they are. Like for example, Spinel can stretch her body and bounce around since she was made to be a playmate for my mom."

"And I'm going to assume your mom was a Gem too?" Matt asked while sitting down next to their two new friends as Makoto served the shakes.

"Yeah, she was one of the rulers of all Gems, the Diamonds." Steven continued explaining to the trio. "However, she got tired of her life, combined with being mistreated by her fellow Diamonds, so she disguised as another Gem, faked her death, and started a war."

"And left me behind in the process." Spinel added sadly, eliciting feelings of sympathy and curiosity. "I was made to be Pink's best friend, but she started getting sick of me after she got her own colony, which was Earth by the way, until one day she left me in this garden we played in for the next six thousand years while she went off fighting wars to protect Earth. Then when Steven made his little message to the universe, it happened to reach me and really set me off, causing me to come down with a massive Injector to try and poison Earth."

"Parent issues, huh?" Beckham said while placing a hand on Spinel's shoulder. "Kinda reminds me of my relationship with my dad. Well, minus the whole wanting to destroy Earth because you were made about being left stranded for thousands of years thing. He was really harsh on me, sometimes even a little too harsh. I turned to basketball to vent my frustrations, and with help from friends I made over the years," Beck then pointed to Makoto & Matt, who grinned happily. "I was able to turn that anger around and make myself a legend. Just goes to show no matter how garbage your life is, you can get back up no matter what."

"Wow, neat story." Steven said while sipping his protein shake.

"Indeed," Matt replied before hugging Beck from the side. "Beck and I have been thick as thieves ever since he was starting out."

"And I first met him when I wasn't even team captain of the Vipers cheer squad." Makoto added. "I was super awkward and unsure I even had a future in cheerleading, but Jordan was there to pick me up and help me become a superstar."

"But enough about us, let's get to why you wanted to be here." Beck emerged from the warm embrace of his two friends to point at Steven. "You still ready to shoot some hoops?"

"You bet I do!" Steven answered, dramatically slamming his almost empty drink on the table in front of them before turning to Spinel. "And you and Makoto can cheer from the sidelines Spinel, without interrupting anything."

"Sounds good to me!" Spinel cheered as she assumed her cheerleader outfit once again and bounced on over to Beck's personal court.

"This is going to be so much fun." Makoto said while doing some stretches to limber herself up as Steven and Beck took their places on Beck's training court.

"Let's see if you can bend as much as I can, sweetie." Spinel taunted good-naturedly.

"I got some frequently washed yoga pants that'll prove you wrong." Makoto replied.

"Okay ladies, focus on the real competition here." Matt chuckled while getting between Steven and Beck. "Y'all ready for this, boys?"

"I'm so ready!" Steven answered.

"Just give it your all, Steven." Beck told his young fan.

"Now let's slam!" Matt declared before blowing his whistle, cuing the game to start. Steven gunned for the ball first and dribbled it to the basket on the left side of the court, scoring him a point.

"WOO, GO STEVEN!" Spinel cheered while waving her pom-pom hands around.

"Come on Jordan, you can beat him!" Makoto yelled, raising her pom-poms in the air, causing the two to glare at each other.

"Please, I can cheer better!" Spinel bragged to Makoto.

"Wanna bet?" the cheerleader challenged the Gem and pulled her phone from her gym bag to play some music.

"Go go Steven, you're the man! If you can't do it, who else can?!" Spinel began singing while Steven scored another point. "Beckham is still pretty neat, but my pal Steven can't be beat!"

"Come on Beckham, you can do it! You're so good, there's nothing to it!" Makoto began swaying her toned body to the beat as Beckham scored for the first time. "Steven may be your biggest fan, but to me, you are the man!"

"What makes you think he can win this? You are sadly mistaken, miss!" the two began harmonizing. "We could cheer till the end of the night, hope you're ready for a fight song fight!"

"Nice music girls!" Steven called out to the cheerleaders, allowing Beckham to catch him off guard and steal the ball away to score a point.

"Too slow Steven!" Beckham laughed.

"Two to two, gang!" Matt called out. "We're at a tie here, but let's see who can turn this around!"

"Jordan's been doing this for years, and I've been there to give him cheers!" Makoto continued singing as Beckham scored his third point. "Your friend is pretty good little bud, but he ain't got the sweat, tears, and blood!"

"Well cutie-pie, you're dead wrong! Allow me to end this song," Spinel replied while Steven scored his third point as well. "by telling how much Steven can fight! He can take a hit and get up right!"

"What makes you think he can win this? You are sadly mistaken, miss!" Spinel and Makoto declared. "We could cheer until the end of the night, who's the winner of this fight song fight?!"

"AAAAAND the game goes to Beckham!" Matt yelled as his buddy won the fourth point, winning the game. "Good try Steven, but you can't beat the pros!"

"Good game Steven." Beck complimented his young opponent by shaking his hand.

"Yeah, good game." Steven replied, returning the handshake before looking at his watch. "Oh my, Yellow Diamond could be coming back soon! We gotta go!"

"Already?" Makoto said in mock disappointment. "But we were having so much fun!"

"I agree, but I still have a family of my own to come back to." Spinel said. "Hopefully we can do this again someday!"

"Yeah, maybe I could properly introduce you to the rest of the cheer team." Makoto replied.

"By the way, let me get something to remember us by." Beckham said before walking away and coming back with a dirty white & red jersey. "This is my uniform from back when I played for the Jayhawk Pussycats. Be sure to take good care of it, Spinel."

"I will." Spinel smiled before packing the jersey into her fanny pack. "Well, see y'all real soon!"

"Wait, let's take a selfie first!" Makoto offered, pulling out her phone and bringing Steven, Spinel, Beck, and Monroe in for a picture while making some duck-lips. "My thousands of followers are gonna love this!" With that, the selfie was taken.

When Steven and Spinel finally left the apartment building that Beck's penthouse suite stood on top of, night was beginning to fall, yet the city still shined brightly like thousands of lanterns all around them.

"This is so beautiful." Spinel muttered in amazement at the pretty lights around them.

"I know." Steven said, just as astonished. "Now, the Dondai shouldn't be too far. I think it's back at Maramba Stadium, which hopefully shouldn't be too far from-"

"Wait wait wait, you hear that?" Spinel asked, turning her finger into a horn that she put up to her ear as she faintly heard someone crying. "Come on, have a listen!" She then put the horn to Steven's ear, making him hear the crying too.

"I think someone needs help." Steven realized before the two began walking closer to the source of the crying, which turned out to be a little blonde girl playing with a cube while she kept on sniffling.

"Where are you?" the little girl quietly sobbed, not even noticing Steven and Spinel before her.

"I think I can handle this one Steven." Spinel declared before she walked up to the girl and got super close to her face. "Hey kid, can you stop crying and look at me?!" However, the girl yelped in fright and suddenly went quiet. "Oy, eyes up here sport!" Spinel continued with a snap of her fingers, but the girl refused to speak. "Not that much of a talker, are ya?"

"I think it's because you're being a little too direct. Let me try." Steven suggested before he sat down next to the child. "Hello, sorry about my friend. I'm Steven, what's your name?"

"Chloe." The girl said quietly. "Are you here to help me?"

"Of course we are." Steven smiled. "Can you tell me where your mother is?"

"I don't know." Chloe answered. "I only turned around and she was gone, and I have no idea where she is."

"It's alright, just stay calm and let us help you." Steven said before pulling out his phone. "Here, I'll call the police to help us out."

"You rang?" a police officer asked while appearing from seemingly out of nowhere, taking the three by surprise. "Apologies for the scare, I just heard someone say police officer and rushed right on over. What seems to be the matter?"

"This kid lost her mom." Spinel answered the officer. "Can you help us find her?"

"Oh sure," the Officer replied. "Just come with me to the station and we'll get to work!"

"Yay!" Chloe cheered, flapping her hands.

"I didn't know humans could do that!" Spinel said before beginning to flap her hands as well. "Am I doing it right?"

"Doesn't matter." Chloe beamed. "Some people always thought my hand flapping was strange, but my mommy always helped me learn how to be myself."

"Sounds like you got a pretty good mom Chloe." Spinel said before she hoisted Chloe over her shoulders and took her for a piggyback ride. "I know what it's like to be left behind, and I won't let it happen to anyone else."

"Thank you so much!" Chloe said and gave Spinel's head a big hug as the two of them, along with Steven and the Officer, began walking to the police station. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Call me Spinel." Spinel answered.

Later at the Empire City police station, Steven was having a talk with the Officer in another room while Spinel played with Chloe's cube outside, and Chloe was drawing something.

"So what's with this thing anyways?" Spinel asked Chloe. "Why did I see you playing with it?"

"That's my fidget cube." Chloe replied. "My mom got a few of them to help me focus because I sometimes have a hard time paying attention to things."

"Where can I get one of these?" Spinel asked again more eagerly.

"Maybe when Mom comes, I can ask her to give you one." Chloe suggested before Steven and the Officer emerged from the other room. "Anything Mr. Steven?"

"I was mostly just telling the Officer here about myself, since he did meet my friends in Los Diego." Steven answered.

"Now, all we need to do is get your mom's phone number and she'll be right on over." The Officer said as he picked up a phone. "Could you tell us to the best of your ability?"

"Of course!" Chloe said eagerly. "It's 1 (723) 201-1995."

"Nine-nine-five." The Officer repeated to himself and put the phone up to his ear. "Hello? Yes, this is the Empire City Police Department. Are you the mother of a little girl named Chloe?" he asked someone on the other end. "Good, cause a couple of tourists found her all alone and helped me bring her to the station. Can you come pick her up?"

"There, your mom should be comin' for ya tout sweet!" Spinel declared before Chloe gave her a big hug. "Aw, you're so nice."

"How are you able to memorize her number?" Steven asked Chloe.

"I just have a knack for those kinds of things." Chloe responded before a blonde woman, presumably her mother, came barging into the station. "Mommy!"

"Chloe!" Chloe's mother cried as her daughter came racing up to hug her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for leaving you behind like that! I didn't even notice I left you until the police called me!"

"You can thank us for that ma'am." Spinel stated, introducing herself and Steven.

"You truly are a lifesaver." The mother thanked the Gem. "My name's Yvonne, and thanks again for helping my daughter."

"Oh, that reminds me, Mom." Chloe said. "Would it be okay if Spinel got one of my fidget cubes as thanks?"

"I don't see why not." Yvonne agreed before fishing through her purse and finding a pink cube. "Here, I think it suits you."

"Aw shucks miss, you're making me blush!" Spinel thanked the mother sheepishly when she got an idea of her own. "Here, you can have this Chloe." She said, pulling the stuffed rabbit from her fanny pack and giving it to her new friend. "The least I can do."

"Thanks Spinel." Chloe said, swapping her drawing for the bunny before she and her mother began to leave the station. "Goodbye!"

"You're very welcome!" Steven called after the mother and daughter while Spinel gazed tenderly at the drawing of her and Chloe in her hands. "So Spinel, ready to go?"

"Of course." Spinel sniffed loudly and put the drawing and the cube in her pack.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Steven, tell those Gems I said hi." The Officer told Steven. "And by the way, don't start cracking up too much, if you get what I'm saying."

"I'm sorry, what?" Steven asked, but instead of a proper answer, the Officer disappeared like he was never there. "Who was that guy?" he muttered as he and Spinel left to go find the Dondai Supremo.

Soon, the Dondai Supremo finally returned to Beach City, and Yellow Diamond once again parked her ship in front of the beach house as she waited for Steven and Spinel.

"Now what could be keeping those two?" Yellow asked somewhat impatiently while gazing at the night sky when suddenly, she spotted a little car driving towards her. "Oh, there they are."

"Hi Yellow!" Spinel exclaimed, bursting from the car and racing towards the Diamond. "You'll never guess the fun day I had with Steven today! I got a ton of cool stuff from some people we met along the way and learned about human sports!"

"Oh that's delightful, I'm glad you had a good time today." Yellow grinned before becoming more serious. "Now come along, we still have work to do regarding a certain Rutile."

"Okay!" Spinel answered and then turned to Steven. "Thanks for everything today Steven."

"Pleasure's all mine Spinel. Maybe we can do this again someday." Steven said gratefully before Spinel gave him another big hug and then raced back to Yellow's side. "Don't be a stranger you guys!"

"We won't." Yellow shouted back before she and Spinel entered her arm ship and it finally took off into the night sky.

"So, what did you and Steven do today Spinel?" Yellow asked Spinel as the ship cruised back to Homeworld.

Spinel took one look at everything in her butt sack, from the Coney Island prizes to Beckham Jordan's Pussycats jersey, the fidget cube, and Chloe's drawing, before giving her answer with a smile.

"Everything."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 6: Pumpkin Patch

"Maybe I'll find myself smiling on that distant shore," Steven sang to himself while gazing at his watch as the oven timer counted down in front of him. "Maybe I'm not alone."

The timer beeped, notifying Steven that whatever he had in the oven was ready. After putting on some oven mitts and opening the oven, Steven pulled a pumpkin pie out and set it on the counter to cool. "This one is for you two, guys." He said before gazing at a nearby calendar that read June 7th. "I remember it like it was yesterday." Steven then began to reminisce on the aftermath of his visit to Homeworld.

A few weeks the Crystal Gems have successfully convinced the Diamonds to help them in healing the corrupted Gems on Earth, these Gems now needed somewhere to live. As far as Steven knew, there was no way they could expand the Temple to make room for all of them, and he's sure none of the newly healed Gems wanted to return to Homeworld, so the Crystal Gems decided that their only choice now was to build them their own little town. They had some basic ideas down, but all they needed now was a name.

"How about Peritropolis?!" Peridot suggested as she wrote down her choice of name on the whiteboard, with little sketches of her face surrounding the name for emphasis. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"How about something that won't stroke your ego?" Steven frowned at the idea.

"What about Barnstantinople?" Lapis proposed. "We are building it around where the barn used to be after all."

"Speaking of which, how's clean-up on that going?" Amethyst asked, looking out the window to gaze at the wreckage that was once Lapis and Peridot's barn house home. "I think some bits of it might be useful somehow."

"I say we put that on hold." Lapis stated. "That old barn caused just as much harm to Peridot and me as much as it did good."

"You serious about this?" Peridot asked her blue roommate. "I mean, we had so many good memories in there."

"Yeah, and a lot of those memories were you just bending over backwards trying to keep me happy." Lapis added. "I know you're still sad about me jumping ship and coming back with only a "Hey", but I still got things to work out, y'know."

"OK." Peridot said just as their pet Pumpkin opened the door. "Oh, hey Pumpkin!"

In contrast to Peridot being excited to see Pumpkin, the little canine fruit let out an exhausted bark before sitting down to nap, revealing wrinkles around her eyeholes.

"Hey, is your little buddy there doin' alright?" Bismuth asked. "I barely know a thing about the lifespan of organic creatures, but even I know she ain't doing so hot."

"Oh, I'm sure she's just tired!" Peridot assured Bismuth. "Just needs to rest, that's all!"

"Don't be so sure Peridot." Garnet advised the little Gem. "Pumpkin was brought to life with magic, which means she's probably lived longer than a pumpkin normally does."

"Just let her be happy Garnet." Pearl whispered into Garnet's ear. "She's already been through so much recently, and I don't think she can take anymore."

"You sure she's OK Dottie?" Steven asked Peridot regarding Pumpkin. "Nothing lasts forever, you know."

"Oh, she just needs some extra time in the Sun!" Peridot laughed. But despite her insistence, that wasn't how the story really went.

"Okay, a little to the left!" Peridot commanded Squaridot as the eye Gem Peridot levitated a lifeguard chair around while Bismuth, Ocean Jasper & Teal Zircon dug up the ground to build a swimming pool. "No, your other left!" she corrected herself. "Wait wait, your other OTHER left!"

"There's no such thing as an other other left!" Squaridot yelled and grumpily set the chair down next to where she was standing. "How's this?"

"Perfect." Peridot gave her fellow technician a thumbs up before turning around to see the Lapis twins walk towards the construction site. "Oh, I see our lifeguards wanna start early!"

"Why was it necessary for us to dress in these?" Laz wondered while modeling the red one-piece she was wearing. "I don't think red is my color."

"I don't know about you Laz, but I make this look good!" Zuli declared while flaunting her body in a matching outfit. "We look just like the hotties on Coast Patrol or Destiny from CPH season 3! By the way, where's Lapis? She's head lifeguard, so shouldn't she be out here with us?"

"She still has the suit, but she's not coming out because today is a special day." Peridot stated. "It's the anniversary of a certain something."

"Hey, I think I can see Steven's car!" Ocean Jasper cried out as she peeked out of the hole to find Steven disembarking from his Dondai Supremo and walking over with the pumpkin pie in hand. "And he's got a pie, maybe as thanks for our hard work."

"Naw, I don't think it's for us Ocean." Bismuth said just as Steven walked over to Peridot. "I think we should leave them alone for a bit and get back to work."

"Aw, but I wanted a pie!" Teal Zircon complained.

"I see you got the pie." Peridot said to Steven while gazing at the pie in his hands. "In case you're wondering, we worked on a new meep morp last night dedicated to her."

"Okay, why don't you show me?" Steven offered.

"I'd be happy to." Peridot smiled before turning back to everyone at the in-progress pool. "Keep up the good work everyone, I'll just be taking the rest off!"

"Yeah, take some time for yourself, Peri." Bismuth replied while Squaridot used her burgeoning ferrokinesis to lift the blacksmith out of the pool. "Just don't get too teary-eyed and fill up the pool early."

"Yeah, we're planning on filling the pool for our opening ceremony!" Teal called while struggling to get out.

"And I'm just gonna catch some rays." Laz declared as she sat down on a lawn chair, pulled some sunglasses over her eyes, and began sunbathing. However, her moment of peace was cut off by Zuli loudly blowing into her whistle and laughing.

"So, who's the pie really for Bis?" Ocean Jasper asked as she climbed out the pool before helping Teal and the two sat down next to Bismuth.

"You two got a moment?" Bismuth asked, and the Jasper and Zircon nodded in affirmation. "Well, the pie is actually for a friend of theirs."

Steven and Peridot kept walking away from the pool and eventually found themselves in front of the Little Homeworld house that Lapis & Peridot shared. It looked like a smaller version of the barn the two Gems once lived in, but instead of being decorated with a mishmash of items around the barnyard, it now looked like Peridot did most of the construction with bits of metal and advanced technology sprinkled onto a simple-looking two-story cabin.

"Hey Lapis, we're here." Steven called out to Lapis as he and Peridot entered the cabin to find Lapis napping on the couch with a manga on her lap and a red one-piece hanging on a clothes hanger nearby. "Lapis, wake up."

"Agh, don't go with her Pierre!" Lapis yelled as she woke up from her nap and rubbed her eyes to find Peridot & Steven before her. "Sorry you guys, I was trying on my lifeguard uniform, but then I got bored and decided to relax a little."

"You still remember what day it is?" Peridot asked while Steven presented his pumpkin pie.

"Yeah, I still do." Lapis declared sadly. "Want to see the meep morp we've been working on, Steven?"

"Sure." Steven replied before the two Gems took him upstairs to their shared bedroom & workshop, where a very large sculpture of Pumpkin stood, a big smile permanently etched onto the front beneath a pair of innocent eyes. "Almost like the real thing. Except bigger."

"Showing this to you makes me miss her even more." Peridot began to hold back tears. "I still remember how I coped with it too."

The groundbreaking ceremony of what would soon become Little Homeworld went quite swimmingly for the Crystal Gems, thanks to the support of their Beach City friends and the Diamonds. But amidst the rejoicing of a new beginning for Gems on Earth, there was some bad news that flew right under everyone's noses.

After Peridot marked the giant pit where the barn once was with Little Homeworld's flag, Pumpkin came strolling up to her green owner looking far wearier and more decayed than she did previously, a sight which worried them greatly. As soon as the ceremonies ended, Pumpkin was rushed back to the beach house.

"Please Steven, you gotta do something!" Peridot begged Steven while Pumpkin laid before the trio with a heavy sigh emitting from her mouth. "Pumpkin doesn't have much time left, surely you must have the solution like you always do!"

"I'm really sorry Peridot." Steven said regretfully. "As much as I would love to help you and Lapis out, Pumpkin wasn't long for this Earth anyways. Death is a perfectly natural part of life. It can be real sad and scary to watch someone you treasured so dearly go, but ultimately, their time will come all the same."

"So, she was going to die regardless?" Lapis said apprehensively while stroking the living gourd's rotting body. "I don't really see how this is possible since you did bring her to life with your powers, but I can deal with it."

"Well, I'm not!" Peridot objected tearfully. "It's not fair! I've already been through so much, why does the universe have to keep nailing the hammer into the coffin?!"

"Peridot, I know you're upset, but you gotta listen." Steven tried comforting his little green pal. "Death is completely natural, even if it's scary. I mean, my dad might die someday, and so might Connie. I'm not sure if I can die like a human though."

"Well, your race is different." Peridot declared. "None of you will ever know what it's like to live forever!" With that, she stormed out of the beach house to vent, leaving her two friends to worry for Peridot.

"I don't think I want to know where this is going." Lapis muttered.

"If it's anything like what happened to Peridot after you left Earth, I don't think she'll take it very well." Steven agreed.

Using a trashcan lid, Peridot flew far away from the general area of Beach City and into the countryside, where farmlands were very prosperous. Farmlands like the ones she and Lapis tended to together in the past, and the ones where Pumpkin was born. The very sight of all these fresh crops made her more miserable. What gave them the right to grow so healthy while Pumpkin looked so withered?

"Rackum frackum produce, I'll show you what for!" Peridot mumbled as she touched down in front of a pumpkin patch and swiftly got to work on destroying them. "You walked so Pumpkin could die!" she yelled as her green body became covered in orange pumpkin insides. "Why can't anything go my way for once?!"

"Hey, get offa my crops ya gremlin!" a farmer yelled at Peridot while stomping over to her with a pitchfork in hand. "You got any idea what it's like to work so hard on a great harvest, only for it to be ruined by a bunch of punks?!"

"No, but I'm sure you don't know what it's like to love someone only to lose them!" Peridot argued with the farmer, a retort that stunned him a little before he tried to look more sympathetic.

"Coping, eh?" the farmer said. "Look, you have every right to get mad, but that don't mean you can just stomp all over someone else's hard work! You gotta find better ways to vent, ya know!"

"Look, sir, I literally just ran away from home, I don't have time right now." Peridot coldly rejected the farmer's advice.

"Well, looks like you left me no choice." The farmer shook his head before reaching behind his back and pulling out a scary mask to frighten Peridot with. "BOOGEDY BOOGEDY BOOGEDY!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Peridot screamed loudly before flying away from the farm on her lid.

As soon as Peridot returned to Beach City, she soared right towards Steven's house, where she found him making a grilled cheese sandwich, and began pounding on his window.

"Steven! Steven!" Peridot yelled from outside, getting the half-Gem's attention. "Let me in, I wanna talk!"

"You know you can just come in yourself." Steven suggested before opening the door for his green friend. "How have things been going?"

"I got an idea for you." Peridot stated. "How about in exchange for helping me with Pumpkin, I'll do something for you in return. Just name your price, I'll do anything!"

"Peridot, are you trying to bribe me into saving Pumpkin?" Steven asked. "Didn't I tell you earlier that death is a natural part of life?"

"But you managed to save Lars from death with your crying!" Peridot objected. "Why can't you do the same to Pumpkin?! Why does she have to die while so many other pumpkins have to live?!"

"Pumpkins?" Steven asked. "What other pumpkins?"

"I vented my frustrations by whaling on some farmer's pumpkin harvest." Peridot confessed innocently. "He didn't take too kindly to that."

"I think I know where this is going." Steven realized. "Five Stages of Grief, right? First was anger, now you're bargaining. Which means depression might not be too far behind." Just then, as if on cue, Steven's phone started ringing with a message from Lapis that he readily picked up. "Hello?"

"Steven, is Peridot there?" Lapis asked from the other end of the line. "Ever since she fled the house, I took Pumpkin back to our place, and now she wants to see us both before, you know."

"See what I mean?" Steven declared to Peridot, who was now on the verge of breaking down because now, she finally realized it was too late. "Do you want to see her?"

"Yes please." Peridot began to sob and hugged Steven tight. "Promise me that you won't ever leave too, Steven."

"I promise." Steven stated, hugging Peridot back.

Meanwhile, at the massive construction site that would soon become Little Homeworld, Lapis gently watched over the slowly dying Pumpkin, whose normally bright orange skin now had splotches of grayish-black, as she let out a weak yip. "Don't die yet, sweetie." Lapis assured Pumpkin. "Peridot will be here soon, I know it."

And right on cue, Peridot and Steven soared right towards Lapis on the trash can lid to see Pumpkin off one last time. Peridot raced as fast as she could towards the groundwork for her and Lapis's new home and tightly nuzzled her pet gourd, unaware that it wasn't in the mood for such a tight hug.

"Peridot, let her go! She's in pain!" Lapis yelled while prying the sentient pumpkin from Peridot's embrace, much to the green Gem's agony.

"No, please!" Peridot cried. "Just let me hold her!"

"I'm sorry Peri, but I don't think she can take much more!" Lapis argued while on the brink of crying just as much. "Pumpkin's already dying. She's so scared right now, so let's just-"

"Don't try to argue Lapis." Steven solemnly interrupted Lapis. "Peridot's already having a breakdown as is."

"I'm sorry about that." Lapis quickly apologized before she turned to Pumpkin. "Pumpkin, if you can still hear me, I want you to know that you and Peridot were the only things keeping me sane here, even when I ran off to the moon." She said to the dying fruit. "I can't thank you enough for brightening my day with your cute little smile, your barking, and all the days we spent playing together. Even if we find a replacement, none can ever replace you, little guy."

"You want a turn, Peri?" Steven said to Peridot.

"Fine, but I won't like it." Peridot sniffed loudly as she walked up to Pumpkin. "You were like an offspring to us, Pumpkin." She said quietly. "When I first saw your little carved face, those adorable stubby legs, it filled my heart with so much joy. Figuratively, of course, since we naturally don't have hearts. But every step we took together, every struggle, kept me grounded here on this crazy planet. Oh stars, now I won't know what to do now."

"Mah, mah," Pumpkin barked weakly with her last breath. "Mommy."

"I promise you," Peridot declared while her gem touched Pumpkin's forehead. "I'll never forget."

And with that, Pumpkin gently shut her eyes, allowing herself to pass on with her mothers and her creator by her side.

The funeral that followed was a private affair, with only the other Crystal Gems, Connie and Greg in attendance, and Pumpkin buried outside Peridot & Lapis's house. However, it was after the funeral when trouble began brewing. Just like when she had first begun living with the Gems, Peridot began hiding away in the bathroom for the next week to grieve the demise of Pumpkin and seemed resilient in refusing to come out, no matter how much they tried.

"C'mon P-Dot, open up!" Amethyst called while pounding on the door. "If you're planning on flushing yourself down the toilet again, let me tell you again, I tried that once and it didn't work."

"I think I know what to do." Greg proposed his idea and held up a boombox that began playing a song he knew she would recognize. "I look up to the sky, that's full of stars-"

"I'm trying to mourn here, leave me alone." Peridot despondently declared.

"I say we should respect her wishes." Garnet stated before she turned her gaze to Lapis. "Unless…."

"You think I should go in there?" Lapis asked.

"You are quite possibly Peridot's closest friend." Pearl agreed with Garnet.

"Closest friend?" Bismuth raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, we all know there may be something more than that!"

"Well, okay then." Lapis finally accepted with a shrug and slowly pushed the door open. "Wish me luck." She then said before entering the bathroom and closing it behind her. "You still in here?"

"So, they sent you in now." Peridot observed hoarsely. "I may have lost all hope, but I can still hear you know."

"They do say we're the closest." Lapis said before she sat down on the edge of the tub where Peridot had hidden herself away beneath a cocoon of Steven's bedsheets. "Come on now, get up and sit next to me."

"Okay, if it's you, I'll talk." Peridot succumbed to Lapis's offer and rose from her comfy shell to talk with her barn mate. "I'm sorry for worrying you all this past week, it's just that Pumpkin was basically our baby! Watching her die was like watching a child die!"

"Except the child wasn't human, it was a magical living pumpkin." Lapis remarked, which caused Peridot to glare at her. "No offense."

"But still, outside of our relationship, why did you volunteer?" Peridot wondered.

"Well, because I wanted to return the favor." Lapis answered. "Remember what happened after that boat trip I took with Steven and his dad?"

As soon as Lapis dropped Steven and Greg off at the docks following the boat trip gone wrong, she needed someone to lean on in her time of need. It didn't matter who, it could be any of the other Crystal Gems, or one of Steven's human friends. But right now, there was only one person, or rather Gem, that she could turn to.

Lapis could now see the barn in the distance, and as reluctant as she was to admit it, Peridot was the only one who could understand her regarding a certain Quartz. "Peridot, are you there?" she called for her green housemate. "I'm back!"

"Lapis, so glad you could make it!" Peridot exclaimed while racing out of the barn. "I discovered that I can move spoons with my mind, I made some decent progress on my Camp Pining Hearts essay; though I'm still stuck on the poutine theory, and-" However, she realized a bit too late what Lapis was feeling. "Is something the matter?"

"Steven and I found Jasper during the trip." Lapis said morosely. "She wanted to fuse with me again because she says I changed her. And to be honest, I think it was kind of my fault. Unfusing with Jasper drove her mad and I even said I missed taking all my frustrations out on her!"

"Lapis, are you serious?" Peridot gasped in alarm.

"Yes, I'm serious." Lapis declared as her eyes darkened and she turned away from Peridot. "Go ahead, run off and live with the Gems again so you don't have to be another one of my victims. If Jasper says I'm a monster, then I guess I really am one, especially after the way I treated you when we first moved in together."

"Okay Lapis, I don't want your garbage right now!" Peridot yelled, briefly breaking Lapis out of her funk with the almost exact words she described the tape recorder she broke. "I can see you're very stressed out. You want to scream so bad, to hit something, to let your anger out! But whatever you do, don't lose it on other people."

"Wh-what are you saying?" Lapis asked.

"I'm mostly just repeating stuff I read online," Peridot admitted. "I think what you need is a way to vent healthily, maybe on a perfectly defenseless object."

"Like what?" Lapis raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"One second!" Peridot exclaimed while walking into the barn and coming back out with an alien plush wearing a top hat and bowtie that she gazed at with a solemn expression. "I'm so sorry my sweet." She said softly to the stuffed toy before presenting it to Lapis. "Go ahead, hit it as hard as you can. Or maybe something else violent, whatever."

"Okay." Lapis sighed as she began feeling around the toy for something to do before grabbing at the bowtie and ripping it off the alien's neck, causing some stuffing to spill out of the hole she created. "Whoa."

"So, how did that make you feel?" Peridot asked as the alien dropped from her grip.

"Good." Lapis muttered in awe of what she just did. "I feel so much lighter now, like a real adrenaline burst."

"See, as I told you." Peridot smiled happily. "You just needed healthier ways to relieve stress."

"You're right." Lapis agreed when she got an idea. "Now, how about I try something a little heavier?" She then glanced over to a nearby pickup truck and used the water from Peridot's makeshift pool to lift it into the air. "How about this?"

"Yeah, I think that could work." Peridot nervously replied before Lapis suddenly tossed the truck into the air. "NO WAIT, THAT'S A LITTLE TOO-" she screamed and covered herself to avoid getting hit, but the truck instead crashed into the wall over the barn entrance, creating a massive hole that the vehicle filled. "Hm, guess I was wrong."

"Well, if we're gonna be living here together, why don't we make ourselves at home?" Lapis laughed and put a hand on Peridot's shoulder.

"Yeah, I think this is a good start." Peridot agreed while wrapping her arm around the taller Gem's waist and the two began brainstorming ideas for remodeling the barn.

"Yeah, I really was there for you back then." Peridot realized with a grin. "And from then on out, we were so close."

"You bet." Lapis replied and cupped Peridot's face in her hands. "Let me be a shoulder for you to cry on this time. I love you Peridot."

"I love you too Lapis." Peridot responded happily before the two began to kiss, and their gems started glowing as they began to fuse into a tall, slender Gem with turquoise hair, dark cyan hair in the shape of a maple leaf, Peridot's glasses, Lapis's top with a bright yellow star on it, a skirt with a bronze ribbon around her waist and dark teal sandals with bronze accents.

The new, accidental fusion of Peridot and Lapis looked around the bathroom and gazed down at her four hands. Feeling around her body, she felts the gems of her components on her forehead and back before coming to a shocking realization and let out a loud, confused scream. "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Is something wrong?!" Steven exclaimed as he barged into the bathroom to discover the fusion before him and started screaming as well, but this time in joy. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the new fusion continued screaming and covered her face in alarm at Steven as the two continued shrieking at each other.

"But was that fusion really an accident or maybe something more?" Peridot asked while she, Steven, and Lapis walked outside to her and Lapis's garden in their backyard.

"Maybe a mix of both?" Lapis answered with a shrug. "I mean, we did kiss each other after saying "I love you" to each other, but the fusion part came out of nowhere."

"Still, we were all so happy to see you two fuse at last." Steven said. "Words could not describe how long I've been waiting for that moment."

"I couldn't shapeshift, so I just assumed I couldn't fuse as well." Peridot observed before they happened upon a makeshift tombstone that read 'In memory of Pumpkin. A good girl to the end.' "You know, all this talk reminds me of a song I've been writing for the past few days. It may seem a little short and I pulled from other sources, but it's the best I got."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lapis suggested eagerly. "Sing for us."

"Yeah, we never heard you do a solo before either." Steven agreed with the ocean Gem.

"Okay, if you insist." Peridot declared before she cued a nearby Robonoid tending to the garden to start playing jazzy music, and she started to sing. "My sweet little pumpkin o' mine, a living gourd with a smile so fine. You made us smile with your bark, your stem's like emerald, and filled with seeds of gold. You were our most beloved work of art."

Almost as if Pumpkin was coming back to listen to Peridot's eulogy, many similar living produce like additional pumpkins, some gourds, and squashes, began coming out to watch. "You saw fields of corn, sandy beaches too. In summers so warm, it was just us and you." Peridot continued singing. "And I think to myself, what a wonderful pet."

Soon, Lapis began to join in on the song as well. "Though your time was short, like all things are." She joined Peridot in singing with her own solo. "We'll always think of you, when we look at your star."

"Our sweet little pumpkin of ours," the pair finished the song and embraced each other. "You were a wonderful pet."

With that, the two Gems fused into Turquoise, this time on purpose while surrounded by living Cucurbita, and smiled.

"Thank you for coming today, Steven." Turquoise said to Steven. "It really means a lot to us."

"Nothing to it girls." Steven smiled while rubbing his finger on his upper lip.

In Memory of Thea "Muriel Bagge" White

June 16, 1940 – July 30, 2021

"What courage you have."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 7: Mister Universe

"Here you go Scthu-ball, dinner is served." Greg declared to Steven at the beach house one day while preparing some ice cream with a slice of pie in it for him to eat. "Ice cream a la pie!"

"Thanks, Dad." Steven laughed as he took the bowl and ate its contents.

"Are you feeling any better?" Greg asked his son. "Looks like your swelling and glowing has been a no-show for the past few days." Just then, Steven stopped as he scooped up a spoonful of the dessert in front of him. "Y'know, that ice cream won't eat itself."

"Sorry Dad, just thinking about stuff." Steven said.

"What kind of stuff?" Greg asked.

"I've spent so long thinking about whether I really am Mom." Steven replied, trying his best to keep certain recent events from spilling. "Now that I know I've always been me, and also saved the universe by stopping Black Rutile, it's like I have no idea what to do or who me is. I wish I still knew what to do with myself."

"Well, I can relate to that." Greg sympathized with his son's plight. "When I was your age, I didn't know who I was or what I wanted to do with my life."

"So, you didn't always want to be a rock star?" Steven asked while processing this new information.

"No way!" Greg declared as he began to reminisce. "I didn't get my hands on a guitar until I was your age! Before I got the van, I had no idea what was out there beyond my old home, until I hit the road."

"Mom, Dad, I've got news for you." A younger Greg said to his mother and father long ago.

"Is it anything to do with your dropping out of the local community college?" Greg's father Thomas, who was as bald as his son would eventually become with glasses and a mustache, asked crossly.

"Or that van out by the garage?" Thomas's wife Gloria, a svelte middle-aged woman with brown hair in a bun, added curiously.

"Well, that's the thing, you guys." Greg stated. "I'm moving out. I wanna see the world, go out there and see what I can do along the way!"

"Are you serious Gregory?" Thomas raised an eyebrow. "You may be an independent young man now, but how can you possibly sustain yourself?"

"What do you mean independent?" Greg replied sternly to his father. "I mean, curfews and chaperones and all that, I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm 18 now, I can survive on my own without you breathing down my neck!"

Thomas looked about ready to yell at his son for talking back, but his mask of stoicism remained firmly attached before balling up his hands and letting out a loud deep breath, and putting a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Well, if you think you're independent enough my boy," he said. "then go on. Live your life, go out and see the universe or whatever." Thomas then turned and walked away from Greg. "Just be sure to write every so often."

"Wow, talk about less arguing than usual." Greg tilted his head in confusion when his mother took his hand. "Mom?"

"Your father's been trying to keep his temper from getting the better of him." Gloria stated before she started cupping her son's face. "Please Greg, no matter how strict and controlling we are, just remember that we're still your parents after all."

"Okay then." Greg sighed heavily before he picked up a backpack and headed for the front door. "Bye Mom, I love you."

"I love you too Greggy." Gloria smiled.

"Bye Dad." Greg then bid farewell to his father, but he received no answer. "Huh, of course." He groaned before walking out of his house for the last time and getting into his new van. After taking one last look at his front window, Greg pulled the van out of the driveway and set out for parts unknown. That day, Greg DeMayo left home, but maybe one day he could return as Greg Universe.

"You've seen other planets, but what about West Keystone or Charm City?" Greg said to Steven in the present day. "I've spent a lot of my formative years eating rest stop sandwiches and watching the trucks go by."

"So you're saying I just need a change in scenery?" Steven wondered.

"Exactly!" Greg declared and excitedly got up from the couch. "You're never gonna find yourself if you don't start looking! In fact, let's go right now!"

"Wait, really?" Steven asked hurriedly.

"No time, the road is calling!" a starry-eyed Greg announced before the father raced outside. "Can you hear it like I can?!"

"Yeah, I think I do!" Steven called for his dad as he raced after him with the ice cream in hand.

And so, the Universe duo left Beach City by van and set out on the open road, singing a familiar song along the way before they reached a Pepe's Burgers in Jersey.

"Dear old dad, remember when you would sing to me? We could do it again." Steven sang the same duet he and Greg shared from back after he had first met Lapis, albeit a bit shakier than previously. "Dear old dad, remember how I would sit on your shoulders? Well, how about now?"

As the trip continued, Greg continued relaying stories of his boyhood to Steven, awkwardness and all. "So that was the story of my first crush." Greg finished a story about the first girl he fell for at the gas station. "Things got really awkward between us as the years went on, but we decided to stay in the friendzone while she went off with that jock Tony. Hmph, cheerleaders, am I right? You met one during your trip with Spinel to Empire City, didn't you?"

"Yeah, Makoto's doing fine." Steven answered while looking at the Vipers' head cheerleader's social media profile before happening upon the selfie they all took together. "Before we left, she offered to introduce Spinel to the rest of the squad should she ever come back someday."

"Lucky girl!" Greg laughed before the two left the service station.

"Dear old dad, I was wondering why. As I got older, the days kept going on by." Steven continued the song. "Dear old dad, remember this too. In this whole wide world, there's no one like you-ooo-ooo-ooh."

"You-ooo-ooo-ooh." Greg began harmonizing with Steven. "You-ooo-ooo-ooh."

Eventually, Steven and Greg crossed over into a rather quiet neighborhood in Keystone when Greg pointed to a house nearby. "About two blocks away, that's where I played my first gig." He stated. "I wasn't even Mr. Universe yet back then, I was just a kid sneaking out after dark with a guitar to play."

"So where did the Mr. Universe name come from?" Steven asked quietly.

"You know what, how about I show you?" Greg suggested before he drove the van up to one of the houses they were driving along and got out with a determined look on his face. "Good, no one's home."

"Wait, what? Who's house is that?" Steven asked his dad as he seemingly committed a home invasion. "Dad!"

Greg still didn't listen as he jumped over the white picket fence and climbed up a tree with a branch pointing straight to a window, and Steven continued nervously following behind. When Greg opened the window on the end of the branch, he fell through before getting up and peeping out the other side. "This used to be way easier."

"You're rich Dad, it's not like you to steal." Steven cautioned Greg while continuing to follow him through the window into an empty room, where Greg was now looking through a box. "C'mon, let's get out of here before the owner comes home!"

"Just a sec, I'm looking for something." Greg stated.

"Well, what is it?" Steven asked.

"Oh, you'll see!" Greg replied before his son nervously left the room to explore more of the house, worry still present on his face.

"Is no one really home? Maybe I should write them a note." Steven wondered when he happened upon a picture of a mother, a father, and their curiously familiar son while walking down the stairs. "But what can I say?" he continued muttering as he reached the living room. "We're sorry that we have broken into your home, you must be very nice people with excellent taste."

As Steven sat down on the couch, he clutched a bowl of potpourri and gave it a big sniff. "And who enjoy potpourri." He added wistfully. "It's like a snack for your nose." Steven then got up to look at a collection of spoons and an assortment of glass goats beneath them. "Your fancy foreign spoon collection is very impressive, and so are your tiny glass goats." Soon, he finally walked up to a desk and picked up a pen before opening a drawer, hoping to find some paper. "Well, the pen is as good a start as any."

However, instead of paper, Steven discovered a neat stack of letters inside the drawer that seemed to have been sent by Greg. "Letters from Dad, and they're all unopened." Steven observed before looking at who they were sent to, and he made a startling realization.

Racing back to the stairs, Steven took another look at the photo and instantly recognized the nervous-looking son between his parents. "DAD?!"

While Greg continued searching through some boxes for whatever he's looking for, Steven suddenly burst back in with news of his discovery. "Dad, this was your house?!"

"Not exactly." Greg said. "This was my parents' house."

"Then this must be your room!" Steven declared happily. "I thought you said you grew up in a prison, but this place is beautiful!"

"I did kiddo." Greg replied somberly. "You have no idea what years of curfews, chaperones, and meatloaf were like."

"You didn't like meatloaf?" Steven inquired.

"Not every Thursday for twenty years." Greg groaned, sticking out his tongue in disgust. "I can still feel the taste. And did you know how old I was before I finally had my first taco?!"

"I also found these letters in a desk sent by you." Steven brought up the letters he found. "How come they weren't opened?"

"I can think of a few reasons why." Greg answered as he began picturing how his parents felt when he left home.

As Greg began leaving home in his new van, Gloria watched the vehicle drive off before sighing and sitting down with a book. Just then, her husband Thomas came back to the living room with a glass of whiskey in hand.

"You think maybe Gregory left because we were too controlling of him?" Thomas asked his wife as he sat down next to her. "He said he wanted to leave home without us "breathing down his neck" as the young people say."

"Possibly." Gloria nodded in affirmation. "The curfews were inevitable, but I believe the chaperones were a little much. But hey, at least I consider us better parents than mine were."

"That's because we never ended up hitting Greg." Thomas said in contemplation. "But still, maybe we were a different form of abusive towards him. Hopefully we can make it up to him someday."

"I'm not too sure." Gloria replied. "I don't even think he wants to think of us again."

Thomas just responded by bowing his head before taking another sip of whiskey.

"I'm sure it's fine. Besides, check out all your old things!" Steven said enthusiastically before he began to dig through another box and began taking out many of his dad's old things as he named them. "Is this your little hand?" he cooed excitedly while taking out a green handprint. "And your tiny baby boots!" he added as he took out some booties before moving onto a big trophy. "And a wrestling trophy! I didn't know you were a wrestler, maybe we could've been Tiger Millionaire and the King of the Pride."

"I didn't choose to wrestle." Greg stated before his son found a yearbook to look through. "My parents wanted me to be more active, so they kept making me do all these things." He could still remember how nervous he was in the ring and how he won by sheer dumb luck.

"A middle school yearbook!" Steven exclaimed while gazing at Greg's smiling face in the yearbook. "You had braces!" He then snapped a photo of the picture with his phone. "You looked a lot like me when I was younger, only more….human."

Steven looked a little down for a moment before he decided to look through the signatures in the yearbook. "So many people signed this." Steven commented. "Tim wants you to have a great summer, and who's Lauren Hecht? She sure wrote a lot."

"We were on mathletes together." Greg answered dejectedly. "Another one of the millions of things my parents made me do."

"Where are they anyways?" Steven asked his old man.

"Probably at their timeshare in Florida Island, they go there every winter." Greg stated. "They weren't too happy the first time I said I didn't want to go with them."

Just then, Steven dug up another picture of young Greg dressed in graduation attire, along with his hair being buzzed off all over and a dour frown on his face. "Your hair, it's so short!"

"Did you find my graduation photo?" Greg asked worriedly. "They made me cut it because we didn't have enough time, and it was right before a gig."

"Do you have any photos of you on stage?" Steven inquired while continuing to dig through his father's old things.

"Ha, are you kidding?! Everything music-related was off-limits!" Greg declared with a laugh. "Which is why I had to hide my stuff." Soon, he began thinking back to where he had hidden something long ago.

"There's a Starman waiting in the sky, he'd like to come and meet us!" a younger Greg sang along to a glam rock song. "But he thinks he'd blow our minds!"

"Greg, can you come out please?" the voice of Thomas asked while knocking on the door, sending his son into a panic as he hurriedly tried to shut down his music. "What is that you're listening to?"

"It's just a neighbor Dad!" Greg fibbed as he scrambled to take out his CD, but his father took it away just in time.

"Gregory DeMayo." Thomas shook his head in disgust. "Didn't we tell you that we don't allow music in our house, especially the ones all your friends are into? I mean, you know what the news said about what happened to Ozzy Cooper lately."

"I'm sorry Dad, I wasn't paying attention!" Greg apologized to his father.

"We can discuss this later." Thomas stated before handing the disc back to his son and walking out of his room. "Now wash up and come downstairs, it's meatloaf night."

"Again?" Greg muttered disdainfully as soon as his dad was far away enough for him to not overhear. Looking at his CD, Greg put it back in its case before sticking it back in a box with other CDs and hiding the box away in a ventilation shaft, where it would remain for years to come.

Back in the present day, the older Greg continued searching for where he had left that box while Steven had a question to ask. "Who's Ozzy Cooper?"

"Rock star from my day who's gotten in trouble for some less than wholesome things." Greg answered before letting out a mirthless chuckle. "Then again, who hasn't these days?" At last, he found the box and opened the ventilation grate, expressing relief that they haven't been found in the years since he had left. "Yes, this is it! We can get out of here!" he declared while pulling the box out of the shaft and heading for the window. "And leave that stuff behind."

As Steven put away his father's old stuff, Greg tried to leave his former bedroom the same way he came in, albeit with a bit more difficulty. "Okay, one leg at a time."

"Wouldn't it be easier to use the front door?" Steven suggested to his dad, who was already halfway out the window.

"Sorry Schtu-ball, force of habit." Greg sheepishly apologized before squeezing back through the window and walking out of the bedroom with his son. After taking one long, last look at his old room, the man formerly known as Greg DeMayo let out a sigh and closed the door on both the bedroom and his childhood.

The Universes left the house as night fell and when Steven was about to get into the passenger seat of Greg's van, Greg stopped him. "Hold on there Steven." Greg declared, spinning the car keys around his finger before handing them to his son. "This is your journey of self-discovery, so I think you should take the wheel, little buddy."

"But where are we headed next?" Steven asked as he decided to reluctantly get behind the wheel and started the engine.

"That's up to you." Greg answered before the van left the DeMayo household, leaving Greg's old hometown of Showne and making the long journey back to Beach City. "I get where you're coming from Steven. When I was little Gregory DeMayo, I was just going through the motions and doing what everyone else wanted me to do. Until one day, a friend in social studies passed me this." He then held up a CD featuring songs from the artist Kerry Moonbeam that he fished out of the box. "This CD has the song that made me who I am today, so hold onto your butt!"

As soon as Greg inserted the disc into the van radio, Kerry's music began to play. "Looking for your place in the universe, don't you know the universe is looking too?" the song started and Greg began to passionately sing along, but Steven was looking very unnerved. "Looking for its place in you, and now it's coming through."

"Hey-" Steven tried to speak up.

"Not now kiddo, you're gonna love this part!" Greg cut his son off while the song continued. "Welcome to the party Mr. Universe, we're so glad we're a part of you. Meet the rocks and flowers, the seconds and the hours. The splinters, winters, apples, chapels, teardrops, temples, cats and castles. Anything that you can be, the things that you cannot see, are Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe."

"Dad, is this where our name comes from?" Steven asked in a sudden moment of clarity.

"Yes, exactly!" Greg declared excitedly.

"You took it from a song?" Steven reiterated as he slowly started getting angry.

"Once I heard this, everything changed." Greg explained himself. "I suddenly realized that there was so much more that I've yet to discover that I haven't even dreamt about before! The whole world, the universe even, I wanted to get out there and see everything! So I drove off in the van on the open road and never once looked back at old Showne. I never would've known that years of couch surfing and the basement would've led me to your mother and you. But now it's your turn! Where does Mr. Universe make you want to do, Steven?"

"I-I don't know!" Steven exclaimed.

"Maybe you need to hear it again." Greg suggested and began replaying the song.

"Dad, this isn't helping!" Steven sternly declared and shut off the radio. Greg gave his son a frown and turned it back on, but Steven once again turned it off. The father and son duo then had a brief, wordless exchange of turning the radio on and off again, which got Steven angrier until he finally spoke up.

"I don't need this song," Steven declared furiously. "I need, I need what you had!"

"What do you mean?" Greg asked. "I understand if I offended you somehow and I'm sorry, but what's all this flying off the handle for!?"

"I wish I could've grown up in a house like yours!" Steven answered. "I wish I was just a normal human boy with a normal human life where the Gems never came to Earth to begin with!"

"No you don't!" Greg panicked when he realized something. "And where did this whole thing about wishing the Gems never discovered Earth come from?"

"Maybe your parents weren't so bad." Steven talked back, making his father gasp at such a comment. "Maybe they gave you curfews and chaperones and meatloaf for a reason!"

"Steven, you don't know what they were like!" Greg yelled in response.

"They can't be any worse than Mom's family!" Steven rolled his eyes irately. "I went to a different galaxy for them, and this was right here?!"

"Steven, you don't understand!" Greg tried to calm his son down. "I couldn't do anything I wanted growing up, they all saw what I liked or wanted as wrong! Trust me, you're better off than I was!"

"I can't believe I never realized until now." Steven declared while glowing pink yet again and tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "There's a reason Mom loved you! You're just like her!"

"But you grew up with actual freedom!" screamed Greg.

"I grew up in a stupid van!" Steven screamed back as his barely reasonable anger slowly got the better of him. "I never went to school, I didn't go to a doctor until a few days ago, my life is constantly at risk and barely anyone cares anymore!"

"You're a Gem Steven, you're not like other kids!" Greg exclaimed in terror of what could happen with Steven's fury clouding his mind. "Besides, if you were in school or went to a doctor, I'm just worried you'll attract the wrong kinds of attention!"

"I could've done all that stuff," Steven bellowed. "my problem isn't just that I'm a Gem, it's because I'M A UNIVERSE!" On that last word, Steven ripped the steering wheel from the dashboard while stomping on the brake as the van began to swerve out of control.

"STEVEN, WATCH OUT!" Greg's eyes widened in alarm before the vehicle tumbled across the road and crashed on its side on the dirt beside the road.

For the next few moments, Steven lied on the ground unconscious with only his thoughts taunting him about what he's done, along with the very faint voice of his dad coaxing him back to reality.

"She was right, you are a monster." A deep voice echoed within Steven's mind. "What boy would nearly murder his father for trying to talk to him?"

"No, it was an accident, I swear!" Steven responded to the voice.

"I know a liar when I see one." The voice replied. If it had a face, it would've certainly been smirking right now. "You'd rather live a life where the Gems never existed and you were an average human, right?"

Steven kept silent in response, pondering if what the voice said was right, until Greg's voice slowly became louder and louder.

"Steven, Steven!" Greg called out as Steven awakened on the ground to find his dad kneeling by his side. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright! You're lucky you're still in one piece! Me, I think I got a little concussion from the crash, but I think I'll recover."

"What did I do?" Steven groaned in pain from the crash that he caused. "Do you still love me?"

"You just started throwing a tantrum and caused the van to go outta control." Greg answered. "I already called a tow truck to bring us home, but that old hunk o' metal's been through worse. Everything will be okay, we'll get through this together. And, and I'm proud of you."

"What?!" Steven yelled with outrage as he got to his knees. "But I nearly got you killed! Why aren't you punishing me?! Please ground me for this, I'm begging you!"

"Whoa, never realized you were that kinda guy." Greg declared in a daze. "I don't care what you're into, I don't think I'm the one you should be revealing this to."

"That's the concussion talking, right?" Steven asked as the two sat down near the damaged van.

"Yeah, I think that might be mostly it." Greg answered. "But still, I don't think I was ever that brave enough to stand up to my old man like that! I'm glad you're more able to tell me anything because you're having a real hard time recently, I get it. Bismuth can help us get the van fixed when we get home, and-"

As Greg continued talking, Steven refused to listen and instead gazed at the photo of Greg's middle school yearbook picture on his phone. It took some much internal debating, but he then finally decided to delete the picture to express to himself how Greg was slowly becoming dead to him.

Unbeknownst to either father or son, a black, pill-shaped satellite with a white diamond symbol in the midsection hovered far above the highway and began transmitting the information it collected to a faraway cave in the forest outside Beach City.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 3, Chapter 8: Fragments

"Hear me my followers and rejoice!" Black Rutile declared, with Aquamarine perched on her shoulder, as she recorded herself making a grand speech to her remaining minions in her cave lair. "Our day of revengeance is at hand! No more shall that sanctimonious half-breed tyrant enforce his iron-fisted rule over our people! Because despite claiming to be a pure-hearted child, recent intel has confirmed he is far from it."

As an example, Black Rutile played the footage of Steven crashing his father's van that her satellite had gathered. "Look at this absolutely abhorrent act." She stated. "What kind of child would ever dare murder their father without any rhyme or reason?"

"Actually, there have been a few throughout this planet's history that have done just that." White Topaz leaned into view to point out.

"SHUT IT TOPAZ!" Black Rutile angrily commanded before turning back to her viewers. "Anyways, soon he will be exposed as the monster he truly is, and with the army we have regrown from the colonies some of my subordinates have retaken, we shall lay siege to the tyrannical Crystal Gems and strike them at our weakest!"

"You sure about that my Rutile?" Black Rutile's Topaz bodyguard leaned back in, much to her master's anger. "'Cause I've gotten word from Cinnabar's faction that some of your former Black Pearls have formed, like, a little squadron to fight back against her."

"Can you not ruin my speech, you ignoramus?!" Black Rutile shoved her Topaz away. Just as she was about to make a grand conclusion to her speech, Black Rutile quickly declared "End transmission." and shut off the recording. "Now look what you did, I was making a motivational speech to my allies, but you had to keep getting in the way just like you always do!"

"Always?" White Topaz replied while making shadow puppets against the cave wall. "Look, I may spoil your plans some of the time, but your ego is just as much to blame the rest of the time."

"That is indeed true Topaz, but now I must ask," Black Rutile said. "what is with this attitude? Where's the overly polite idiot that always followed my orders without question, no matter how horrible they are?"

"I'm betting she's already having second thoughts about your plans." Aquamarine advised her superior.

"You mind if I," Eyeball suggested before making a slashing noise with her mouth and pulling her chisel from her gem. "put her to rest?"

"I'm being serious you guys!" White Topaz said. "The three of you may think you're Gems of the people, but I don't think Gems like those would ever hyperfocus on ruining the life of one person instead of just focusing on something healthier!"

"Like what, forcing ourselves to join those ingrates and deprive ourselves of our way of life in favor of becoming part of a hive-mind?" Black Rutile asked, menacingly pulling out her bowie knife to threaten her Topaz with. "I have been plotting against the Crystal Gems ever since Steven brainwashed the Diamonds, and I refuse to abandon those plans just because you don't like them! Now, are you going to be a good little bodyguard, or do you want to ditch your best friend in favor of the hypocrite?"

Although White Topaz showed tons of reluctance, she nervously got down on one knee and bowed her head to her three teammates. "No, my Rutile. I am at your beck and call, whenever you need me."

"Very good my Topaz." Black Rutile put away her knife to pat White Topaz on the head with an evil smile, before turning away to tap at her visor. "Now if we have nothing else to discuss, it seems the seeds of doubt I have planted in Steven's mind that fateful night have finally begun to grow." She stated before her visor created a holographic chessboard with pieces resembling herself & her minions on one side, and the Crystal Gems & the Diamonds on the other. "Now all we need is just one last push." On that last word, Black Rutile then spawned a chess piece resembling Jasper that she put squarely in the middle of the board.

Far from Black Rutile's lair in the woods, Steven and Greg had finally returned home to Beach City after a father-son outing that turned rather disastrous. Fortunately, the Crystal Gems were already home to be told of what happened and as Steven gazed out over the deck, Bismuth asked Greg what happened.

"So Steven just flew off the handle because of a song?" Bismuth asked while helping Greg put his van back together. "Frankly, I could think of weirder reasons to get angry."

"No, it wasn't because of the song." Greg admitted to the blacksmith. "It was because we drove off to my childhood home in Keystone and he learned that my upbringing wasn't too different from his mom's."

"I don't think you ever told anyone about when you were a kid." Bismuth replied.

"Not that I wanted to until now." Greg stated. "But after that crash, I don't think I ever want to bring them up again. Steven started ranting about how he wished the Gems never found Earth and he had a normal human life like I had."

"Whoa whoa whoa, where did all this come from?!" Bismuth yelled in alarm, raising her hands towards the former rock star.

"That's what I said!" Greg exclaimed before turning to his despondent son. "And now that I think about it, maybe he had good reason for those wishes after all he's been through."

Steven looked down in utter shame and regret before he walked back inside the beach house, clearly avoiding a chance to speak with his father about the incident.

As soon as Steven got inside, the other Crystal Gems were there to greet him, but the looks on their faces told Steven things weren't going to be good.

"Sit down on the couch Steven, we need to talk." Pearl commanded the son of her deceased lover, who did as he was told before Pearl began pacing around. "I just can't believe you, Steven! Crashing the van with Greg inside?! You know how fragile humans are, young man! These pink outbursts need to be dealt with!"

"It's not an outburst!" Steven yelled, briefly inflating himself as he turned pink.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about!" Pearl exclaimed before Steven got back up and started walking away. "What is happening to you?!"

"It's nothing, just puberty, honest!" Steven cried as he struggled to keep his pink form at bay.

"Whoa no little dude, I've seen enough sitcoms to know that is not what puberty is like!" Amethyst declared. "Right, Garnet?"

"I can confirm, this is not regular puberty." Garnet nodded before Steven put up a literal wall between him and his guardians.

"Steven, drop the wall this instant!" Pearl ordered as she pressed against the pink, hexagonal dome.

"I'm sorry Pearl!" Steven gasped in apology before the wall disappeared. "I just need some space, okay? I'll be in my room." But as Steven walked upstairs, Amethyst rushed to keep him from going any further.

"Not so fast, my dude!" Amethyst declared. "You gotta tell us what's going on!"

"It seems like Steven wants to avoid a serious discussion altogether." Garnet analyzed.

"No, I'M NOT!" Steven yelled, dropping to his knees and pounding his fist on the stairs, creating a shockwave that shook the entire room.

"Steven, either you talk to us about what's going on, or you're grounded until you're able to explain." Garnet firmly declared.

"She's right man, you gotta chill!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"We need to do something about this before anyone else gets hurt!" Pearl stated as Steven continued struggling where he stood.

"Don't let these strange powers control you." Garnet tried desperately to calm the half-Gem down. "You're better than this."

"LEAVE ME ALOOONE!" Steven finally roared, causing a pink shockwave to burst from his body and seemingly force the Gems to move in slow motion. Or rather, he was moving faster than everyone else. "I'm speeding up again!" he muttered while gazing at his equally pink hands. "I gotta get out of here!"

Steven ran out of the house and far away from the Crystal Gems. There was barely anywhere he could go right now. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl kept enabling these strange new powers, yet Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth probably barely knew what to do about things. Thus, there was only one Gem left he knew could help him in his time of need.

"The Gems tried to help me, but they just kept making things worse." Steven explained to Jasper later that night while the two sat around a campfire in front of her cave. "And that's why I refuse to go back."

"So what you're saying is," Jasper answered before dramatically removing the cloak she was wearing. "you want a rematch?!"

"What?! No!" Steven exclaimed. "I just told you why I came here in the first place. I think my Diamond powers are coming out, and I have no idea how to control them. I just want to be alone so I can't hurt anyone or be super toxic and controlling."

"So, you finally admitted it, eh?" Jasper rolled her eyes as she got up and walked away. "If you want to be alone, your definition of it is horribly wrong!"

"But Jasper, this is the last place anyone would look for me!" Steven explained before running after Jasper. "Wait, don't leave me here!" he begged the bigger Gem. "This thing with my powers is the real problem."

"The only problem you have is your friends." Jasper declared, much to Steven's confusion. "Just like how you keep holding everyone back, they're doing the same to you!"

"Are you sure?" Steven asked. "I definitely believe I'm getting them all worried."

"That's because they're afraid of you." Jasper responded. "And not just of your powers, but your control over others. And you are too! You came out here to hide, but I'm not one to hide myself. I don't need to hide my power or try to stifle it, I let everything out by training!"

"Like this forest?" Steven wondered, looking around the patch of destroyed trees he and Jasper have stumbled upon.

"Exactly." Jasper answered, walking up to a tree and making it fall over with a single punch. "And to control that power, I have to use it. Those so-called friends of yours don't understand because they always want to make you feel bad for being yourself!"

"Yeah, I do feel bad." Steven muttered to himself, gazing at his fist before walking over to punch another tree, turning pink as he landed a blow that created massive cracks on the bark and wounded his hand.

"Yeah, crush that weakling tree!" Jasper cheered Steven on.

"No!" Steven exclaimed before kissing the tree to fix the damage he did.

"Are you kidding me?! That's disgusting!" Jasper gagged at the sight when she looked down to discover that Steven's kiss caused some grass to grow around them. "No, the grass!" she yelled and rapidly pulled out the grass beneath her. "Get out of here!" Jasper then angrily turned to Steven and picked him up by the collar of his jacket. "Quit helping this planet's ecosystem and show me! Show me your power!"

Jasper harshly threw Steven to the ground, causing him to groan in pain. "No way Jasper!" Steven coughed as he got up from the toss. "I can handle myself!"

"Shut up!" Jasper yelled and lunged at Steven, who turned pink on reflex and created a barrier to defend himself from the Quartz's ruthless attack, but it proved ineffective as Jasper punched straight through it, causing Steven to fall to the ground. "This is it; this is all you were worried about?! What a rip-off!"

As Steven helped himself off the dirt, Jasper just kept on yelling. "I am way stronger than everyone you hold back and are holding you back in return!" she bellowed while pointing at Steven. "Because I'm not afraid of this, and you shouldn't be either!"

In response, Steven turned pink again and created another shield to launch at his opponent. "Yeah, that's more like it!" Jasper declared eagerly and prepared to defend herself, smashing the shield with just her arm. "Now tell me, was it good to let your anger out that way?"

"Y-yeah." Steven realized how good it felt to vent his rage on someone who could be a match for him, allowing Jasper to let out a loud laugh. "If I stay here, will you teach me how to control all this?"

"I won't teach you until you fight me!" Jasper refused the offer.

"Well, I won't fight you unless you teach me!" Steven replied.

"Ugh, fine!" Jasper groaned in resignation.

"Really?!" Steven smiled as he returned to his normal color.

"Here's lesson number one," Jasper responded. "No smiling."

"But I've seen you smile." Steven pointed out the goofy smile Jasper wore when he agreed to fight her not too long ago.

"Lesson two, shut up!" Jasper yelled before she kicked Steven into the air, and the boy landed far from where she could see him with a thud.

"Guess my training starts now." Steven declared to himself before he heard footsteps behind him and turned around to find who was behind him. "YOU!"

"Training with Jasper, Steven?" Black Rutile snickered disdainfully. "Wow kid, you're not just one Spinel, you're an entire circus of them!"

"What do you want with me now Black Rutile?" Steven asked his new archenemy as Black Rutile's three minions appeared behind her.

"We just came here to talk." Aquamarine answered. "As much as we would love to kidnap you and hold you for ransom, or maybe even kill you right here and now, we think hanging with a brute like her is much more fitting."

"Besides, we all know you'll just drive her away like you did to everyone else." Eyeball laughed. "Or maybe even something worse!"

"Look, what we're trying to say is that you should just give up now and get the help you really need." White Topaz cautioned Steven, unaware of how angry she made her teammates. "We only want what's best for you, so you won't get in the way of my Rutile's plan!"

"Are you seriously trying to help our enemy here?" Black Rutile growled with eyelids lowered at White Topaz. "I thought you were at my beck and call whenever I needed you!"

"If you're trying to ruin my life again, it won't work." Steven firmly declared as he got up to face the four insurgent Gems. "I know what you really are, Black Rutile. You're no hero to Homeworld, you're just a callous bully who will do anything to get her way."

"GROW UP STEVEN, GROW UP!" Black Rutile abruptly yelled at Steven's face. "Sociopath, hypocrite! Refusing to save a dying pet because of the natural order when he refuses to accept everyone is leaving him! Who's the real villain between us two, my boy, hm?"

"Still you." Steven remained resolute against the Rutile.

"You can't even begin to comprehend my current plans." Black Rutile replied just as resolutely. "Soon, everyone on this accursed rock will see you for the monster you truly are."

"Hey, where are you?!" Jasper bellowed from afar, and Black Rutile saw this as her cue to leave.

"Wouldn't want to keep a certain someone waiting." Black Rutile smirked. "But at least the three of us agree the Crystal Gems are the real problem."

"Aw, but I wanna turn Jasper against Steven too!" Eyeball complained. "Plus it would be an honor to see her in person again. The real deal, not an Amethyst shapeshifting into her."

"Oh, shut up, and let's get out of here." Aquamarine slapped her Ruby partner and dragged her away by the hand.

"Hey, no hard feelings kid?" White Topaz asked Steven, causing Black Rutile to slap her mouth shut.

"We'll see each other again Steven." Black Rutile declared. "But until then, I'll be watching you, just like I've always had since our last fight."

As the four rogue Gems left, Steven was left alone with his thoughts once more. And with those thoughts, a certain voice in his head re-emerged. "You know, she does raise a few good points."

"You again!" Steven said to the voice. "What do you want now? Are you another Gem working for Black Rutile?!"

"Well, kind of." The voice answered. "I'm not directly working for her, but it's thanks to her that I'm even speaking to you now. Remember that night while the Gems were out in Los Diego? She helped me grow."

"I thought so." Steven muttered in a moment of clarity. "But please, just leave me alone!"

"Maybe I'll just sit back and watch while you worry your so-called friends sick." The voice laughed deeply. "Don't you worry, we'll be seeing each other again very soon."

With that foreboding goodbye, the voice once again vanished from Steven's thoughts. Was it true, was that voice even haunting Steven because of what Black Rutile said to him? Or could it perhaps be even older than that?

"Are you dead or something?!" Jasper yelled for Steven. "Come back over here if you aren't, we got training to do tomorrow!"

"I'm coming!" Steven cried and raced back to Jasper's cave. As soon as he got there, Jasper threw her cloak at his face. "What was that for?"

"Think you might need this." Jasper stated while peering out from her cave. "Humans need to sleep, right?"

"Aw, you really do care for me." Steven blushed at the seemingly kind gesture, but Jasper just scoffed and retreated into the darkness of her home. Steven then just shrugged and laid down on the ground with the cloak covering him like a blanket, gazing up at the stars and wondering how the Crystal Gems must be doing.

The next morning, the Crystal Gems were now searching across Beach City for the missing Steven. Pearl had placed posters all over town while Greg helped Lion and Amethyst sniff around for him, but so far they found nothing that would help them.

"Whoa, easy Amethyst!" Greg yelled as he tugged on the leash of a purple-furred Dalmatian with an amethyst gemstone on her chest, which then turned into an exhausted Amethyst.

"We're getting nowhere with this!" Amethyst complained. "I mean, I learned how he could slow down time through Smoky Quartz, and even I don't have a clue!"

"I hope we find him soon, I'm getting worried." Pearl whimpered before she found Garnet walking up to them. "Anything from Little Homeworld, Garnet?"

"Nothing, Peridot and Lapis told me they didn't see Steven recently." Garnet answered. "However, Zuli said she did see a pink blur zoom past yesterday."

"That's the same one I saw with Bismuth while we were fixing the van!" Greg declared. "Could that be Steven?"

"It probably is." Pearl said before she began to break down into tears and hug Greg tightly. "I miss my baby!"

"We all do Pearl." Greg sniffed and returned the hug, followed by Garnet, Amethyst, and Lion joining in to comfort the Pearl. "We all do."

However, little did the Gems know, Steven was perfectly fine. But not the kind of fine they want him to be.

Far off in the woods, Steven had fallen fast asleep underneath the blanket Jasper had lent him. But his rest wouldn't last long as Jasper emerged from her cave and smashed a wall, shocking him awake.

"Rise and shine, your training begins today!" Jasper barked as she walked up to the half-Gem boy and picked him up by the neck. "Now tell me, what are you here for again?"

"Uh, to get a better control of my powers?" Steven answered.

"Not enough energy." Jasper shook her head in disdain. "Why don't we start with the only way you can talk to people?" she suggested and then cleared her throat. "So you're here because of your mother, kid? Well, whoop-de-doo!" the big Quartz began singing while circling Steven. "You still haven't realized more have suffered than just you! If you wanna get tougher kid, here's a tip. I got three little words for you: get a grip!"

"Shouldn't that apply to you too?" Steven asked his new mentor.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jasper growled while walking towards some boulders and picked one up.

"I mean, you're stuck here because of me." Steven continued, much to Jasper's anger. "Not to mention closets full of-"

"Do you want my help or not?!" Jasper roared.

"Yes ma'am!" Steven nervously complied before Jasper threw him a boulder.

"That's better." Jasper grinned smugly as she hoisted up more boulders on her back and walked away. "Follow me."

"You've been through a lot brat, but let me say something about that." Jasper began singing again as Steven followed her up the mountain with boulders in hand. "As a veteran, I've seen far messier, you should've seen the Clash at the Theater."

"I don't think I've heard of that before." Steven stated while setting the boulders down nearby.

"Doesn't matter, just giving an example." Jasper replied as she dropped her boulders too. "Now come on, throw me some shields!" Steven nodded before he turned pink and summoned multiple barriers to unleash on Jasper, who managed to break through all of them. "The fusion's all high and mighty. Amethyst can be pretty flighty. And the Pearl, wow, she's nuts, you see! They all got experience, but none like mine!"

"Maybe when you're done, you'll be feeling just fine." The next day, Steven continued training via splitting logs in half on a stump, while Jasper demonstrated her superior strength by knocking down a tree with just a push. In the meantime, Black Rutile whispered something into Jasper's ear without her knowing the Rutile was even there.

"If you wanna get tougher kid, here's a tip." As night began to fall, Jasper challenged Steven to a race, her spin-dash against his pink form's speed. "I got three little words for you: get a grip! Ya hear me!"

"Yeah, those three little words are 'Get a Grip!'" Steven joined in on the song as he began catching up to Jasper.

"Now we're talking!" Jasper cheered triumphantly.

"No time for healing!" As the training went on to the day after that, Steven had grown slightly taller and more muscular, and even began growing a beard as he threw another barrier at Jasper. "Who needs feeling?!"

"You're still reeling?" Steven caught a fish in the river with a more polygonal bubble that he cooked up to eat, while Black Rutile loomed behind him with another lie to tell him. "Well, my tips are quite appealing! Let's say it again!"

"If you wanna get tougher kid, here's a tip." Steven and Jasper harmonized while clashing fists in a forest clearing. "I got three little words for you: get a grip!"

"Yes, for everything to go as planned, get a grip." Black Rutile muttered while watching the two train with an evil smile, eager to see how far Steven has come and how far he'll fall.

The next day, thunder began rumbling far from Steven, who knelt in front of a campfire with a more muscular body that made him as tall as Jasper and a wildly different hairstyle.

"I found more rocks!" Jasper called out to her student while tossing over some more rocks for him to train with. "You won't believe how hard it is to find a good rock around here, especially since we broke most of them."

"I'm done with rocks Jasper." Steven declared while getting up to face Jasper. "I'm finally ready. For our rematch." He then put out the fire behind him with one stomp, showing the other Gem how serious he was.

"Took you long enough!" Jasper cackled as she cracked her knuckles and prepared for her long-awaited round 2. "Then come on, show me what you got!"

Steven responded by creating another hexagonal shield to launch at Jasper. However, Jasper jumped over the shield and attempted to punch Steven, but suddenly, she got punched instead. As Steven let out a gasp, Jasper summoned her horned crash helmet and slammed it into Steven's head, sending him tumbling backwards into the ground.

"What are you holding back for Steven?!" Jasper yelled while the resulting smoke began to clear. "You think you can't take it, that I'm just going to coddle you the whole way through, just like the Gems?! You still want to go back to them?"

"No!" Steven coughed from the smoke.

"You still afraid to be strong?!" Jasper continued taunting her foe. "Are you dull?! ARE YOU PITIFUL?!"

"I AM NOT!" Steven bellowed out loud, causing a shockwave that knocked Jasper back, and nearly shook a certain Rutile from a tree she was hiding in as he lunged at Jasper with fury in his eyes.

"Is that all?!" Jasper cackled arrogantly, forcing Steven to create more barriers to strike at her with, which finally landed a hit on Jasper and slammed her into a tree. "That's more like it!"

Steven let out a sadistic giggle before he lunged again, far faster than normal as he started repeatedly punching Jasper while the two soared through the forest and into the air.

"Come on, come on!" Jasper beckoned Steven as their brawl took to the skies. "Show your master what you can really do!"

Steven's maniacal laughter grew louder and louder with each punch before kicking Jasper to the ground. "You were right Jasper!" he declared while summoning more shields to trap Jasper with before forming an even larger one in front of him. "I HAVE BEEN HOLDING BACK!"

With a murderous smile and white diamonds in his eyes, Steven made his barrier grow razor-sharp spikes before launching it at his captive opponent. And for the first time in what felt like ages, as the spiked shield rocketed towards her, Jasper felt one emotion that she barely showed to anyone else.

Pure, unadulterated terror.

What had she done?

The cloudy skies gave way to a loud thunderstorm as Black Rutile climbed up to the top of another tree to watch the outcome of the fight, and she was more than happy with what she was seeing.

"Bravo Steven, I never knew you had it in you!" Black Rutile clapped loud enough for Steven to hear as he returned to his senses to realize what he had just done. "If I hadn't planned for that, she would've made a great bodyguard!"

With tears and raindrops staining his face, Steven hid whatever he was hiding in his balled-up fist while glaring at Black Rutile before he raced back to Jasper's cave. When Black Rutile decided to climb down the tree, she was greeted by the nervous look on her Topaz's face. "So, who were you betting on to win?"

"I was betting on Steven to curb his problems more healthily, and you just kept stringing him along!" White Topaz accused her superior, but her accusations were shut down by a bowie knife pointed straight at her face. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Would a shadow puppet make you feel better?!"

"No need." Black Rutile frowned, hiding behind the tree to watch as Steven, now wearing his jacket again, hid his fist in one of the pockets while running out of the woods. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing him squirm."

"Oh yeah, it's funny how pathetic he is." White Topaz laughed nervously in agreement. "Come on, let's head back to the cave. Don't wanna get wet."

"Indeed," Black Rutile agreed and strolled back to their lair with her arms behind her back. "wouldn't want anyone knowing what we did to him."

"I sent so many messages, but he hasn't replied!" Pearl fretted while pacing around the beach house as the storm continued. "Do you think he even had his phone when he ran away?! What if something horrible happened and it's all our fault because he wanted to stay away from us?! What if-" Pearl's panicking soon turned to hyperventilating as she curled up into a ball on the floor and began rocking back and forth when Amethyst stepped in to calm her down.

"Pearl, chill out!" Amethyst literally shook Pearl out of her traumatized state and picked her up off the floor. "Panting and sweating over everything won't bring Steven back! It's not like he's going to just barge in as soon as I finish talking!"

Just then, Steven finally returned home, much to the Crysta Gems' delight and worry. However, he had no time to tell them where he's been as he gunned for the bathroom.

"Steven, where have you been?!" Pearl cried out in fright for her surrogate son.

"No time to talk!" Steven exclaimed before ducking into the bathroom.

"Seriously man, we've been looking everywhere!" Amethyst added just as the door closed in front of her. "Hey, what was that in your hand?"

"Nothing important!" Steven replied, peeking out the door one last time before going back.

"The way he said that makes me get a bad feeling about this." Garnet declared ominously.

'This has been a horrible day.' Steven thought to himself while filling up the bathtub and snatching the three Diamond essence bottles from the mirror, taking a moment to find a dark shadow in the exact shape of his muscular self from earlier standing behind his reflection.

"I never knew you had it in you either." The shadow growled before Steven turned to dump all the Diamonds' essences in the bathwater and pulled his fist out of his pocket, unfolding it to reveal Jasper's shattered remains in his palms.

"Please work, you gotta work!" Steven muttered in total panic while piecing Jasper's broken gemstone the best he could and submerging it in the water. "Please Jasper, I'm sorry!" he began sobbing for the deceased Gem, his hot tears streaking against his face and dropping into the water.

"I'm sorry."

END OF PART 3: FRAGMENTED MIND

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART 4: WE WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR FAMILY

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 1: Homeworld Bound

The past few minutes have been some of the worst minutes of Steven's life. Not only did he accidentally take a life, but it was a life he was so sure he'd try to change in the past to little success. And now, the death of Jasper would weigh heavily on his shoulders as he dipped the shattered gem he was holding into the essence-infused bathwater.

"I'm sorry." Steven sobbed quietly while his tears dropped into the bathtub below him. Suddenly, as if the tears began reacting to the water, the Diamonds' essences began to glow at once and were absorbed into Jasper's gem, allowing the Gem warrior to regain her physical form and re-emerge in the bathtub.

"You-you shattered me." Jasper gasped while examining her broken horn and the breaks in her stripes before looking straight at Steven.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident!" Steven tried to apologize to Jasper. "I should've stopped, I just wasn't thinking!"

"No you weren't." a voice echoed in Steven's thoughts as Jasper stepped out of the bathtub and took a knee.

"I bow to your strength," Jasper declared while bowing her head in recognition of Steven's strength. "my Diamond."

"No!" Steven gasped in horror at what he's done.

"Ooh, this should be interesting." Steven's intrusive thoughts purred with intrigue at this new development.

"Are you in there Steven?" Pearl asked for Steven while knocking on the bathroom door.

"What's going on?" Amethyst added. "If you got any urges you want to let out, just don't gross Pearl out and make a mess of things."

"Amethyst, read the room." Garnet scolded the small Quartz. "Steven, please come out. We're sorry if you felt like we were intruding a few days ago, but you still need to talk to us somehow."

Just then, the three Gems heard footsteps as someone approached the other side of the door and hopefully cleared the way. But instead of Steven opening the door like they expected, it was instead Jasper.

"Wait, Jasper?!" Amethyst yelled in shock.

"What were you doing in there?" Pearl asked. "And where is Steven?!"

"Right here." Jasper answered, stepping aside to reveal a despairing Steven behind her as she gave the Diamond salute of old.

"Where have you been Steven?!" Amethyst asked Steven as he silently walked away and went up the stairs.

"You can't just disappear for three days and not tell us where you went!" Pearl cried out. "Words could not describe how absolutely scared we were for you! And now Jasper pops up out of nowhere and we're supposed to be okay with this?!"

"My Diamond can do as he pleases, peons." Jasper barked at the Crystal Gems. "He doesn't need you around anymore, just like how you don't need him around."

"Why are you calling him that?!" Amethyst yelled at Jasper before she began following Steven. "Steven!" she cried before shooting the bigger Gem a glare. "Just because we're sisters doesn't mean you're safe from the verbal thrashing I'm gonna give you soon."

"Like I care." Jasper rolled her eyes while the four Gems tailed Steven to the Warp Pad at the conservatory. "You've spent your lives following a liar yet when my Diamond refuses to reveal the truth, that's when you decide you need answers?"

As Steven was about to step on the Warp Pad, the Gems tried yet again to stop him. "Steven, wait!" Pearl yelled.

"You don't need to go." Garnet stated. When Steven decided to finally make a reply, he just sighed as he turned pink and began to form a barrier that separated him from the four Gems behind him.

"What the heck is going on!?" Amethyst screamed in shock before she, Garnet, and Pearl began banging on the shield.

"You guys, I know you want to help, but this is where it's gotta stop." Steven declared. "This whole time, I've been avoiding the only people in the universe that can help me now, so nobody follow me."

"I was right, he doesn't need you anymore!" Jasper laughed tauntingly before her pride soon turned to shock.

"You should stop following me too, Jasper." Steven said to the big Quartz, breaking her heart as she sorrowfully watched her Diamond abandon her yet again. "Go on and do something better with your life."

"Steven, before you go, please remember." Garnet urged Steven with a hand against the pink barrier. "We will always be your family."

"You never were." Steven growled as his shadow seemed to gain a mind of its own before he teleported away on the Warp Pad, the warp stream giving off a strange black aura before shutting off.

"Of course my Diamond doesn't want me anymore." Jasper bowed her head in shame and strolled off, but the Gems weren't done with her yet.

"Oh no you don't Jasper, you got some explaining to do!" Amethyst shouted while chasing after her Gem sister. "What were you doing in the bathroom, and what made you call Steven your Diamond?"

"Don't even bother asking me." Jasper sighed before she began to sing. "I tried teaching him a little tip, just three little words: get a grip. But thanks to him, I finally see, those words really do apply to me." As Jasper retreated into the bathroom, Amethyst and Pearl could barely hear her beginning to cry.

"Never seen her this emotional before." Garnet remarked. "And we've never heard her sing before either."

"I think we should just give her some space for a bit." Pearl suggested and realized what she just said. "Wow, that's the first time I've ever said that about Jasper, of all Gems."

"You think Steven meant what he said about us not being his family?" Amethyst asked as she sat down on the couch.

"I'm not sure." Garnet answered. "But there was something about him that I felt is taking control at the wrong moments, poisoning his mind even. Hopefully, he doesn't let this go out of control."

Far away from the galaxy Steven called home, the Warp Pad took him to the Gem Homeworld, and it was just as wildly different as he had seen it when he came here with the Off-Colors. Walking through the central city, he could see multiple Gems conversing while a propaganda video blared above him.

"Citizens of Homeworld, Black Rutile is still out there!" the familiar voice of Blue Zircon declared to her viewers while playing clips of Black Rutile's evil deeds, from her shattering of a Bismuth to her invasion of Earth. "Friends, lovers, even your own type could be a spy! I want you to report any and all suspicious activity to the nearest authority figure! Remember, Black Rutile will do anything to enslave our race, but my team and I are still working our hardest to find and stop her plans in their tracks!"

As soon as the clips stopped rolling, Blue Zircon herself appeared on screen with her arms folded and turned to the camera. "I'm Blue Zircon, and I approve this message."

The video ended with Blue Zircon striking a dramatic pose and Steven continued on his way, eventually reaching the Diamonds' throne room where a purple-colored Pearl was leading a tour group and a pair of Jaspers were having a conversation.

"I can't believe there are still Gems who think Zircon is a good candidate, even after her approval rating went down hard thanks to Black Rutile." One Jasper said about a poster of Yellow Zircon to her friend before gesturing to one of Blue Zircon. "Now Zircon, that's a face we can still trust!"

"As you can see, this truly was the center of the Great Diamond Authority's empire throughout the first and second eras." The aubergine Pearl stated to her tour group while gesturing to the Diamonds' massive thrones. "When walking through these storied halls, it can be easy to feel like you too are as mighty as a Diamond." As the Pearl began leading her group away, only three stayed behind. "Now then, if you'll follow me to the gift shop."

Steven recognized the three remaining Gems as Spinel, Volleyball, and that one green fusion from the Era 3 ball not too long ago, and they all were happy to see him. "Steven!" Spinel exclaimed with hearts in her eyes before leaping towards the boy and giving him a big, goofy kiss, accidentally setting the boy off.

"Spinel, what is wrong with you!?" Steven yelled angrily as he turned pink and pushed Spinel off of him.

"Oh, you know, the usual with me and my posse here." Spinel answered while gesturing to the other two Gems.

"How have you been since last we met Steven?" Volleyball asked.

"I've just been going through some things lately, especially after Black Rutile. I keep swelling up and turning pink." Steven answered. "Speaking of which, I've heard from Pearl you were forced to spy on us for her. Feeling alright?"

"I've been getting better." Volleyball wiped a tear from her cracked eye. "So what brings you here?"

"I need to see the Diamonds." Steven replied. "Can you take me to them?"

"No kidding!" Spinel exclaimed. "You've barely called or written to them, what gives?"

"He said he's been going through some things." The big green Gem said. "By the way, hi, Lemon Jade. Remember me from the ball when you and your human friend fused?"

"I'm sorry, but I barely remember." Steven admitted to Lemon Jade. "After Connie and I fused, the rest kinda went by so fast before we were thrown in the tower. And I think you were poofed too. Which reminds me, sorry for getting you in trouble."

"It's fine." Lemon Jade said. "Besides, ever since Era 3 began, we've been unbubbled and made a representative of all cross-Gem fusions on Homeworld. So it's been pretty good for me."

"And speaking of big changes." Spinel stated while turning to look at Citrine leading a chain gang of Holly Blue Agate, Morganite, Navy, and Cat's Eye into the throne room, all of them carrying mops.

"Okay you four, I want this floor sparkling by the time the next tour group comes in." Citrine commanded her four prisoners before turning to notice Steven. "Hey Steven, long time no see!"

"YOU!" Holly Blue yelled and tried to lunge towards Steven. "It's all because of you that I'm a criminal to my own kind! Once Black Rutile terminates you, she will set me free and I will finally be loved again!"

"Don't you mean set us free?" Morganite snarked at the Agate.

"Yeah, no need to make everything about you." Cat's Eye agreed with the pink Gem.

"You're one to talk." Navy rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"AAAAAHHHH SHADDUP!" Holly Blue shrieked to her fellow prisoners before Citrine jabbed her in the neck with a punch, causing her to fall over.

"Well, that just happened." Spinel said nervously as she wrapped her three friends with her arm and dragged them away. "So, if you're having issues with your physical form, I know just the Gem to help!"

Before long, Steven was dragged to a massive, yellow-colored workshop by Spinel, where Yellow Diamond was sitting down at a desk as big as she was as she reassembled a shattered Gem by plucking some of its pieces from a bubble containing an inactive Cluster Gem, as a nervous dull orange Gem watched.

"Just one last piece and you'll be good as new." Yellow muttered as she extracted one last piece from the bubble and placed it on a damaged gem, allowing the physical form of a bluish Gem to be restored, albeit with very stretched-out limbs. "Hm, needs a little work."

"Hey, it's okay Flint." The orange Gem comfortingly said to her frightened blue friend.

"Yellow, what are you doing?!" Steven cried out, startling the Diamond before she turned to see him.

"Oh Steven, you startled me!" Yellow said. "I was in the middle of reversing one of my experiments here." She demonstrated her work by picking up the Flint she just repaired and holding her in front of Steven and his three guides. "I couldn't put every piece back together, but here. Observe." With a tap on Flint's head, Yellow's lightning powers miraculously returned the smaller Gem's limbs to a more conventional length and she returned Flint to her friend.

"Look Chert, I'm back to normal!" Flint cheered as soon as she was returned to the desktop.

"Welcome back!" Chert replied and hugged Flint.

"After all the damage I've done these past couple thousand years, I believed the best way to use my powers for good was to fix the Gems I've shattered." Yellow explained to Steven. "Oh, that reminds me, I should make a note to patch up all the Gems making up the Cluster at some point! One more thing, if any of your Quartz friends back on Earth need their horns removed, just send them straight to me. I can permanently change their forms."

"Ooh, do me, do me!" Spinel excitedly ran up to Yellow and held out her arms to be altered while the Diamond reclined with her arm propping herself up

"Hey, I-" Steven tried to speak up, but Lemon Jade quickly cut him off.

"I know you want to speak, but I want to see what she does." Lemon Jade said before Yellow made Spinel's arms overly muscular with her powers.

"She can make my arms really big!" Spinel demonstrated with a flex of her temporary muscles, inciting a giggle from Volleyball. "And she can give me teeny little feetsies too!" Spinel tried to take a step with her incredibly small feet, only to fall over and make Volleyball laugh even louder while Steven got angrier at not being listened to.

"Won't any of you listen to me?!" Steven yelled in irritation.

"Oh sorry, I didn't notice you there Steven." Volleyball apologized.

"Then you have the floor." Yellow declared. "Penny for your thoughts, as Earth says?"

"I think something's wrong with my diamond powers." Steven explained his situation. "I've been turning pink whenever I get super mad, and I sometimes get real big, and I don't know what to do."

"Well, I believe I can help with that." Yellow suggested and held out a charged finger. "Hold still!" She then shrank Steven down to the size of a Ruby.

"No, I don't wanna be small!" Steven cried angrily.

"Okay, then I suppose you want to be larger!" Yellow reiterated before doing just that, angering Steven even more.

"I don't want to be smaller or larger," Steven roared while turning pink and creating a small crater beneath him with a stomp. "I WANT TO BE ME!" His roar sent everyone else in the room falling backwards before he was returned to his normal size by Yellow, who picked up Spinel to return her body to normal.

"What has gotten into you?!" Yellow asked in shock. "If anything's out of control, it's your temper!" She then took a quick moment to joke with Spinel. "Remind you of a certain someone?"

"Yeah, kinda." Spinel agreed with Yellow.

"Classic Yellow, so oblivious to the needs of others." Steven's intrusive thoughts butted in again while noticing the banter between the two Gems before him. "Exactly why your mother left them."

"Will you leave me alone already?!" Steven yelled, but to everyone else, it seemed like he was talking to himself.

"Is something else the matter?" Lemon Jade wondered.

"Sorry, I've also been having, well, it's harder to explain." Steven stated nervously.

"Well, you can be as big or as small as you want to, but your attitude tells me your issues aren't physical." Yellow deduced. "It has to be emotional. In fact, I think Blue Diamond might be better suited for this."

"Blue-Blue-Blue-Blue-Blue-BLUE!" Spinel cheered while zipping around Steven, Volleyball, and Lemon Jade in a circle.

In Blue Diamond's room, there wasn't much furniture to be found in the large glass dome other than many dark blue clouds that Gems were able to relax on, like Blue for instance.

"Your powers have been giving you dramatic mood swings?" the Diamond wondered soothingly. "That sounds awfully troubling Steven."

"You should've seen him with Yellow." Volleyball said. "She was trying to help, but he got really mad because he thinks she misunderstood what he said."

"But you don't seem that troubled yourself." Steven observed the room around him.

"That's because of Blue's new powers." Lemon Jade answered as she let herself sink into one of the clouds.

"Back before Pink came back into our lives through you Steven, I wanted everyone to feel the pain I had suffered." Blue explained. "But now, I realize that I'd rather bring joy to others."

"Oh please, blech!" Steven's inner self metaphorically rolled its eyes and made a gagging sound while Blue brought Steven closer.

"At that moment, my tears vaporized into these clouds, bringing pure joy to anyone they touch." Blue stated.

"They're certainly bringing me joy!" Volleyball moaned relaxedly as she curled up into a ball on one cloud. At that moment, another cloud brushed up against Steven and brought him the relief he was wanting for so long, if only for a few moments.

"She has ended lives all over for years, and only now she wants to actually be nice instead of looking nice?" the intrusive thoughts kept grumbling. "Though then again, there is no stopping you no matter how horrible the person."

"Trust us, just hang on and you'll be feeling the good vibes in no time!" Spinel eagerly advised Steven while saddling up on a cloud.

"I think you'd like it." Blue smiled before she began to sing. "Cold palace walls and empty, endless halls, haunted by echoes of laughter." While the song began, Steven began using his shields to push clouds away on the ground. "You gave a pull, and suddenly they're full. You've thrown the gates open after you."

Despite Steven's efforts, the clouds surrounded and formed underneath him, pushing the boy up into the sky as he smiled from its effects and was lifted into the air.

"And swept in with the throng, comes this wonderful song!" Blue continued singing as she rose through the clouds and looked up with her arms spread wide. "My little reason why, I'll never make you cry. Oh, I have got the sweetest things to tell you everyday." She then made little cloud hearts for Spinel to grab onto before beginning to swing from Blue's finger and hugging her head, while Steven's cloud floated on over to the pair, allowing Blue to hold it in her hand. "My little reason why, you make me want to try loving you."

Despite Blue's soothing number, Steven still felt sad despite all she tried to do and began turning pink again. "No no no, this isn't right!"

"My thoughts exactly." Steven's darker persona quipped. "Does she really think everything will be made better in an instant with some stupid song?"

Just then, Steven began to fall off his cloud and down towards the ground, but thankfully, someone was there to save him in the nick of time.

"Hang in there sunshine!" Spinel cried, grabbing Steven in her arms while using her legs like a propeller to fly him safely down to the ground.

"What's the matter?" Blue asked Steven as her cloud floated towards Steven and Spinel.

"Did the song not help?" Volleyball pondered while getting off her cloud.

"It thought it was very sweet." Lemon Jade added.

"I'm sorry, all of you." Steven apologized. "I know you all want to help, but you can't just magically make me feel better."

"Yes I can." Blue tried to be as reassuring as possible. "It's my new power. Plus, it's been kind of like your power for a long time now."

"I don't want to FEEL better!" Steven reiterated hotly while Spinel turned her hand into a pinwheel to blow on. "I want to BE better!"

"I found happiness," Blue stated. "If you think it's not something you deserve, then it must be a problem with your self-worth." Then, she got an idea. "In that case, maybe you should go visit White Diamond about it."

"Oh, White." Steven nervously repeated, not wanting to be reminded of one of his many near-death experiences.

"White Diamond, eh?" Steven's inner darkness once again butted in. "The Gem who basically got off scot-free for nearly killing you. I must say, did you ever instantly forgive her for all she's done like all the others?"

"No, none of them were instantly forgiven! Now leave me alone!" Steven shrieked back, leaving the four Gems confused at what's going on.

"Is he supposed to be talking to someone?" Blue wondered.

"This happened when we were with Yellow too." Spinel answered. "Either he's got an imaginary friend he really hates, or something worse."

Finally, there was White Diamond, whom Steven found meditating in her quarters when she opened her eyes to find him standing in front of her with Spinel, Volleyball, and Lemon Jade alongside him, and she was delighted to see him again. "Good to see you again Steven, and perfect timing too!" White greeted the son of Pink while standing up straight. "I've just gotten back from my most recent charitable escapades where I gave a voice to the little Gems, got the assistance of other species in repopulating our old colonies, and helped in weeding out Black Rutile's allies."

"Giving a voice?" Steven pondered what the eldest Diamond said.

"She basically lets Gems take control of her now, instead of the other way around!" Spinel explained for White.

"So like, the opposite of what you did to Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Volleyball?" Steven continued asking.

"I think something along those lines." Volleyball concurred.

"Well, why don't I show you?" White suggested before turning to Spinel. "Care to help me demonstrate, Spinel?"

Spinel let out a loud, excited squeal at the prospect of helping White show off for Steven, causing Volleyball to blush and laugh before the stretchy Gem calmed down. "Yes please." Spinel sweetly complied.

The two Gems then shut their eyes while the room began flashing various colors. Steven had no time to comprehend what was happening before White opened her eyes, revealing that her colors had now become just like Spinel's, and she had the playmate's voice too. "GUESS WHO?!"

"Agh, what is this?!" Steven yelped at how unsettling he found Spinel taking over White's body.

"Isn't it great?!" White and Spinel exclaimed in perfect sync. "Instead of taking control of other Gems, we can control her by channeling our thoughts into her body! As a matter of fact, watch this!" The two then launched into a crazy song and dance that began to shake the whole room, annoying and terrifying Steven even more.

"Even I have to admit, this is pretty terrifying." Steven's darker voice remarked in shock at what Steven was seeing.

"You don't like it?" Spinel asked Steven, taking note of his unnerved expression.

"You seem a little creeped out." Volleyball added.

"I-it's fine." Steven muttered before Spinel relinquished her control over White Diamond, allowing the Diamond to regain control of her body.

"Oh, what fun." White said. "Thank you for your time, Spinel. Now, why don't you and your friends leave the room for a moment while I have a word with Steven?"

"Okay then. See you later Steven." Lemon Jade said as she, Spinel, and Volleyball left White's quarters.

"Don't take too long you two." Spinel poked her head back in for a moment before the doors closed on her, while White turned her gaze to Steven.

"Now, what seems to be the problem exactly?" White asked the boy.

"Ever since Spinel first came to Earth, I feel like I've been getting way too powerful for my own good." Steven explained depressingly. "Random new abilities keep coming out of the blue and making a mess of things for me, and it's, it's making me scared."

"Oh Steven, I'm sure many humans of your age would dream to have your abilities, yet it only worries you." White lent a sympathetic ear. "Do tell me more."

"I'm scared that I'm gonna hurt people, though I guess I already have." Steven continued with his plight. "I keep pushing everyone away from me no matter how much they want to help, and I even," He let out a big sniff as he struggled to reveal a recent development to White. "I even shattered a Gem after going mad with power."

"Wait, shattered a Gem?! Seriously?!" White gasped in shock at how Steven of all people could do such a thing. "Which one was it?"

"You remember Jasper, right?" Steven asked.

"Barely, I've only seen her once recently, at the fountain." White answered. "She had her gem on her nose, right?"

"Yeah, I thought she would be a good mentor to help me get a handle on myself, but things only got worse." Steven replied. "After Black Rutile kept on lying to me about how I'll drive Jasper away like I did with everyone else, or something even worse, she kept feeding us more lies to turn us against each other, and then, and then." Steven couldn't compose himself any longer and was about to burst into a crying fit, but a gentle pat on the head from White's massive finger kept him sane for just a little longer.

"Half a Diamond, half an organic." White mused while sitting down and getting closer to Steven. "In all the universe, I don't think anyone else could know what you're going through, except yourself of course." She gave Steven a little poke. "Would you like to take me for a spin?"

"Okay." Steven began to wipe his eyes in agreement.

"Yes, this is what we need!" Steven's evil half declared excitedly. "Perhaps we could give this hag her just desserts."

With another shut of her eyes, White's room began flashing colors again while Steven began to felt himself getting linked to the massive Diamond before she began to turn various shades of pink, symbolizing that Steven was now in control.

"Whoa, this is so weird!" Steven and White exclaimed as they got a grasp on their shared mindset. "I'm, I'm," His excitement soon turned to shock as Steven began to realize what he had become. "I'm a Diamond."

"That's right." Steven's inner voice declared menacingly, symbolized through White's eyes becoming a pitch black. "The very thing you feared for so long. Isn't this what you wanted to see?"

"No, this is the last thing I ever wanted to see!" Steven yelled as he took back control of White. "Why won't you just go away?!" White smashed a pillar behind her with her fist, and the resulting debris nearly crushed Steven. "Don't hurt me!" Steven exclaimed in fear, when he made a haunting discovery. "Wait, she can't hurt me. I'm controlling her."

"Exactly, why are you so afraid?" the darker side of Steven asked as he took back control of White. "She should be afraid of us!"

Suddenly, Steven and White switched heights while the room turned dark and a booming, evil laugh could be heard. Thanks to being under Steven's control, White began cowering in terror.

"Wh-what's going on!?" White yelled in Steven's voice and tried to run, but she was quickly stopped by invisible chains latching onto her wrists and ankles as Steven lifted her up like a puppet.

"You treated your race like puppets for so long, it's time you see how they feel." Steven announced in a deep voice completely unlike his own. "So, what's it like being a mere plaything to the brat you've bullied for ages now?"

"No, stop, I don't like this!" White exclaimed while she was forcibly steered towards another pillar.

"TOO BAD!" the dark side of Steven cackled evilly while forcing the Diamond to grab onto the pillar and hold her head back.

"Let me go please, you're scaring me!" White screamed.

"This is for everything you put me through, and everyone else too!" Steven bellowed as he prepared to smash White's gemstone against the pillar, but there was something in him that held him back.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" the evil voice within Steven commanded. "END HER MADNESS, END YOUR SUFFERING! DO IT!"

"Neither of you can control me!" the better man within Steven argued against shattering White once and for all. "Just stop this, I'm begging you!"

"Ignorant baby. Your pacifism will be the end of you!" the evil half snarled. "Fine, if no one else does what you want, you have to do it yourself!" Steven's inner voice took full control over Steven once again and prepared to kill White Diamond, letting out a haunting evil laugh as she was about to shatter herself by smashing her gem against the pillar. Unfortunately for him, the link between Steven and White was broken in the nick of time and the two woke back up in her destroyed sanctum.

"Steven, what happened?" White gasped in horror at what Steven seemingly threatened against her. "Who was that voice? And did you just try to-"

"I-I don't know!" Steven gasped just as terrified before swelling up and turning pink, causing him to run out of the room.

"Wait!" White cried out with an outstretched hand. "Please come back!"

As the larger, pinker Steven charged away from White Diamond's room, he happened to pass by the other two Diamonds and Spinel & her friends, who were aghast at his current state.

"Is this what he wanted to talk to me about?" Yellow asked Blue.

"I don't think humans can get tall so quickly." Blue commented while Spinel began to give chase, her legs turning into a figure 8 as she ran behind Steven.

"Yo Steven, did White help you?!" Spinel cried out for her half-human friend, causing him to stop and turn to her, giving Spinel a good idea of what happened by his current appearance alone. "Whoa, not cool, right?"

"Wait a second!" Steven realized as he returned to his normal self before shaking Spinel by the shoulders. "You and your friends were hurt by the Diamonds, how are you so calm?!"

"Oh yeah, they hurt us alright, but it's all pretty good." Spinel chuckled.

"How good exactly?" Steven asked.

"Well, it's all good thanks to Steven Universe!" Spinel beamed and she began to sing a familiar song. "That IIII-III-III, I can make a change!"

"Insipid hypocritical brat!" Steven's inner voice bellowed furiously. "Does she think she can make you feel all better with that same idiotic tune?" The inner voice's question immediately changed Steven's perspective of Spinel. Gone was the looney sweetheart, and right before him, Steven began to imagine the psychopath that poofed all his friends and nearly killed all organic life. "She's just like everybody else you've met! They think everything is okay despite all the horrible things they've done, and you just accept it! Go right on ahead, show her how she made you feel!"

"I can make a promise, I can make a plan!" Spinel kept on singing while Steven continued glaring at her for giving him his own advice. "I can make a difference, I can take a stand! I can make an effort, if I only understaa-aaand!" Once again, Steven's darker half began to take control, making Steven curl his hand up into a fist. "That III-III-I, I can make a-"

Spinel's musical reverie was quickly cut short when Steven punched her square in the face and sent her head flying back for a moment before it returned to the rest of her body in tears. "W-why did you do that?" Spinel sniffled and then began to sob loudly.

"No, it wasn't my fault!" Steven tried to defend himself and began blaming the real culprit "You!" he yelled at his inner voice. "Why did you make me hurt her?!"

"Isn't that what you wanted, to get the payback you wanted?" the voice replied with a metaphorical sneer just as Volleyball raced towards the crying Spinel.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright Spinel?!" the Pearl with the damaged eye asked Spinel.

"Steven hit me!" Spinel kept on sobbing as she pointed at Steven while the Diamonds and Lemon Jade joined Volleyball in comforting her.

"Steven did what!?" Yellow shrieked and glared right at Steven, who turned pink yet again as he ran away. "Steven, you get back here this instant and explain yourself! She just wanted to make you feel better!"

"All of you shut up and leave me alone!" Steven screamed while racing out of the palace, unknowingly leaving behind a sandal on the steps as he left.

"Oh crack, this is Pink all over again." White groaned before she, her fellow Diamonds and Spinel's gang followed Steven out of the palace just as he was about to get on a Warp Pad, where they noticed how eerily similar to the late Diamond he has quickly become.

"Please Steven, let us help you!" Yellow cried out.

"We're your family!" Blue added.

"No, you never were!" Steven cried in a raspier voice. "Just stop following me!"

"Steven!" White exclaimed, but they were too late. The former great authority's pleas fell on deaf ears and Steven finally left Homeworld behind, the warp stream once again revealing a formless black shape before disappearing. "Oh, dear."

"What's going on with him?" Lemon Jade nervously asked.

"I have no idea." Volleyball answered as the doors closed behind them.

"Yeah, it's like he's turned into a different person," Spinel added while drying her tears. "and an absolute jerk too."

"This isn't like Steven to hit someone like this." Yellow said while cradling Spinel in her hand. "Something is definitely wrong."

"I concur Yellow." White agreed with the younger Diamond. "When I allowed Steven to take over my body, I felt a strange presence within him that urged him to try and shatter me."

"What?!" Yellow and Blue shouted in unison.

"This has got to be a result of human growth, I'm sure of it!" Blue paced around the halls. "What is it his father called it again, pub-erty?"

"Something along those lines." White said. "While I've been told young humans undergoing this process do have mood swings, I don't think violent urges are among those moods."

Meanwhile on Earth, Jasper had returned to lying in the bathtub where she was resurrected, and she was now crying her eyes out after being rejected by Steven. Losing her Diamond in battle was bad enough for her, and learning she was Rose Quartz all along thus making everything she worked for all a lie was even worse, but getting her back only to be abandoned once again was the final straw.

"Why does this planet hate me so?" Jasper quietly sobbed to herself. "I was only following orders, what does the rock I was created on have against me?"

Just then, Jasper could barely hear a Warp Pad go off, signaling that someone had come to the beach house. However, she chose not to bother seeing who it was, even as someone opened the door.

"Hello, anyone in here?" Steven, the boy who had basically ruined Jasper's life, asked while poking his head into the bathroom. It was dark in the room, so he could barely make out the shape of Jasper's hair lying in the tub, and he closed the door again.

Chapter Text

As soon as Steven returned to his earthly home via Warp Pad and checked up on the bathroom, he returned to his room to flop down on his bed. Steven thought the Diamonds would be of help to him, but instead, they didn’t understand what he was going through, and his evil voice kept making things worse for him.

“Why did you make me do that?” Steven lugubriously asked his inner self. “Why did you make me nearly kill White Diamond, and punch Spinel?”

“They hurt you, so I thought it was about time you gave them their just desserts.” The evil voice within Steven answered. “Yet the real you insisted that everything was fine. That’s your biggest problem, you’re way too forgiving of others no matter how much they want you dead.”

“No, I know when others don’t deserve to be accepted.” Steven argued. “Like Black Rutile for example. If she’s going to be proud of how irredeemable she is, I’ll just let her do her thing.”

“Ah yes, do her thing.” The negative side of Steven mused. “Like threaten your life and make repeated attempts on your psyche. Yeah, if you could change that pervert, then maybe you can change the sociopath too.”

Suddenly, Steven’s phone began to ring. “One second Negative Me, I have to take this.” Steven said while picking it up and hearing a relieving familiar voice on the other end. “Hey Connie, what’s up?”

“Steven!” Connie cried in delight. “Good, you finally picked up. I can’t believe we haven’t talked to each other since the hospital visit, how are you?”

“I’m great!” Steven fibbed while gazing at how he was still pink. “Never been better!”

“Really?” Connie asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure you haven’t had any more swelling or turning pink problems?”

“Uh, nope?” Steven replied. “Okay, maybe, but how are you doing? How’s prepping for college going?”

“It’s going fine Steven.” Connie answered nervously. “But what you mean when you said maybe?”

“Look, there’s nothing to worry about.” Steven kept on lying. “Everything’s fine.”

“I doubt it.” Steven’s dark side interrupted.

“Look, I’ll call you later,” Steven said. “I don’t wanna wake up the Gems.”

“But they don’t even sleep!” Connie exclaimed before Steven quickly hung up and gazed at his hands before the TV turned on.

“-it's because I'M A UNIVERSE!” Steven began seeing visions of the past on the TV, starting with his argument with Greg before it went to static. Then it began showing Steven holding the shattered remains of Jasper’s gem in his hand. More static, followed by the near-death of White Diamond, then Steven punching Spinel for singing to him. Just as Steven got up to try and turn the TV off, he got one last devastating surprise.

“Steven, we can’t both exist.” Rose Quartz announced to Steven in the video she made before giving birth to him, the very sight of her warm face making him twitch angrily where he stood. “I’m going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you.”

“No, I never loved myself,” Steven growled furiously. “I’ve always hated being you. Everything I’ve suffered, and everything you ever put everyone through,” He balled up his fist and pointed it straight at the TV screen. “IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

Before Rose could finish, Steven broke the screen with a single punch and prematurely ended the video. However, Steven then let out a gasp as he gazed into his reflection on the shattered remains of the screen, noticing that his irises were now diamond-shaped and realizing what he had become.

“No! No, no, no, no!” Steven trembled and dropped to the ground in horror. “Th-this can’t be happening, I didn’t think about shattering White, I didn’t shatter Jasper, punch Spinel, or nearly kill Dad!” His panicking soon turned to mad chuckling as Steven tried to cheer himself up. “I’m Steven Universe!” Steven then turned to Vidalia’s painting of him and Garnet. “I’m fine, I’m fine!” he loudly repeated to himself, causing the glass of his bedroom door to break. “I’m totally fine!”

“Steven, is that you?!” The loudness of Steven’s fibbing caused Pearl to cry out as she, Amethyst, and Garnet raced upstairs to Steven’s room and gasped at his current appearance.

“What happened?” Amethyst asked Steven. “When did you get so big?”

“Is everything alright?” Pearl added just as nervously.

“I’m fine.” Steven smiled and waved at the Gems. “Going to the Diamonds was just a waste of time since they had no idea what I was going through. I thought I needed to figure myself out, but I already know who I am! I’m Steven Universe; and I help, not hurt!”

“Yeah, then I suppose you tried to help the TV there?” Amethyst said while pointing a thumb at the damaged TV. “Seriously, we have got to upgrade someday. But seriously dude, what’s going on? You look way different!”

“Pfft, I’m still your lovable old Steven!” Steven denied in response.

“Steven, we’re worried,” Garnet stated, taking off her glasses to emphasize how concerned she was for her ward. “You haven’t been acting like your usual self lately, and we think you should get some rest before this gets dangerous.”

“I’m okay, really!” Steven continued lying to the Gems, who glanced concernedly at each other before turning back to him.

“We’ll take your word for it.” Garnet said resignedly.

“You know, everything’s gone downhill ever since I quit Little Homeschool!” Steven declared cheerfully. “I should head on over and see if I can make myself useful there! See you guys later!”

With that, Steven used his newfound super speed to race out of the house to Little Homeworld. To the Gems, it was like he was gone in an instant.

“I get that Steven wants us to know he’s fine, but that was a little unsettling.” Pearl stated fearfully. “We should just follow him to Little Homeworld so we can keep an eye on him.”

“Agreed.” Garnet nodded while putting her glasses back on.

“Yeah, that boy ain’t right!” Amethyst declared before the trio left Steven’s bedroom. But what they or even Steven didn’t know was that a black-colored drone was watching them carefully.

“Excellent, he’s just about at his breaking point.” Black Rutile declared triumphantly while examining the footage her drone has gathered with White Topaz by her side. “Oh, I haven’t felt this much of a rush since the Strawberry Battlefields!”

“But will Steven get any better?” White Topaz asked nervously, inciting her master to give her a furious glare.

“No, that’s my intention!” Black Rutile stated. “I broke him, I broke his spirit! If I physically harmed him, the damage would just go away. But mental torture, the wounds shall only grow and fester! I have officially broken Steven Universe, and all that’s left is for everyone to reject that monster.”

“Oh master, we’re back from training.” Bluebird Azurite declared as she flew back to the Rutile’s cavern hideaway. 

“Oh hey guys, how you getting along?” White Topaz asked the fusion cheerfully. 

“We’re getting along splendidly thanks to Steven’s advice.” Bluebird answered before un-fusing into Aquamarine and Eyeball.

“Now we’re even stronger than ever!” Aquamarine exclaimed joyfully.

“Look what we can do now!” Eyeball added before pulling out her chisel and shaking it to turn the blade into a beam of fire while Aquamarine launched bubbles from her wings.

“Ah, so glad you two are reaching your full potential, potential that Steven has suppressed for too long.” Black Rutile smiled warmly at the tiny twosome. “But know this, you may be afraid of what could be to come, but remember that fear is but the precursor to valor! And to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a warrior. Don’t think, become.”

“I fail to see how that could inspire us, but okay.” Aquamarine muttered before peeking behind Black Rutile to see the drone footage. “Now what’s all this?”

“It’s video evidence that I’ve driven Steven to madness.” Black Rutile answered with a proud grin before gesturing to each screen. “Here, we see Steven going ballistic on a human television when his mother appeared on the monitor.” She said pointing to the first one. “On this one, the accursed Crystal Gems show concern for him for once, but he denies that anything is wrong with him.” Then Black Rutile moved on to the third one. “And finally, Steven is just gone like a light.”

“How can he do that?” White Topaz asked as she looked at the third viewscreen.

“Research shows that this comes from his Diamond heritage interfering with his human biology.” Black Rutile analyzed the footage. “I should know, I was often tasked with watching over Pink Diamond whenever her usual caretakers were unavailable. And let me just say, it was unbelievably hectic.”

“Yeah, like remember our attempted occupation of Zembilla?” White Topaz added. “Pink really grew attached to those little orange natives and didn’t want them all dead.”

“Don’t remind me to the point of making me have a flashback.” Black Rutile groaned while stroking her temples. “This shall be our time to rise up. We shall strike the first moment we get when Steven is at his lowest, so I suggest you better prepare.” The Rutile then turned to her Topaz muscle. “Topaz, I need you to preside over Aquamarine and Ruby’s training for the time being.”

“Oh, of course, I’ll do as you say!” White Topaz frantically declared. “That’s me, White Topaz, always at your service!”

“Just…..go.” Black Rutile’s eye began to twitch at White Topaz’s brownnosing. As soon as her three subordinates left, the mastermind turned back to her screens and paused the first one at Steven punching the TV screen. “Soon, my boy. Your god complex will finally crumble, just like your so-called happily ever after.”

“Ah Little Homeworld, long time no see!” Steven declared happily as he reached Little Homeworld and landed on the Warp Pad. “Time to find someone who needs my help.”

As Steven ran around the village in search of people to help, Gems and humans were taken a little aback by his new appearance and tried to stay away from him, though Steven didn’t know why.

“Look, we’re just saying Emerald, there are more ways reptiles are connected to birds than you think.” Demantoid argued with Emerald as the two played chess together.

“Name one!” Emerald declared while moving her rook to knock out Demantoid’s pawn. “Are there any lizards that have feathers, hm?!”

“Hey, guys, any arguments that need settling?” Steven butted into the green Gems’ debate with a wide smile, taking the two by surprise. “Something about birds?”

“What is wrong with you?!” Emerald exclaimed. “This is why Black Rutile hates you, you think everything has to revolve around you and how you think you can fix everything! But even so, you look creepily happier than usual. Something is definitely up.”

“Oh, everything’s fine.” Steven declared, his eye twitching ever so slightly at Emerald’s accusation. “I think I’ll just let you guys get back to your conversation.” And so, Steven set off for someone else to try and help, leaving the green ex-subordinates of Black Rutile aghast before they decided to change the topic while getting back to their game.

“So, I’ve heard rumors that Steven is suffering from some problems lately.” Demantoid said as her rook moved to take out the opposing knight. “Something about post-traumatic stress disorder?”

“Are you sure?” Emerald replied. “Because I’ve read about the symptoms, and something tells me he might have a borderline personality disorder.”

“Maybe somewhere in the middle?” Demantoid deduced.

“Now the key to giving a plant proper sunlight is finding a spot that’s just right.” Peridot exposited to her class of Pyrope, Orange Spodumene, Blue Chalcedony, Cherry Quartz, and Squaridot while pointing to a chrysanthemum. “And it also varies on what kind of plant you’re growing.”

“I see.” Squaridot muttered in awe.

Just then, Steven barged into the greenhouse and grinned at Peridot’s class. “Hi Peridot, do any of you need some help?”

“No, I do believe we’re perfectly fine.” Pyrope answered dryly.

“So what brings you back here?” Peridot asked. “Didn’t you leave a few months back?”

“Just your friendly neighborhood Crystal Gem just here to help!” Steven declared. “And I think your students have a few struggling saplings here. Let me give you a hand.” Chuckling at his pun, Steven licked his hands and reached out to Pyrope’s pot before Peridot stopped him.

“Not so fast!” Peridot scolded Steven. “Amethyst told me you’re on a No Plant Friends policy after what happened with the Cactus Stevens.”

“We’re right here you know.” A Cactus Steven said while helping a nearby Sapphire.

“Besides, I don’t want your germs all over my prized flower!” Pyrope added, protectively hiding her pot from Steven.

“Oh come on you guys, I just want to give them a little nudge!” Steven laughed. To further prove his point, a leaf fell off Blue Chalcedony’s plant.

“That has been bothering me lately.” Blue Chalcedony stated, holding her pot out to Steven. “Go ahead, just a smidge though.”

“I got a bad feeling about this.” Cherry Quartz said warily.

“Oh don’t worry, I got this!” Steven said as he licked his finger and tapped on the spot where the leaf fell off.

Moments later, the greenhouse began literally bursting with plant life, and not in a good way. Living topiaries in the shape of Steven broke through the greenhouse walls chanting “Steven’s here to help!” while Peridot’s class ran away screaming.

“Nice going Chal, now look what’s happened!” Pyrope yelled at Blue Chalcedony.

“Hey, lay off her Pyrope!” Orange Spodumene exclaimed. “But still, something is not right with Steven!”

On the topic of Steven, he followed the class out of the greenhouse and seemed oblivious to the damage he had caused. “Look at that, life! It’s everywhere, it always finds a way!”

“Much like how you find a way to drive people away.” Steven’s evil voice muttered sardonically, but Steven paid it no mind as he continued his search for people to help.

“Now, tell me how that makes you feel.” Garnet said to a human couple she was giving counseling to when she heard Peridot scream, causing the humans to stand up as they gasped. “See you next week.”

As soon as the couple ran away in fright, three Topiary Stevens surrounded Garnet, still chanting “Steven’s here to help!” while the real Steven ran into the fusion.

“Oh Garnet, I see you’re making some new friends!” Steven exclaimed joyfully, continuing to be unaware of his surroundings. “Then I guess this was a net win. Welp, gotta run and find someone else to help! It’s what I do!”

“Then help me stop them!” Garnet yelled while the Topiary Stevens repeated “Steven’s here to help!”, which began to get on her nerves. “The others have to know about this.”

“Being a lifeguard was far easier than I thought.” Laz declared while relaxing in a lifeguard chair above the Gems in the now completed swimming pool. “Just gotta sit around and wait for something to happen. Besides, Gems can’t drown anyways!”

“Yeah, but they still need to learn some basic rules.” Lapis said to her old friend turned enemy turned friend again before blowing her whistle. “Hey, no running so fast! You might slip and fall!”

“Sorry, Lapis.” Teal Zircon apologized before diving in and landing on top of Watermelon Tourmaline. “This is living, eh Melon?”

“You said it, Teal.” Watermelon Tourmaline said as she floated around the pool with the Zircon relaxing on her stomach. “Ain’t nothing could go wrong today.”

Just then, Steven came a-knocking as he opened the gate to the pool to check out what was going on. “Hey Lapises, how’s everything going?” he asked. “Anyone need any saving right now?”

“Actually, I think we’re running a pretty tight ship as is,” Lapis answered Steven while Zuli emerged from the pool after a swim. “Right guys?”

“Yeah, we don’t need any extra help right now.” Zuli stated. “But if you want, we could hold tryouts sometime.”

“Oh no need, I’ll just do it myself.” Steven beamed before he began looking out for someone who might need his assistance when he spotted Teal Zircon resting on Watermelon Tourmaline’s stomach. “Hey TZ, you could slip and fall!”

“What?” Teal asked before Steven grabbed her by the hand. “I’m doing pretty fine over here.” Suddenly, as Steven tried to pull the Zircon from the pool, he accidentally pulled a little too hard and threw her up in the air. “OKAY, NOW I’M NOT DOING FINE!” TZ screamed as she flew away from the pool. “WITNESS ME!”

Teal Zircon didn’t stay in the air for long, and soon dropped from the sky into another part of Little Homeworld. “I’m okay!”

“What’s the big idea, Steven?” Watermelon Tourmaline asked. “We were all having fun before you came in and threw Teal Zircon to who knows where!”

“I’m sure TZ’s fine, she said so herself.” Steven laughed. “Well, gotta run! Have a nice day everybody!”

As soon as Steven ran off, more Topiary Stevens came bursting through the chain-link fence as they wrestled with the Cactus Stevens, prompting the other Gems present to slowly back away.

“Can this day get any weirder?” Laz scoffed. “I was trying to relax here!”

“Hey, did anyone else notice that Steven was all pink and such?” Lapis asked her fellow water-manipulating lifeguards.

“Yeah, it’s kinda freaking me out.” Zuli replied. “And are we sure he’s totally fine?”

“I’m asking that question too.” Lapis pondered while Peridot came charging through the broken fence to break up the battle of the plant Stevens.

When Steven left the pool, the first thing he saw was Bismuth’s forge. “That’s right, it must be shop o’clock!” he declared while skidding to a stop. “Bismuth’s shop class, that is. Time to get my shop on.”

“You good bud, you talking to yourself or something?” Amethyst, dressed in a coach uniform, asked Steven as he entered the forge.

“Now, the detailing requires a light touch.” Bismuth explained to Blue Pearl, Bixbite & Snowflake Obsidian while standing between Pearl wearing a smithing apron and Yellow Pearl in a suit of armor. “Pay attention now everybody, cause this is critical to getting it right.”

“Uh, hey howdy hey!” Steven greeted the shop class while leaning against the entrance.

“Oh, hey Steven!” Bixbite cheerfully greeted Steven.

“Did you get taller?” Blue Pearl asked with a tilt of her head and a finger to her lips.

“Whoa-ho-ho, lookin’ good Steven!” Bismuth complimented Steven’s change in appearance.

“I don’t think that look is a positive change for him.” Pearl whispered to Bismuth. “We think something might be wrong with him.”

“Fancy seeing you drop by.” Yellow Pearl grinned, unaware of what the teachers were conversing about. “How do you like my armor?”

“You look great Yellow Pearl!” Steven answered. “So Bismuth, in need of a teaching assistant?”

“Actually, Pearl’s my TA today,” Bismuth replied with a hand on Pearl’s shoulder before presenting Yellow Pearl’s armor-clad arm. “but I could use a wedding expert for my wedding armor demonstration. How ‘bout it?”

“Of course, I’ll help!” Steven declared. “That’s what I love doing, just helping everyone!”

“Okay, let’s get some materials warmed up for you.” Bismuth then walked over to a pot of coals that she plucked a cooling steel bar from and flattened one end of it on the anvil with her hammer hand. “I think that’s good enough.” She stated. “Hey Steven, mind helping me with a pauldron or two?”

“I got this.” Steven cheered as he walked over to the anvil and prepared to punch the metal.

“Hold up there boulder-brain.” Bismuth stopped Steven before he could punch. “It’s just some detail work, no need for a big mallet when you could use a little hammer.” She handed a tiny hammer to Steven. “Plus, you could burn yourself that way.”

“Oh, whoopsy-daisy, thanks Bismuth.” Steven exclaimed and lightly tapped on the metal with the hammer. Instead of the detail work he thought he could do, Steven instead cracked the anvil into pieces with a single tap.

“Someone’s stronger than we thought.” Snowflake laughed nervously while Pearl & Bismuth gazed at the broken anvil.

“Look at that, now you have two anvils!” Steven laughed while Bismuth mourned the destruction of her anvil.

“NOOOOO!!!!” Bismuth dropped to her knees in despair. “My anvil! My beautiful anvil!”

“Oh, grow up will you?” Steven’s inner voice grumbled. “It’s an anvil, you can make another.”

“Seems like my work here is done.” The real Steven laughed as he prepared to leave. “Well, toodles!”

“You see what I mean, Steven’s not himself lately.” Pearl said as she comforted Bismuth. “First he nearly got Greg killed, then Jasper started calling him her Diamond, and now this.”

“Can I be the first to say that he needs help?” Yellow Pearl asked sardonically as more Topiary Stevens continued their rampage outside the forge.

As Steven exited the forge, he ran towards a baseball game that Amethyst was holding. Nephrite was on the Warp Pad throwing a ball to Doc, Amethyst stood by with Onion next to her, Topaz stood with a pair of humans on the bases, Larimar was in the outfield, and Chrysocolla, Grossular Diopside & Moonstone were waiting to play.

As soon as Amethyst noticed Steven, she blew her whistle and turned to talk to him. “Hey dude,” she greeted him. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering if you needed any more players.” Steven offered. “I’m ready to have a ball!”

“I think we could squeeze you in, we do need a new outfielder,” Amethyst concluded and pointed to Larimar. “Oy, Larimar! Hit the showers, Steven’s taking your place!”

“Good luck there Steven.” Larimar said while she got up and left while Steven took her place on the playing field.

“Yeah, good hustle there Lil Larimar.” Steven complimented the ice Gem. “I’m honored to be joining such a great game, I mean, everyone here has been outstanding!”

“You just got here, how do you know that?” Nephrite raised her brow.

“That’s just me, I know what everyone is doing and feel the need to help all the time!” Steven declared, creeping everyone out.

“Enough chit-chat, batter up!” Amethyst cried out, cuing Onion to pick up a bat and walk up to home base, ready to play. Nephrite threw the ball towards the silent boy and he hit it with the bat, although unfortunately, it was heading straight for a nearby house.

“Oh no, in danger again?!” the Heaven Cubic Zirconia complained as the ball sailed towards the window of her and Earth Cubic Zirconia’s house while they were having tea.

“I swear, is it because we’re small?” Earth Cubic Zirconia wondered. Thankfully, Steven caught the ball just in time, much to their relief.

“I did it.” Steven declared and the other players cheered.

“Three cheers for Steven!” Topaz declared.

“That’s our boy.” Chrysocolla smiled.

“I did it, and I didn’t ruin anything!” Steven boomed happily. “YEAH!” However, the complete opposite of what he just said quickly happened. His excited yell caused a windstorm powerful enough to knock people off their feet, break glass everywhere, and cause the Zirconias’ house to fall apart.

“Whoa, take it easy Steven!” Moonstone cried as she held onto a bench while the windstorm continued.

“Someone help me!” Grossular Diopside yelled while she got blown away with Larimar. Thankfully, the windstorm died down after a few seconds but still left a ton of destruction in its wake, and all eyes were on Steven.

“Oops, sorry everyone.” Steven blushed at the chaos he caused. “T-t-that was an accident. But what are accidents and mistakes but opportunities to learn and improve, right?” He looked down at the Zirconias, who weren’t very happy about the destruction of their home.

“It was a mistake for us to be put in danger again, especially because of you!” Earth yelled accusingly.

“Earthy, shush!” Heaven shushed her partner.

“I mean, we all make mistakes, and as long as we keep improving, everything will be fine!” Steven declared while picking up a log. “Alright, let’s get to it!”

“It was a mistake for you to come here in this state.” The voice in Steven’s head declared. “Black Rutile and I were right, you will drive everyone away.”

“Listen, I am done with you for today.” Steven’s own thoughts argued with the voice. “Just pipe down and don’t ever think about feeding me bad thoughts ever again, got it?”

“How about never?” the voice said smarmily while the Topiary Stevens got to work on helping Steven by picking up Onion, Larimar, and Grossular Diopside.

“WE’RE HELPING!” one of the Plant Stevens yelled.

High above the destroyed makeshift baseball field, Black Rutile’s satellite continued watching everything and sending footage back to its creator, who was all too happy to see what her hard work has amounted to.

“This is just priceless!” Black Rutile laughed joyously. “First, he makes plants come to life and fight those cactus beasts, then he throws that annoying Zircon into the air, broke an anvil, and caused a scene during one of those human games. I’m sure he’s going to make such a scene about all these little accidents.”

“All the more tools to humiliate the boy.” Aquamarine added just as sneakily. “Soon, he will have nothing but himself and his thoughts controlling him.”

“Unless his friends were to come out and tell him everything will be alright.” White Topaz objected. “I’m just saying, those Gems will stick by his side through thick and thin.”

“Hey, no more objections!” Eyeball yelled while pulling out her flame knife. “Want me to test this on you?!”

While Eyeball began chasing White Topaz around the woods with her knife, Black Rutile just groaned and turned back to her screens. “Tell me Aquamarine, why do all great geniuses surround themselves with idiots?”

“Your guess is as good as mine my Rutile.” Aquamarine shook her head while watching the screens focused on the beach house with bated breath.

As soon as Steven was done helping fix what he had broke, he returned to the beach house with a dourer expression than the big smile he kept wearing throughout the day. On the other side of the room, Connie was in the living room while Greg and the Gems sat down on the couch.

“Steven!” Connie cried. “I was right all along, you’re still swelling! I tried calling you all day, but I kept getting this weird meme.” She held up her phone, which now depicted Steven bouncing up and down while chanting “Steven’s here to help!” just like the Topiary Stevens. “Please, what is going on? We’re all worried for you.”

“Go on boy, play dumb.” Steven’s inner voice commanded.

“I sometimes broadcast my subconscious these days.” Steven answered. “It’s really no big deal.”

“NOT THAT DUMB!” the voice groaned in irritation.

“I can tell something is bothering you.” Connie continued. “There are even times where the meme sometimes turns into this.”

“Steven’s here to help, Steven’s here to help!” Steven kept chanting on Connie’s phone before it began to glitch. “Steven help, help Steven!”

“Ah, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Steven declared, his stress continuing to unnerve others. “Besides, you all saw I was doing just fine this morning. I’m fine, awesome even!”

“Steven, if being as helpful as you always are, even if it’s a bit obnoxious & creepy, is what you want, we’ll support you 100%.” Greg comforted. “But if you’re not really happy, if something’s wrong-“

“He’s onto us!” the voice exclaimed. “Should’ve gone a little further with the crash, I say.”

“Nothing’s wrong!” Steven rebuked his father’s worries. “Besides, you all don’t have to worry.”

“We ARE worried!” Connie replied worryingly. “Besides, Pink Diamond’s Pearl told the Gems over the communicator in your greenhouse that you punched Spinel while you were at Homeworld.”

“Listen, you can tell us anything.” Greg added.

“Look at these worms, ganging up on us.” The inner voice kept snarling. “Run, run while you still can! No one may help us now! Except, of course, for a certain Rutile.”

“It’s not that easy.” Steven muttered as he hung his head in shame. “You know what? I don’t want to deal with all this.” However, when Steven tried to leave, Garnet blocked his way to the Warp Pad while the rest kept him from leaving through the door. “Seriously guys, I don’t want to deal with this!”

“No, we don’t wanna deal with all this.” Amethyst put her foot down at Steven’s behavior.

“Please, you have to stop running.” Garnet begged in addition when suddenly, Steven’s body began to swell yet again and his face stretched out.

“Maybe we should get you back to my mom at the hospital.” Connie suggested.

“HOSPITAL?!” Amethyst shrieked.

“Is that what you were doing while we were at the trial?!” Pearl yelled.

“You mean you didn’t tell them?!” Connie cried out in shock, while Steven’s body kept on distorting and his breath quickened.

“It wasn’t that important, just my first ever doctor’s visit.” Steven smiled awkwardly. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing! Sure, I messed up the house and broke a few things, but what teenager hasn’t?”

“You spent years forcing secrets out of the Gems, and now you’re the one keeping secrets?” Steven’s darker half growled at his other half’s hypocrisy. “You truly have become your mother.”

“And sure, Dad and I had a little fight, but it was practically a rite of passage!” Steven continued fibbing and shrugged.

Connie and the Gems turned their gaze to Greg, who just scratched his head and let out a nervous laugh.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be weird if we didn’t?!” Steven kept on ranting. “And sure, I’ve had Black Rutile feed me some not so nice thoughts while you were at Los Diego that took the form of an inner voice that forced me to punch Spinel, or try and shatter White Diamond, but it’s not like I actually went through with it! I did really shatter Jasper after all!”

“WHAT?!” Amethyst screamed at the thought of Steven, this sweet young man who would rather hang out with a fly than hurt it, doing such a thing, especially to a Gem he had tried many times to help see the light.

Although barely anyone could hear, Jasper let out a light moan from the bathroom.

“You’re-you’re joking right?!” Connie gasped with Greg while Garnet’s jaw dropped and Pearl’s eyes widened.

“Oh don’t worry, I fixed Jasper! I can fix anything!” Steven’s temper began to reach its boiling point. “I can just keep fixing and fixing things forever, and you’ll never have to worry about anything ever again!”

“Except worrying about how you’re deliberately pushing people away while begging them to stay.” Steven’s inner voice concluded while metaphorically looking around at the shocked reactions of Steven’s human & Gem loved ones. “Just look at them all, how do you think they’d ever forgive you for such a horrendous act?”

“Steven.” Garnet tried to lend an assuring hand on the boy’s shoulder, but she was quickly shoved away.

“How messed up is that?!” Steven gasped as he felt something change in his body. His teeth began getting sharper, his skin became pinker & leatherier, his hands slowly turned into claws, and his pupils started turning pink. “That I’ve gotten away with all this for so long, forcing my views down the throats of others, tearing apart Gem society to the point where they’ll eventually be invaded, actually murdering someone! Black Rutile was right, I am just an awful person! A sociopath even!”

No one could comprehend what Steven was thinking right now. Greg began to tear up at all these horrible things Steven was saying about himself, Connie gripped the father’s arm tightly, and Pearl & Amethyst began fearfully hugging Garnet, whose face was completely frozen in horror.

“You think I’m so great, I’m so mature, that I always know what to do, BUT I’M NOT!” Steven began roaring in a more beastly tone. “I haven’t learned a thing from my problems, and I never will! They all kept making me worse, YOU all keep making me worse! Are you even sure any of you ever loved or cared about me?! If it weren’t for Pink Diamond ruining everything for everyone, I could’ve been just a normal kid!”

“That’s right, just let everything out.” The inner voice purred comfortingly. “Me on the other hand, I think I shall take my leave and prepare something more normal for you.” With that, the inner voice seemingly vanished from Steven’s mind.

“You all think of me as a perfect angel who’s too pure for this world, but I’m not a little kid anymore!” Steven boomed before he dropped to the ground with his head between his hands. “I’m just like my mom. A fraud.” He began to tremble where he crouched as something began bubbling on his back. “I’m a monster!”

Suddenly, a massive pillar of light pink scales erupted from Steven’s back like a volcano as everyone reacted quickly. Garnet stuck her arms out to protect Amethyst & Pearl and Connie jumped back, but Greg was just plain terrified.

“I’m a monster!” Steven’s final words before his transformation were rewound by Black Rutile as she eagerly replayed the phrase again and again on more of her satellite footage. “I’m a monster! I’m a monster! I’m a monster!”

With an evil grin, Black Rutile paused the video and shut off her screens. “And I have finally won!” she declared triumphantly and let out a booming evil laugh that echoed throughout the cave and scared off the nearby animals. Aquamarine & Eyeball grinned in delight, while White Topaz turned away from her cohorts in shame of what she had participated in. As quickly as Black Rutile finished her victorious cackle, she had another wonderful, awful idea in mind. “Now, onto Phase 2.”

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 3: I Am My Monster

The people of Beach City thought they were going to have a nice, normal day today. However, since they lived alongside the Crystal Gems, there was no doubt trouble was on its way. Loud stomping could be heard all over town, followed by an ear-piercing roar.

Yellowtail and Sour Cream were the first to notice since they were closest to the water while listening to music on Yellowtail's boat.

The roaring tipped over a trash can Onion was hiding in while Vidalia was painting.

Before anyone knew it, a massive, pink lizardlike monster has suddenly emerged from behind the lighthouse and let out another nasty roar.

"And that should do it." Peridot declared as she and Bismuth repaired the swimming pool's chain-link fence that the Topiary Stevens broke through earlier that day.

"Hey, is it me, or is the sky getting darker?" Bismuth wondered aloud before she could hear something roar.

"What was that?!" Peridot yelled as she jumped up in fright.

While flying above Little Homeworld, Lapis could spot a giant pink monster standing in front of the Crystal Temple. "What?!" With no time to lose, she zoomed back down to her fellow B-team members to tell them what was up. "Guys, we gotta get to the others quick! There's a giant monster on the beach!"

"A giant monster?" Peridot exclaimed. "When was the last time we ever fought one of those?"

"No time to talk, we have to help Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, quick!" Peridot declared before the three made a break for the Warp Pad.

Far away from Beach City on the halved Mask Island, a Watermelon Steven spied on the pink draconic beast through a pair of bamboo binoculars and raced to tell the rest of his kind.

When the Watermelon Steven reached its village, it was greeted by its fellow star-bellied Watermelon Stevens meeting with another group of Watermelon Stevens with eye black beneath their eyes. The two watermelon tribes turned towards the new visitor, who quickly explained in its native language what it saw.

The elder of the star-bellied watermelons stepped forward and began a garbled conversation with the leader of the eye black-wearing watermelons. As soon as the conversation ended, the pair shook hands and explained to their respective tribes what they were going to do. The tribes gasped at the idea of doing such a thing, but in their juicy insides, they knew they had no choice.

"Mr. President, our satellites have picked up a little problem in Delmarva." A black man in Major General attire declared, stepping into the Oval Office as a Hispanic-American man in a suit and tie turned around in his chair and a middle-aged pantsuit-clad woman filed her nails.

"What seems to be the problem, Major General?" President Eduardo Suarez asked Major General Wade Grant.

"It's a monster attack, sir." Wade proclaimed before handing over a tablet showing a bird's eye view of Beach City, and the large beast that had emerged. "Approximately five minutes ago, this rose-colored creature emerged from a small beach house in Beach City and has been doing nothing but roar ever since. But if we don't act fast, it could cause widespread destruction to our country and beyond."

"So we're basically facing off against a kaiju here?" Vice President Theresa Maxwell quipped. "I've seen the movies, just use nuclear power or giant robots."

"But that could just make things worse!" Eduardo exclaimed at the thought. "We must confer with my cabinet! Surely, they'll have the answer!"

"I'm with Terri here, let's nuke 'em!" Secretary of State Finn Ward confidently agreed with the vice president when the cabinet gathered in the Situation Room.

"But that would cause a nuclear apocalypse!" Secretary of Defense Benson Quintel argued. "I say we send in the army!"

"But it's just one goliath!" Secretary of the Treasury Ben Darwin stated. "I'm taking Finn's side, send in the bombs!"

"You're all nuts." Secretary of Agriculture Tulip Dennis complained. "We're not dropping bombs, and we're not sending in the army. And that's final!"

The president's cabinet all began arguing amongst themselves, while the commander in chief took a deep breath before slamming his hand on the table, silencing them all. "There is no need to argue amongst ourselves when the world is at stake here!" he declared. "We need to think of a plan, one that doesn't involve causing more problems than we solve!"

"Señor Suarez is right." Attorney General Clarence Page agreed with his superior. "We must resolve things peacefully and help the people through these tough times. That's what we do, right?"

"Kind of." Craig Levin, the secretary of the interior, answered. "A lot of the time, we just bicker over the smallest of things."

"There ya go Craig, always assuming the worst!" Secretary of Health Benjamin Rouleau complained, causing more arguing.

"We are never going to get things done at this rate." Juniper Winick, the secretary of transportation, whispered to the secretary of housing Steve Peters.

"Can't we all just hug and make up already?" Peters muttered. "I'm getting sick and tired of this."

"Indeed." Secretary of energy Edward Daniels agreed before turning to the Major General. "Major General Grant, care to interject?"

"Gladly." Wade nodded and pulled a gavel out of his pocket to bang on the table, catching the cabinet's attention yet again. "Now then, shall we speak civilly and not enrage each other again?"

"Thank you!" the president exclaimed. "Now, our topic today is the giant monster that has appeared in Delmarva. We have no idea what it is, but it does line up with similar incidents that have occurred over the years."

"He's correct," Theresa added, cuing a secret service agent to put on a projector screen displaying various events that have happened at Delmarva over the years. "Over these past few years, that little town has had run-ins with monsters, the sudden disappearance of a good portion of the world's ocean, a massive green hand causing a mass evacuation, the earthquakes, the string of kidnappings, the giant arms, whatever that bacteriophage was that flooded the town with pink liquid, that invasion of the mysterious village outside of the town, and now this. These have to be connected somehow people, we could be looking at Armageddon here!"

"You're getting paranoid Maxie!" secretary of education Beatrice McHale cried. "I'm sure these are all just coincidences, right?"

"Don't be too sure Bea." Secretary of veteran affairs Chloe Chong shook her head from side to side. "I follow this page called Keep Beach City Weird, and it's led me to believe they are indeed connected to this little vigilante group calling themselves the Crystal Gems, who have been combating these threats for years now."

"I should've known they'd have something to do with this." Suarez declared morosely.

"Why, do you have a history with these people?" Nigel Warburton, the secretary of homeland security, asked the president.

"Why, it's because of them that I'm even the president, to begin with!" the president explained. "They were pretty big supporters of my electoral campaign and helped me beat that Clump weirdo in the polls, but what could they have to do with this?"

"That's what the boys down at Area 42 found out." Secretary of labor Victor Molano stated. "Thanks to some digging of a crashed spaceship and copies of X-ray scans, we can deduce that these are extraterrestrial beings, and all those events that Maxwell mentioned are no doubt connected to them! But do they come in peace, or are they looking to conquer?"

"Who knows?" the secretary of commerce Eugene Quartey responded. "But one thing's for certain, we need to act quickly if we want to survive! Otherwise, we are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned!"

"I knew that they were aliens, but we're all being irrational here!" Eduardo stated. "These Gems are good and kind people, they wouldn't dare try to dissect us all! We have to think things through before we think of a plan!"

"That's your optimism talking Ed." Daniels said to the president. "These Gems have been hiding among us for who knows how long, and we're just going to let them run around and tear this world apart?!"

The cabinet began arguing once more, leaving Eduardo to groan before slinking out of his chair and leaving the Situation Room. "What president doesn't have his own cabinet listen to him?"

"Hey, chin up Eddy." Theresa comforted the president. "Just do what you think needs to be done, no matter what anyone says."

"Thanks for your kind words Terri, but I'm not so sure." Eduardo replied.

"I have a plan." Wade stated. "You make an address to the public, then that'll motivate everyone into working together."

"You're right Wade, why didn't you say that earlier?!" Eduardo cheered before barging back into the Situation Room. "Everyone get ready, I have a speech to make! All those in favor?!"

"Well, you are very good at speeches, it's a good reason why you won by a landslide." Molano nodded and raised his hand. "Aye!"

"Well, I got nothing better to do today." Finn smirked and raised his hand as well. "Aye!"

The rest of the cabinet was at last in agreement. The president shall make a speech about the monster, and they'll see where they'll go from there. As the other secretaries joined in raising hands, Eduardo felt his spirit rise back up and he looked proudly at his cabinet.

"Finally, thank you all." Eduardo declared happily.

Not too far away from the White House, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth arrived via Warp Pad ready to assist in another epic battle.

"Have no fear!" Bismuth declared while wearing her old suit of armor. "Reinforcements are-wait, what?"

The trio was greeted by a massive hole in the front wall of the beach house with some scraps of clothing lying around and the monster Lapis saw lurking outside, making them fear the worst.

"What happened here?" Peridot muttered fearfully as she picked up the star that was once part of Steven's shirt. "Did that thing eat Steven?!"

"I-I don't know Peri," Lapis replied just as terrified while staring at the monster outside. "Whatever happened, the Gems need our help!"

"I think they sort of already have that covered." Bismuth said as she peeked outside the wreckage to see Connie, Greg, and the Gems looking up at the giant monster. "Hey guys, get outta there before you get squished!"

"Just calm down, take some deep breaths!" Greg said to the pink beast.

"Yeah, relax buddy!" Amethyst added before dodging a swipe of the monster's claws.

"How can things get any worse?" Pearl fretted just as the B-team jumped down to the sand to greet them. "Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot, thank goodness you three came!"

"Connie, Greg, get away from the monster!" Lapis said to the humans.

"Yeah, let us handle clobbering that thing!" Peridot declared as she held up a trash can lid like a shield.

"No." Garnet firmly declared. "Stand down you guys."

"Are you serious, what for?!" Peridot complained.

"And where's Steven?" Lapis asked.

"That is Steven." Garnet finally revealed to the trio's shock while the monster let out a loud roar and bashed its head against the cliff face, causing a rockslide to start falling towards them. "RUN!"

As soon as the group escaped the rockslide, the now monstrous Steven kept on roaring at them from high above, knocking Greg, Peridot, and Amethyst down to the ground.

"He's not listening to us at all!" Amethyst yelled while getting up.

"What did Black Rutile do to him?" Pearl wondered. "First Steven claims he shattered Jasper, then he states we never loved him, and now this is happening! And we still have no idea where that Rutile is!"

"Isn't there a way we can change him back?" Connie asked the Gems.

"We're not sure." Garnet answered while looking down at her feet. "As long as Steven believes himself to be a monster, that's what he'll stay as until we find a way."

"And we better act quick, look!" Greg exclaimed as Steven began stomping towards Beach City. "If I know my monster movies, he's gonna stomp Beach City to the ground!"

"Connie, you do your best to keep the townies safe." Garnet commanded the college-bound girl.

"Right!" Connie complied and saddled up on Lion. "Let's go, Lion!"

Lion let out a roar and leaped towards town, leaving the others to contend with Steven as Garnet kept on giving orders.

"You three, draw Steven to the ocean and hold him there." Garnet said to Bismuth, Peridot, and Lapis. "Amethyst, Pearl, we're whipping out Alexandrite."

"Understood." Pearl nodded before the three fused into Alexandrite and charged towards the monstrous boy, who had now climbed up to the lighthouse to intimidate the confused people of Beach City. Just then, Alexandrite seized Steven from behind and covered his eyes to wrestle him away from Beach City. Ironically, Steven quickly disabled Alexandrite and bashed her against the cliff, causing the massive fusion to separate into the three Crystal Gems.

"Hey Steven, over here!" Peridot yelled at Steven while being carried by Bismuth, who was now flying thanks to Peridot's ferrokinesis. "Now, Bismuth!"

"Roger roger!" Bismuth declared before she turned her fist into a hammer to smack him across the face as she soared through the air. "That should get his attention!"

"We're sorry Steven, it was for your own good!" Peridot loudly apologized. Steven rubbed his pink, scaly face in pain before preparing to lunge towards the ocean at the two flying Gems, before another one held him down. Lapis held out her arms and created a massive whirlpool under Steven that summoned a set of aquatic chains to keep him restrained.

"I've got Steven held down, but he'll no doubt break free soon." Lapis stated as she struggled to keep Steven in chains while he let out a booming roar.

"So, now what?" Greg inquired the alien defenders.

"Well, we can't just leave him like this." Pearl answered.

"We need some way to reach out to Steven, if he's in control of the monster, and appeal to his humanity." Garnet concocted a plan to save their young friend, causing Amethyst to let out a loud sigh.

"You know who I think would be great at that?" Amethyst declared.

"Who?" the others asked the little Quartz.

"STEVEN!" Amethyst yelled in response. Just then, a dark shadow resembling the top portion of a human began looming over the Gems, and when they turned around, they realized that shadow belonged to the Diamonds' warship.

"Yoohoo, Steven!" Spinel called from the ship.

"Is this a bad time?" White Diamond cheerfully asked.

"You gotta be kidding me." Amethyst groaned, standing out from the shocked crew as the ship touched down and a small door opened to allow Spinel, Volleyball, and Lemon Jade to disembark.

"You forgot your foot-thong-thingy!" Spinel called for Steven while holding up his discarded sandal. However, she soon realized Steven currently wasn't there to retrieve it. "OOOOOH-WHAAAAT?!"

"What is that thing?!" Volleyball exclaimed while the three Diamonds exited the ship and saw the monster as well.

"What is going on here?" Yellow Diamond asked regarding the beast before them while Spinel jumped up on her shoulder.

"Why is it that whenever we visit, things are always in disarray?" White added, just as confused about the current situation.

"What even is that?" Blue muttered while protectively holding Volleyball and the Jade fusion in her hands.

"That's Steven." Greg nervously answered, inciting terror from the six visitors from Homeworld.

"WHAT?!" Lemon Jade yelled.

"Impossible!" Yellow and White declared in unison.

"Has he become corrupted?" Blue said just as terrified. "But how?!"

"That's what we wanna know!" Peridot replied loudly.

"How could this have happened?" Volleyball wondered.

"I think punching me may have played a part in this." Spinel theorized.

"Stand back everyone. Let me handle this." Yellow confidently declared while stretching her arms. After a good & loud crack of her knuckles, the ex-tyrant rubbed her hands together and sent out an energy wave to try and change the monster to Steven's usual size. However, the only good that did was shrinking Steven's head, and it only lasted for a few seconds before he roared at the Diamonds.

"Are you kidding?!" Yellow yelled in irritation. "I should've altered his physical form with my powers, what gives?!"

"Temper Yellow, I think he might be resisting." Blue soothingly advised. "Here, let me have a turn." She then conjured up her clouds to ease Steven's pain and blew it straight towards him. Unfortunately for her, it was sent drifting back towards her.

"Watch out!" Yellow exclaimed as she raced to protect Blue and took the cloud for her, causing Yellow and Spinel to laugh like crazy. "Wow, you didn't help either! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Well, they're hopeless." Lemon Jade grumbled.

"Step aside everyone, allow me to take him on." White confidently suggested as she walked up to Steven. "If I connect with him and he speaks through me, perhaps we might understand what's going on." She stated before closing her eyes as the colors around her changed. "Can you hear me Steven? Just relax and let me in."

Just as quickly, however, White's eyes bolted open and she let out the loudest scream she ever had while falling over before the other Diamonds caught her.

"What happened White, what did you see?" Yellow asked her elder Diamond.

"I-I don't know what I saw!" White hyperventilated, a far cry from the confidence she exhibited not moments ago. "But I only saw nothing but darkness, and this voice shrieked at me that Steven was gone! I don't know what that is, but it seemed to recognize me from when I let Steven control me on Homeworld! And that thing, that's not Steven anymore!"

"Just breathe White, breathe." Blue instructed White while conjuring up a cloud to calm her down while the monster started to break free from the watery prison Lapis had trapped him in.

"I'm sorry, but I can't hold him for much longer!" Lapis apologized hurriedly as Steven's eyes and horns began to glow as he let out his loudest roar yet, sending the Diamond ship falling over and nearly splitting Garnet into Ruby and Sapphire.

"Yeah, it's official, we're toast!" Amethyst yelled. Just then, it seemed like their prayers for help have been answered as a horn sound was heard from the coast and what seemed to be a big bamboo battleship manned by Watermelon Stevens sailed into view.

"What the crack are those?!" Spinel cursed at the sight of the ship.

"Are those the Watermelon Stevens?!" Pearl yelled.

"I'm sorry, the what now?" Yellow asked.

"Long story, but they tried to bury me once and had some nice flowers prepared for my grave!" Amethyst explained as the Gems watched the Watermelon Stevens leap into action.

Five Watermelon Stevens jumped off the ship with hang-gliders on their backs and soared towards Steven. The platoon then detached their gliders and began grappling themselves to Steven via some kind of a harness that allowed them to move in three dimensions and unsheathing attached blades to attack him with. Unfortunately, Steven spun around wildly, causing the sentient watermelons to drop into the sea and in the process, smashing the battleship with his tail and causing it to sink.

As the Watermelon Stevens desperately swam for shore, some weren't as lucky. Out of all the ship's crew, one was floating on a piece of wreckage and grabbing onto the hand of another Watermelon Steven, garbling something along the lines of "I'll never let you go." before its companion let itself fall to the bottom of the ocean.

"Well, they turned out to be both out of nowhere AND pointless." Yellow quipped as the Watermelon Stevens apologized profusely for their failures.

"What were you guys even doing trying to stop Steven?" Greg asked one of the Watermelons. Even though it wasn't speaking English, the ex-rock star seemed to understand what the creature was saying. "You thought it was attacking Steven, so you built a whole ship to help out?"

"I hate to break it to you little guys, but that thing's not attacking Steven." Garnet declared. "It is Steven. He let his emotions overtake him, and it somehow caused him to turn into that."

The Watermelons gasped just as Connie returned to the scene still on Lion's back. "Everyone's getting ready to evacuate." She declared while getting off the reanimated feline. "How's everything here? And what are these things supposed to be?"

"This is going to be a long day." Peridot groaned with dread while the monster glared ferociously at the Crystal Gems and their allies.

Back in Washington, the president and his cabinet gathered in the Oval Office in preparation for Eduardo's speech. Maxwell and Grant stood by Suarez's side while the other cabinet members stood behind them, and at the center was a nervous-looking Eduardo.

"Okay, showtime everyone." Eduardo said to himself before one of the secret service agents turned on the video camera, and he began to speak. "My fellow Americans. I have organized this emergency address because we are facing a crisis that could become catastrophic if left unchecked." He declared. "I am of course speaking of a massive lizard monster that has recently appeared in the town of Beach City, Delmarva."

"We currently have no idea as to where this creature came from, but recent events gathered via satellite have allowed us to connect it to a vigilante group dubbing themselves the Crystal Gems, who have been living among us for thousands of years."

"Gems?" Beckham Jordan asked while watching the address from his treadmill. "Steven and Spinel must be in trouble!"

"Beck, you hearing the news?!" Matt Monroe exclaimed while he and Makoto Fuji entered the star basketball player's personal gym.

"Watching it right now!" Beckham replied while footage of Alexandrite and Lapis restraining the pink beast began to play. "Are we living in a monster movie or something?"

"Seems like it." Makoto answered.

"Fear not citizens, we are working tirelessly to find a solution."

"Mommy, is the monster going to eat us?" Chloe said as she held her mother Yvonne tightly.

"Who knows sweetie?" Yvonne replied just as scared as her autistic daughter. "Would you like the weighted blanket?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." Chloe responded.

"If there's one thing our country has exhibited during my term so far, we are a tenacious bunch who won't back down without a fight!"

"Oh dear, I knew this day would come." The mysterious Officer gravely informed with ominously snake-like eyes before he retreated into the shadows, followed by a mysterious rattling sound.

"We are strong, we are united, we are like one big team!"

At the World Defense Agency headquarters, Bane Jones stoically watched the address while his fellow agents and soldiers in service to the Agency were in full panic mode.

"Jones, how are you staying so calm?!" a WDA corporal asked the secret agent.

"It pays to keep a cool head, Corporal Fleming." Jones answered the corporal. "If I know that Lapis and her mates, I know they'll find a way to light our darkest hour."

"And does a team ever quit?!"

In the opulent mansion of film director Neil Michaels, Neil was dressed in a bathrobe and drinking high-class coffee from a wine glass when the address began, and he let out a big spit of caffeine at the footage of the monster attacking Beach City. Without a moment to hesitate, Neil snapped his fingers and a butler dialed up a number on the phone before handing it to him.

"Hello, Labyrinth Productions?" Neil spoke into the phone. "Have I got a film pitch for you!"

"If there's anything my predecessor once said, I believe this quote should be the most fitting. Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change."

"So is this what Greg has been up to since he left us?" Thomas DeMayo asked as he and his wife Gloria watched the address from their Florida Island timeshare. "Hanging out with aliens or whatever they are?"

"Well, at least we know he's doing alright." Gloria said while sipping a cup of tea.

"This isn't the first time we faced a problem related to these Gems." Eduardo continued his speech while a secret service agent snuck up behind him. "And if we work together, it hopefully might be the last."

"Uh, sir?" the agent whispered for the president.

"Pardon?" Eduardo asked the agent, who began whispering into his ear. "Interfering with the satellite feed? How?" The agent continued whispering. "Hacking drone?"

Before anyone in the Oval Office knew it, the video began turning static and cutting the President's speech short.

"What is the meaning of this?!" President Suarez exclaimed before his image was quickly replaced by that of Black Rutile, standing in complete darkness with a spotlight above her.

"Greetings to the civilians of this backwater planet. I am Black Rutile, soon to be supreme ruler of the Gem race." Black Rutile coldly introduced herself to her captive audience. "I come to you today because you are faced with a crisis that has been right under your noses for thousands of years now, and it can all be blamed on the Crystal Gems."

And it wasn't just television that Black Rutile was sending her message on. Computers and smart devices around the country were hearing what she had to say. And despite the secret service's best efforts, there seemingly was no way of shutting it off.

"They have been living among your people since the dawn of man, and have brought numerous world-ending threats along with." Black Rutile continued. "From loads of monsters that were formerly members of their kind, to insane terraformers that stole the ocean for selfish purposes followed by nearly drowning thousands once they returned the water to Earth, a superweapon made from the remains of their own kind that remains buried under the Earth as we speak, repeated counts of abductions and the near-genocide of all organic life."

Even other parts of the world had received the Rutile's speech, all in their native languages too.

"But now we are faced with a new problem, and it's all thanks to one Gem: Pink Diamond. It's because of her that this monstrosity plaguing the Earth at this moment is running amok and the Crystal Gems have done nothing to stop it, or her for that matter." She declared, remaining perfectly emotionless the entire time. "Should you believe this planet is worth saving, something must be done about the Crystal Gems, or you will suffer the consequences."

"That will be all." Black Rutile concluded before the screen blinked off, leaving nothing but pitch black. All that remained were hushed whispers among the people of Earth about these visitors from beyond the stars, and how it seemed they're not alone after all.

As for Black Rutile, her hacking drone detached itself from the satellite and fell to Earth like a meteorite, crashing down in front of her cave.

When Black Rutile stepped outside to pick it up, she had a wicked smile on her face as she turned to her three pawns. "Let Phase 3 begin."

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 4: Fusion Frenzy

Closed off from the chaos outside, Jasper remained curled up in the bathtub, sobbing quietly over being rejected by her Diamond, over how nothing seemed to go right for her on Earth, and how she'd rather have gone back to Homeworld with the Diamonds rather than stay with all the other healed Gems. However, her misery wouldn't last any longer.

"Can you keep it down?! I'm trying to mope!" Jasper bellowed before she finally burst from the bathroom and marched on outside as she heard roaring from the beach. However, what she saw was a shocking sight. "What is that?"

"Is that you Jasper?" Lapis exclaimed as she hovered over to her orange frenemy. "Where have you been this whole time, you'd be pretty useful here but it seems like you don't want to!"

"I was busy being depressed, brat." Jasper snarled at Lapis. "Depressed over how my Diamond left me again. Now where is he? I want to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Funny you should mention that," Peridot replied loudly. "That monster thing is Steven!"

"You're kidding!" Jasper replied before she began sounding more insecure. "Please tell me you're kidding and that this isn't all my fault because he shattered me, I'm begging you guys!"

"Are you okay?" Pearl asked the big Quartz as Lapis brought Jasper over to the Gems. "You're sounding a bit more frantic than usual."

"Sorry," Jasper began, cringing at the thought of apologizing for something she did. "I just think this might be my fault, since because of me he went mad with power and shattered me."

"It's not your fault Jasper," Garnet said comfortingly. "I think we all might be to blame here. But it could be worse." The fusion followed up by kissing Jasper on the forehead, much to her disgust.

"Ew, what did you do to me?!" Jasper yelped in disgust as she harshly rubbed at her forehead before her vision began to distort. "Wait, what's-"

What Jasper then saw was not a beautiful seaside where a monster stormed about, but the remnants of Little Homeworld, now reduced to ruins in the middle of a desolate wasteland. As far as she could see, no life could be seen for miles, all except for a ragtag band of survivors finding their way in this apocalyptic future.

"Any sign of He Who Must Not Be Named yet?" the possible future version of Peridot, easily distinguished from her regular self through wearing Pearl's blazer, asked a young adult version of Connie.

"No, thankfully." Connie said as she looked through the skies with her binoculars. "But we gotta move at some point, he could be here at any moment now!"

"No, I say we stay and fight!" Bismuth declared. "I don't care if that's still Steven, you all seen what he did to our friends!" she added despondently. "Ruby, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, they're all gone now, all thanks to him!"

"Bismuth, you're being irrational." Sapphire calmed the blacksmith down. "But I do agree, there's no future I see where we calm Steven down and rebuild society."

"Well, let him come." Peridot stated tiredly. "Anything to be with Lapis again. I'm just so tired of fighting."

As the surviving Crystal Gems bowed their heads in shame of how powerless they were to save their loved ones, a hoarse, piercing laugh rang out, causing the four to take up arms against whatever foe crossed their path. That foe in question turned out to be Black Rutile, now without her cape and her visor showed many visible cracks.

"Ah, yes." Black Rutile said as her laughing turned into smirking. "Tired of something you barely even did to begin with. Maybe if you two weren't tossed to the side after the Cluster and reduced to a comic relief role, that little witch could've stood a better chance."

"Be very careful with what you say next." Connie threatened the Rutile by pointing her sword straight at her gem.

"Oh come now Mama-Say-Mama-Sah-Warren, I've lost people too." Black Rutile grinned while lowering the sword. "I've lost people too. Heck, you saw how Steven killed my old gang, and now he's after me too for all I've done."

"Well frankly, you had it coming for all that." Bismuth responded before turning her finger into a spike. "Now pipe down while I smash you to pieces."

"Bismuth, stop." Connie advised Bismuth. "I think she might be our best chance at surviving yet."

"Are you serious?!" Peridot shrieked in defiance. "It's all because of her that Steven went nuts, shattered Jasper, and then started rampaging across the planet and maybe beyond! All our friends and family are dead because of Black Rutile, and you think she might help us?!"

"We kept you around despite being a Homeworld loyalist." Sapphire told Peridot.

"So anyways, you might be our best chance at stopping Steven." Connie said to Black Rutile before sticking her hand out. "You in?"

"I'm going to assume that if I don't play by your rules, I'll pay with my life?" Black Rutile asked as she shook the human's hand.

"You bet." Connie answered. "When I found White Topaz before Steven shattered her, she begged me, with her last words that when I'd kill you, and make no mistake I will kill you, I'll give you the slowest and most painful death I can offer. And if you try and run away, I'm going to honor that promise."

As the handshake broke, Black Rutile was left completely speechless at both Connie's death threat and her late bodyguard having the audacity to wish death upon her. Before long, her silence was broken by another bout of maniacal laughter at Connie's expense. "Honor? Really kid?" Black Rutile declared. "You know we live in a society, or at least what's left of one, where honor is but a distant memory."

"You talk too much, you know that?" Sapphire snarked before she received another future vision, one that might spell their doom. "My stars, he's coming!"

While Connie, Peridot, Bismuth, and Sapphire prepared for the fight of their lives, Black Rutile looked up at the pink-colored sonic boom in the sky and laughed as a pink glowing figure landed on the ground in front of the rebels, the resulting impact causing more destruction to Little Homeworld.

Connie pointed her sword at their opponent, and her face softened upon discovering who it was. A pink, gargoyle-like monster whose size was equal to Bismuth's with massive horns on his head, scars on his chest forming a star, and a pink gem on his stomach.

"Steven?"

"So all that could've happened, because of me?" Jasper despaired as she was returned to the present day before dropping to her knees. "You were right, I am nothing but trouble."

"Okay, maybe you are, but you can still change." Amethyst rejected Jasper's notion. "And you can start by helping us stop him!" She then pointed to the pink monster, who took one look at Jasper and began to run away from her, no doubt the Steven inside it afraid to see Jasper again after killing her.

"Hey, get back here!" Jasper yelled as Steven tried to run straight towards Beach City.

"It's gonna smash Beach City!" Amethyst yelled. "We gotta stop him!" Without even a chance to be asked, Lapis summoned a water rope that she used to lasso Steven and drag him away from Beach City.

"So, is there any way to fix him?" Jasper asked.

"None that we know of so far." Garnet replied. "Not even the Diamonds could solve this problem."

"And now, I don't think there's anything we can do." Pearl declared.

"Anything, except surrender." Black Rutile declared as she, White Topaz, Aquamarine, and Eyeball dropped down from and stood before the group with an army of robots behind them. "Oh look, everyone is here! We got the insipid oppressors, their mindless sheep, and the sorry excuses for monarchs!"

"What's your game Black Rutile?" White Diamond angrily asked her former subordinate.

"It's quite simple really." Black Rutile replied. "Thanks to yours truly, all of you are now enemies of humanity for allowing this to happen!" She pointed at Steven. "And not just your little monster problem, but for all the horrible things you've done to this planet! And all while you were too busy crying like babies for the brat."

"Yeesh, someone likes to talk." Spinel murmured.

"Zip it, playmate!" Aquamarine declared. "Once all of you are out of the way, our master shall claim this galaxy as her own!"

"And maybe become one of the great Universal Lords!" Eyeball added.

All across the world, riots began breaking out over Black Rutile's broadcast. Picket signs were made, effigies were burned, and calls were made to eliminate the Crystal Gems' threat to humanity, even though not a single one of them knew of their existence before today.

In Washington, Theresa was showing Suarez a livestream on her phone of a group of people in Russia cursing in their native language of how the Gems deprived them of their ancestors' native land, leaving the president more depressed over the incident just as Wade strolled into the Oval Office.

"I just got off the phone with Prime Minister Sorayama." Major General Grant said. "He's saying the cabinet of Japan is ready to launch everything they've got against the monster and the Crystal Gems. They just need you to give the okay."

"No, we are not nuking anything!" Eduardo screamed, making the vice president and the major general jump a bit. "I know the Gems are good, kind people, but is it really true they're responsible for all that? And who's this Pink Diamond anyway?"

"I know they're your friends Mr. President, but what friends places the world in danger so many times, the only one to address that is another member of their species?" Grant asked. "It's your choice, sir. Your friends or your country?"

"He raises a pretty good point, sir." Theresa stated. "What's it gonna be?"

After wiping a few tears from his eyes, Eduardo turned to face the window behind him and made his decision. "Major General, tell Japan to call off the attack. Because we're doing it ourselves."

Back in Beach City, Black Rutile continued her speech to the Gems. "Look at all of this." She declared. "This is the chaos I've wanted to engender for so long. I wanted to build a new Homeworld order where you failed, but you chose Steven over your own people just because he's family." As Black Rutile continued speaking, she could feel her sanity begin to teeter off the edge more and more. "My purpose was to fight for the Gems, that is the sole purpose I was given. And now, I barely have any people left. That is what you have taken from me. That is what you have taken from EVERYONE!"

"That is where you're wrong!" Pearl boasted in reply. "You may think you're a misunderstood hero, but you're not! You're nothing more than a sociopathic, bloviating monster who only thinks that she's doing what's best for everyone! As actual heroes, we'll fight to stop you till our last breath, because we are the Crystal Gems and we'll always save the day!"

With that, Pearl took Amethyst's hand and the two merged into Opal, who pulled out her bow and fired an arrow at Black Rutile, who only moved her head an inch to the right to dodge it.

"Oh, fusions, eh?" Black Rutile snickered. "I guess we should even the odds then." She then turned to White Topaz. "Topaz, to me!"

"Right away my Rutile." White Topaz sadly complied and fused with Black Rutile to once again form Lepidolite.

"BEHOLD PEONS!" Lepidolite declared bombastically. "THE UNPARALLELED, UNIMAGINABLY ALMIGHTY LEPIDOLITE HAS FINALLY RETURNED!"

"Oh geez, she can fuse too?" Lapis snarled before turning to Jasper. "Hey Jasper, wanna join in?"

"Whatever." Jasper said and the two formed into the turquoise and gold-colored Malachite.

"Well, you know what to do Eyeball." Aquamarine said as she took the Ruby's hand and twirled in place before they formed Bluebird Azurite and unsheathed her ice cutlass & a flaming saber.

"Gems, now!" Garnet gave the order to attack and led the charge against the four rebels. However, Greg was feeling a little left out.

"Uh, what about me?" Greg asked as the battle began. "If only I could still make Steg." However, Greg quickly saw Lion rising beneath him and making the father ride on his back. "Oh, well that should suffice." Greg smiled before he made Lion gallop into combat. "WOLVERINES!"

Lepidolite roared as she threw a punch at Malachite, who caught it in one of her hands and fought back by launching a geyser at Lepidolite's face, sending her flying towards Peridot, who sent Bismuth soaring before the rainbow Gem smacked Lepidolite into the sand with her hammer.

"Feeling a little outmatched?" Malachite boasted with her arms folded.

"Child's play!" Lepidolite growled while summoning her claws and slashing Malachite in the torso. However, Malachite quickly grabbed Lepidolite by the arms and summoned Jasper's crash helmet to give her a nasty headbutt. "Topaz, what are you doing?" the Black Rutile half of Lepidolite asked. "Pull your weight and help me here!"

"But it's the four of us against all the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, and even a Spinel!" the White Topaz half replied as Malachite began punching Lepidolite at rapid speed. "We're so outmatched here, let's just un-fuse and surrender so we won't have to risk our lives against such an unfair numbers advantage."

"Oh shut up!" Black Rutile yelled before Lepidolite received another punch to the face. However, Lepidolite just as quickly stabbed Malachite with her claws and slowly dragged them up her torso up to her face, hitting both Lapis & Jasper's gems and causing them to un-fuse.

"I got you guys!" Greg shouted as Lion leaped up and he caught the two Gems on his back. Lion then followed up with a roar aimed straight at Bluebird while she was fighting Opal, who was sent flying towards Spinel.

"Comin' at ya!" Spinel exclaimed before she began dribbling Bluebird like a basketball and flung her at some of Black Rutile's robot minions, who were firing at the Diamonds.

"Well, at least we tried with Malachite." Lapis said while getting up before she turned to Peridot. "Hey Peridot, wanna give it a shot!"

"Gladly!" Peridot exclaimed and raced over to her bestie.

"Wait, what?" Jasper asked as she watched her former cohorts fuse into Turquoise. "Since when can you do that?!"

"Don't ask, just fight!" Turquoise declared while forming a set of three swords out of liquid metal from the air to use, two in her hands and one between her teeth.

"Right." Jasper agreed as she prepared to charge. "Let's kill her properly this time."

Amid the chaos, Volleyball and Lemon Jade were left trying to escape harm with no idea what to do in battle, as they had never engaged in combat before.

"What are we going to do?!" Lemon Jade yelled while shaking Pink Pearl in her hands.

"I have no idea!" Volleyball replied. "I did fuse before, but it wasn't really for fighting an enemy." That was when she got an idea. "Wait, hold on!"

Volleyball ran towards Opal, who was busy shooting down Black Rutile's robots with her arrows when she felt something pulling down at her drape. "Oh, do you need something Volleyball?"

"Can I fuse with you Pearl so I can protect Jade?" Volleyball asked Opal.

"In the middle of something, but that's a definite possibility." Opal replied, unaware of the robot that was now hovering behind her.

"TARGET OPAL CONFIRMED. COMMENCE UN-FUSING." The robot droned and sent out an electric shock that forced Opal back into Pearl & Amethyst.

"Well ain't that a coincidence." Amethyst snarked as the two Pearls fused into Mega Pearl. "It's like she planned for this!"

"She planned for everything Amethyst." Mega Pearl responded before slashing away at robots that were cornering Lemon Jade.

Meanwhile, Turquoise was engaged in a swordfight against Bluebird Azurite, her metal katanas against Bluebird's ice and fire swords. "This is what you get for taking Steven and causing Lapis to leave me!" Turquoise yelled as she tried to stab Bluebird in any opening she could find.

"Oh, did kidnapping Steven hurt you that much?" Bluebird snickered. "I wouldn't have guessed judging by how you never show up." The smaller fusion quickly disarmed Turquoise and prepared to go in for the kill, but she had another thing coming.

"Got this from a manga." Turquoise grinned cheekily while cupping all four of her hands to her side and sticking them out, launching a torrent of water at Bluebird's face.

As for the Diamonds, they were busy protecting Steven from the robots by swatting them away. "These things are multiplying by the second!" Blue said while smashing drones to the ground so that the surviving Watermelon Stevens could dismantle them. "We have to get Steven somewhere safe so we can calm him down!"

"Everyone's trying their hardest, but Black Rutile just keeps coming back up." Yellow replied.

"Don't despair, we can win this!" White added, confident that they could still win the day somehow when she spotted something in the distance. "Wait, what are those?

"Get a move on everyone, we're wasting daylight here!" Wade Grant barked to his men from his Humvee as the US Army advanced towards Beach City. As their goal was only to capture the Crystal Gems, they didn't need massive tanks, only jeeps, armored vans, and helicopters to get the job done. As the seaside town grew closer and closer, some of the army men felt the need to converse among themselves.

"So, do you think it might be sexist to capture a bunch of alien women?" one of the soldiers driving an armored van asked his companion.

"I'm not sure." The other soldier replied. "From what I've heard, they only look like women. They kinda don't have any gender since they're like, holograms projected by rocks. Holograms that happen to look female."

"Yeah but are there male Gems out there somewhere?" the first soldier continued. "How do they even procreate, if possible?"

"Beats me, they don't look like they have the goods, if you catch my drift." The second soldier wiggled his eyebrows. "Y'know, nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more!"

"Yes, I catch your drift, no need to reference old-timey British comedy." The first soldier groaned before turning on the radio. "Sir, we're nearing Beach City. Permission to be the first to step out?"

"Permission granted Private Eric." Wade accepted over the radio as the two soldiers' van rolled up to Beach City, where its citizens were already evacuating.

"Excuse me, we'd like a word with the mayor of this town." Private Eric said as he and his partner stepped out.

"That's me, Mayor Pizza." Nanafua declared as she walked up to the pair. "Now what brings the military here?"

"We're on official business here Mayor Pizza." Eric stated. "Are you aware you have been housing aliens that have been threatening your planet regularly?"

"Oh, the Gems? They're pretty harmless." Nanafua laughed. "Though that giant monster is a bit concerning."

"Everyone step aside, Black Rutile has convinced us those Gems need to be placed under arrest." Wade stepped forward and prepared a special anti-Gem weapon made from the remains of the Destiny Destroyer. "We won't use lethal force against you all, but we strongly urge you to let us through if you want your planet to live."

The armed forces began marching towards the pink monster menacing Beach City as the townsfolk nervously stepped aside to allow them to pass. Though they treasured the Gems, they couldn't bear to be victims of yet another incident relating to them.

"Get back here!" Lepidolite roared as she chased Connie around and clashed her claws with the girl's sword. "Don't think you've won yet just because you've trained with that rotten Pearl!"

"That's what you think!" Connie yelled before she slashed at Lepidolite's arm, causing the fusion to yell.

"How can we be hurt just like that?!" the Black Rutile half of Lepidolite muttered before looking accusingly at no one in particular while beginning to destabilize. "Seriously Topaz, why can't you contribute?!"

"Seriously, can't you read my lips?!" White Topaz yelled. "I want out!" Suddenly, the two Gems split apart and fell to the ground. Black Rutile fell face-first and spat out some sand before glaring daggers at her bodyguard.

"Does it look like I care?" Black Rutile said. "Besides, we should be getting some back up real soon."

"Wait, back up?" Mega Pearl wondered before she got shot down by a weapon resembling a Gem Destabilizer and forced back into Pearl & Volleyball.

"Fan out, take down anything with a star!" Wade Grant gave out orders while his men zapped the Crystal Gems with their Destabilizer-like weapons, managing to take down Turquoise, Garnet, Amethyst, Bismuth, and Jasper before forcing them into a truck.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Jasper roared as she was herded like cattle into the truck with the other Gems.

"You're finally getting the Earth justice you deserve." Black Rutile declared smugly. "When this planet's government learned of your exploits, the leader tried to make an address that I hacked into and used to expose you to the world. Hope you enjoy confinement!"

"You won't get away with this!" Pearl yelled rebelliously before she, Volleyball, and one of the Watermelon Stevens were forced into the truck as two of the soldiers looked up at Steven and the Diamonds.

"What do we do with them?" Private Eric wondered.

"No need, I got this." Black Rutile bragged, taking Aquamarine's wand and using it to imprison the three Diamonds in a forcefield.

"Hey, you let them go!" Spinel yelled before she found herself getting trapped in the bubble as well, along with Lemon Jade.

"Uh, what is going on?" Greg asked before the major general walked up to him.

"There is no need to panic sir, we are simply following orders." Wade answered calmly. "Alright, move out! We're bringing them to Area 42!"

"Area 42?!" Connie exclaimed. "What are you going to do with them there?!"

"Just gonna ask some questions followed by deciding their fates, no big." Wade responded as he hopped into his Humvee and drove off while turning on his radio. "Gems have been captured, I repeat, Gems have been captured. Requesting a lift to Area 42 in Calivada, over."

As the military drove away with the Gems in tow, Bluebird Azurite picked up Black Rutile & White Topaz before she flew them away from the beach, the combined weight of the Diamonds, Steven, Spinel, and Lemon Jade in the bubble having no effect on her.

"So Crystal Gems," Black Rutile laughed evilly. "Who are you going to believe in now?!"

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 5: Made Me Realize

"Good afternoon America." Newscaster Kent Whitman greeted his viewers before getting onto the hot topic of the day. "Just a few hours ago, a message to the world by a being calling herself Black Rutile called for the apprehension of a group of alien rebels known as the Crystal Gems, causing uproar across many countries for their relation to the disappearance of the ocean and more recently, the appearance of a strange pink monster that has emerged in the Delmarva town of Beach City."

"-It's because of her that this monstrosity plaguing the Earth at this moment is running amok and the Crystal Gems have done nothing to stop it, or her for that matter." Black Rutile's message was played again.

"According to this Rutile character, the Crystal Gems are in league with another Gem known as Pink Diamond, whom she claims is the source of the monster problem." Kent stated. "And on that note, we now go live to Lawrence Abrams, reporting from the Crystal Gems' current location at Area 42. Lawrence, what can you gather from there?"

"Thank you, Kent." Lawrence thanked the anchor at the studio while standing in front of a military base far outside Las Diego. "This is Lawrence Abrams reporting live, with special clearance, in front of Area 42, where the US government is rumored to keep some rather suspicious lifeforms. And here come some now!"

A military van soon pulled up to the base and Wade Grant hopped out the front seat before opening the backdoors. "Okay ladies, let's get a move on! Single file, all of you!"

"As I speak, these extraterrestrial criminals are here to be tried for repeated offenses against the planet Earth." Lawrence continued narrating as his cameraman got a good look at each of them. Some of the Gems looked resigned or ashamed, namely Garnet, Lapis, Peridot & Jasper, others were less than enthused about being branded as criminals like Pearl, Amethyst & Bismuth, and Volleyball was left completely stunned at what just happened. "Let's try and get an interview with the Major General." Abrams muttered before racing up to Wade and putting the microphone to his face. "Excuse me, sir, what tipped you off about these creatures in the first place?"

"You all might've seen it, but allow me to repeat for those just tuning in," Wade answered. "These lifeforms have been living among us since the dawn of man, and we're only now learning of their existence thanks to a helpful tip from one Black Rutile."

"Helpful my butt!" Amethyst yelled. "Black Rutile's a total psycho, she probably might kill you all!"

"That's enough outta you!" Private Eric growled and shoved his rifle in Amethyst's face.

"Joke's on you Patton, your bullets can't hurt me!" Amethyst bragged before she was prodded into continuing following the line.

"There you have it, folks. The Crystal Gems: threat or menace?" Lawrence asked. "Back to you Kent."

"Thank you, Larry." Kent organized the papers in his hands with a grin. "Coming up next, the ten cutest little animals who you wouldn't expect to be some of the deadliest predators in the world! More on this at 4."

Inside Area 42, Eduardo Suarez shut off the TV and pinched the bridge of his nose in shame. "Lo siento mi amigos, but my country comes first." Ed said to himself. "And I especially need a word with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl."

"Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, eh, el presidente?" a curly-haired man in military garb announced his presence by driving his wheelchair into the same room as the president with a smarmy grin. "Why, I haven't heard those names in ages, my boy!"

"Ah, General Lloyd Waller!" Eduardo yelped as the semi-retired general made himself known. "I thought you were off vacationing in Cancun? What brings you back to the States?"

"After watching that Black Rutile's message go viral, I just felt the need to see this for myself." Lloyd grinned cheekily. "Besides, not the first time I've run into Gems either."

"Wait, are you serious?" the Latin-American President asked.

"Si, my friend!" Waller grinned. "Why, I think it was back in the Truman days."

"So it is now written." J. Edgar Hoover stated while he stood around a table with Rose Quartz and then-president Harry S. Truman. "With the signing of these Quartz Accords, the Crystal Gems shall no longer interfere in government affairs, and vice versa."

"I'm happy we were able to seal the deal." Rose smiled softly. "After World War II, I don't think I'm in the mood for any more wars."

"So after this, you're just going to stand by and watch so many lives be ended without a second thought?!" a younger Lloyd Waller, then a young trainee on one of his first big assignments, accused Rose. "I thought your whole thing was about peace for everyone!"

"Waller, behave yourself!" Harry S. Truman shouted. "She just doesn't want to fight any more battles, you should know that."

"You want to go back to push-ups, kid?" Hoover threatened Waller. "I'll do it, just try me."

"No sir, I'll be good." Waller said before turning to Rose. "And I'm sorry for talking back to you Ms. Quartz."

"It's alright Lloyd." Rose chuckled and patted Lloyd on the head. "I think you have a bright future ahead of you."

"And wouldn't you know it, I did!" Lloyd grinned nostalgically. "Well, up until the stroke a few years back, but I'm staying alive."

"Dios mio, I don't think you ever told me this," Eduardo said with stars in his eyes before shaking his head and his face became more serious. "But regardless, we need to have a word with them, to settle things once and for all."

"Just a little bit more now. All I need is one last adjustment and victory will finally be mine." Black Rutile snickered to herself in her cavernous lair while making some last modifications to her shattering weapon while White Topaz & Aquamarine stood guarding the mastermind's captives, with Spinel being tied up around the Diamonds & Lemon Jade and Steven being held by Aquamarine's wand.

"So, what is your plan this time Black Rutile?" White Diamond scowled at her traitorous subordinate before the Rutile stepped out of the cave and presented her newest invention.

"Behold, my Breaking Point 2.0!" Black Rutile declared bombastically. "Unlike the one that Bismuth created for the Rebellion; I don't need no spikes to break Gems. One zap and a Gem is left completely disintegrated, not even any shards will be left to put them back together!"

"And I suppose you'll be planning to use them on us?" Yellow asked.

"Quit reading my mind." Black Rutile answered. "Then, I'll film a dire cry for help telling everyone that Steven has killed you all and must be stopped!" After fake-sobbing for an uncomfortably long amount of time, Black Rutile composed herself enough to give the Diamonds an ultimatum. "However, we can let bygones be bygones and I won't obliterate you all if you are filmed by me abolishing Era 3 and naming me the supreme ruler of the Gem race in my Era 4. Are we clear?"

"We will never!" Blue argued hotly. "After all we've done, after all we've been through the past two and a half years, you think we'll render all that meaningless to satisfy your ego?"

"Enough, "my Diamond"!" Aquamarine derisively shut up her former superior. "You shattered Gems regularly back in the day, and yet the only time you draw the line is when you're threatened with being shattered yourself? Unbelievable!"

"It wasn't on a regular basis!" Blue defended herself. "Though it was a bit of an unhealthy habit of mine."

"Enough prattling out of you." Black Rutile scowled. "Allow me to demonstrate how destructive my Breaking Point is." With a few taps of the controls on the Breaking Point 2.0, a holographic reticle popped out that allowed Black Rutile to point the laser at a tree Eyeball was practicing her flame chisel on and fired, destroying the tree and making it look like a tree was never planted there, to begin with, giving Eyeball a spook.

"Is that what you'll do to us?" White nervously asked.

"I'm giving you one hour to decide." Black Rutile stated as she marched back into the cave. "Topaz, continue keeping watch. Aquamarine, I'm going to need your help."

"Right away my Rutile." Aquamarine obliged and fluttered over to her master's side while giving White Topaz a disdainful glare. "Don't ruin this like you always do."

"Roger." White Topaz looked down at the ground before gazing up at the Diamonds. "So, any last words before my Rutile kills you all, or whatever?"

"I got one." Spinel said. "Why do you keep hanging with that creep? You know she's a total sociopathic jerk who doesn't care about anyone but herself!"

"Yeah, but so is Pink!" White Topaz tried to justify herself. "Black Rutile really does want what's best for Homeworld, and she'll do anything to get her way!"

"Well frankly, you just have a bad taste in friends." Lemon Jade said, making the Topaz standing guard think about what she just said. "Sure, a good portion of every problem we faced can all be traced back to Pink Diamond, but she just didn't know any better!"

"And she didn't know any better because of how we treated her." Yellow mused dourly. "And because of that, we're all soon going to die."

"Remember how she always begged and pleaded us for a colony until she was given Earth to make her happy?" Blue chuckled mirthlessly. "And then she started loving it to the point of faking her death and turning against us?"

"Again, because of how we treated her." Yellow added.

"Y'know, this kinda reminds me of a story about one of the times Black Rutile watched over Pink." White Topaz said as she began to have a flashback. "You see, it all began on the planet Zembilla. Remember that place?"

Thousands of years ago on the jungle planet of Zembilla, the orange-furred inhabitants were in danger of extinction. While many of the bandicoot and weasel-like fauna of the planet managed to flee, some weren't as lucky and were cut down by Black Rutile's sword as the invading Gem laughed evilly.

"That's right you furry fools, run while you still can, but I'll always find you!" Black Rutile yelled sadistically, ending the lives of more Zembillan critters by her sword while White Topaz excitedly clapped for her master and Pink Diamond had a wary expression on her face.

"Whoo, get 'em my Rutile, you go girl!" White Topaz cheered before Black Rutile returned to the two other Gems, wiping her face in exhaustion.

"Causing extinction on your own is quite a workout." Black Rutile let out a sigh, snapping her fingers for a Robonoid to turn into a chair for her to sit on. "C'mon Pinky, why don't you give it a shot?"

"I don't think I want to." Pink stated her reluctance, much to her Rutile caretaker's shock and anger. "Just look at these creatures, they're scared of us!"

"And they should be." Black Rutile casually said. "The Gems are among the most powerful empires in the universe right alongside Universal Lords such as King Serpentes and Velhallen Beo. And it's our duty to ensure we remain feared."

"But I don't want to spread fear!" Pink argued like an angry child. "If you think staying in power means bullying others to get our way, then I don't want any part in this."

"Oh, here we go again." Black Rutile rolled her eyes as she got up from her chair. "We have had this discussion tons of times before. You are a Diamond, yet you always act like you aren't ready! You're selfish, bad-tempered, and more importantly, there are far better Gems who are more deserving to lead."

"I wouldn't make her mad if I were you, my Rutile." White Topaz said to her boss. "Remember how one tantrum alone broke her Pearl?"

"That Pearl was easily replaced anyways, what do I care?" Black Rutile said to her bodyguard before turning back to her larger ward. "As much as I hate to say it, I'm basically the only one who can take care of you without losing my mind!"

"Probably because you love being such a big bully." Pink pouted. "You constantly brag about how a mere Rutile like you was so dedicated and hard-working that White Diamond noticed and gave you such a high seat on her court, but you let it go to your head."

Enraged at the insult, Black Rutile jumped up and slapped the Diamond in the face. "Oh really, kinda like how you expect everything to go your way just because you're a Diamond?" Black Rutile argued back. "Newsflash you accursed pebble, crying and whining won't get you everything you want! If you want respect from the other Diamonds, you must earn it! Keyword being earn!" At that final word, she let out a loud sigh, showing reluctance to deal with Pink any longer. "All forces fall back; this invasion is a bust."

"Well, I guess you got what you wanted." White Topaz said to the Diamond.

"But don't think this is over." Black Rutile added with a scowl. "Once we return to Homeworld, I will inform the Diamonds of how we failed because of you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Black Rutile." Pink said sadly while walking back to her leg ship with the Rutile & Topaz following her.

"Oh yes, we heard about what happened on Zembilla." White nodded in realization. "But Black outright slapping Pink?! We may have been hard on her, but at least we never went that low!"

"You think that's bad, you should've seen how she reacted to Pink getting shattered." White Topaz responded.

"My subordinates, I have the most horrifying of news." Black Rutile sobbed dramatically to her army in the immediate aftermath of Pink Diamond's presumed death. "Our dearest Pink Diamond is no more, struck down where she stood by an insurgent Rose Quartz!" However, her crying soon turned into maniacal laughter now that she was finally free of the Diamond she loathed so much. "At long last, freedom! Pink Diamond is dead, she finally got what she deserves for being such a brat! ALL HAIL BLACK RUTILE!"

"ALL HAIL BLACK RUTILE!" the Rutile's forces began chanting before their leader suddenly donned a black-on-white pinstripe suit with a matching fedora and a white tie and started dancing like a smooth criminal. "ALL HAIL BLACK RUTILE! ALL HAIL BLACK RUTILE!"

"Did that actually happen?" Lemon Jade asked White Topaz, who looked rather nervous.

"Sorry, my imagination tends to get a little vivid." White Topaz replied. "Blame watching too many Earth music videos."

"Well, that's another indication you're in with the wrong crowd." Spinel quipped. "What business do you have running with a sociopathic revolutionist and many other insurgent Gems?"

"Like I said, I thought Black Rutile truly wanted what was best for Homeworld." White Topaz continued. "Plus, I thought she was my friend, but recent events kept proving me wrong."

"My Rutile, your guests should be arriving here any minute." Cinnabar, a crimson-skinned Gem with a military buzzcut and wearing a matching jacket with orange trimming, said to her commander. "The Rubies, Emerald, Aquamarine, Holly Blue Agate, Emerald, and Morganite should be arriving any moment now."

"Very good Cinnabar." Black Rutile purred as she played Steven's message to Gems across the galaxy on loop. "I've waited too long to put this plan into action, and he doesn't know a thing about it."

Just then, Black Rutile heard a door open and a childish voice storm in. "Hopefully this isn't another excuse to sling insults my way just because I threatened that stupid Steven's life!"

"You think being a pariah for endangering Pink Diamond's brat is bad, try being powerless to stop a bunch of unruly Quartzes from ruining everything you worked so hard to get into order!"

"Or a blasted human being allowed to get away with stealing your property!"

"I don't really care what you all say, at least I can still do what I do best."

"Perfect." Black Rutile grinned before she took an elevator to greet her guests. "Greetings to you all. I suppose you all know why you're here."

"What I want to know is what are these Rubies doing here?" Aquamarine asked while pointing to Eyeball and Navy.

"Hey, I nearly killed Steven, y'know!" Eyeball argued with the short blue Gem. "Show some respect!"

"Relax Ruby, don't want to make her uncomfortable here." Navy stuck herself between the pair.

"So, Black Rutile, what brings the Striking Shadow of the Rebellion here?" Holly Blue asked Black Rutile.

"Oh no Holly, you don't understand." Black Rutile corrected the Agate. "I'm the one who brought you altogether because your lives were all ruined by Pink Diamond! Or as everyone insists he be called, Steven Universe." She then began pointing to each of her visitors.

"Aquamarine, you were among Blue Diamond's finest and successfully captured Steven to put him on trial for his mother's heinous deeds."

"Rubies, you attempted to capture him twice and even nearly killed him once!"

"Holly Blue, you ruled the Human Zoo with an iron fist before the Crystal Gems played you like a fool. I mean, the Pearl didn't even bother to hide her star."

"Emerald, your Sun Incinerator was pilfered by a human of all creatures and a bunch of Off-Color Gems."

"And Morganite, you can no longer toss out any Gems that dare break your rules."

"That is very true." Morganite nodded. "So in other words, you wish to become like Rose Quartz and fight back against tyranny?"

"Yes, in a way." Black Rutile answered. "As the supreme commander of what I dub the Rutile Rebels, together we shall punish the Crystal Gems for oppressing against the hard-working Gems who were only doing what they were made to do, before abolishing Era 3 and establishing myself as the ruler of all Gems in the Diamonds' place."

"YEAH!" the new rebellion cheered and pumped their fists at the thought of revenge on Steven.

"Now then, here's what you all need to do." Black Rutile declared as she began laying out her plans on a hologram from her visor.

"Holly Blue, you shall remain at the Human Zoo, but you shall also serve as my eyes and ears on the Quartzes and human slaves residing there."

"Emerald, continue hunting down the so-called Lars of the Stars with assistance from my accomplice Cinnabar, who I've assigned to help reclaim lost colonies."

"Morganite, your assignment is like Holly Blue's, keep spying on your fellow Gems and relay what important information you gather to me."

"And finally, Ruby, or Navy as you've been called, a Yellow Zircon is running for democratic leader of Homeworld. With your expertise in manipulation, you can squeeze in as her campaign manager and make her the perfect mouthpiece for my insurgency. Are we clear?"

"Understood." The Gems obliged, except for Eyeball and Aquamarine, who Black Rutile didn't mention.

"Hey, what about us?!" Eyeball yelled.

"Don't tell me I have to partner up with her." Aquamarine groaned.

"Oh, you'll learn your places in my plot in time." Black Rutile answered. "But in the meantime, I have another spy to attend to. Good day."

As the small Gems walked away, Black Rutile turned her back to them as she keyed up a screen showing Volleyball. "Pink Pearl, report."

Even further back in time, not too long after being freed by Steven from White Diamond's control, Pink Pearl wandered around a Homeworld far different from the one she had last seen. Last she remembers, White Diamond had taken her in after Pink Diamond accidentally broke her eye and now it seems like thousands of years have passed in the blink of an eye since then.

"What even is this place?" Pink Pearl muttered fretfully. "Everything's just so different. I mean, where was Pink this whole time?"

"She's gone." Black Rutile's voice rang out, scaring the Pearl as the Rutile emerged from a shadowy alleyway. "Ah, the replaceable servant, long time no see."

"Black Rutile, you're still here?!" Pink Pearl yelled.

"Yeah, and me too!" White Topaz responded while popping up from behind her boss. "Hiya Pinky, how's the eye treating you?"

"What happened here?" Pink Pearl asked. "I mean, Homeworld looks so different from when White Diamond used her powers on me, and now everyone's talking about these Crystal Gem whatevers. Could you please get me up to speed, Black Rutile?"

"It's quite simple really." Black Rutile placed a hand on the Pearl's shoulder as she began explaining. "All of this is Pink's fault. The little brat just couldn't help causing a scene to get her way, so she faked her death and caused a war that ended so many lives. When I participated in that war, I knew deep down something was wrong with the Rose Quartz identity she created and sought to investigate."

"And that's how you found out Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz, right?" Pink Pearl realized.

"Yeah, took a lot of work too, but it made revealing what we found to White Diamond all the more worth it!" White Topaz answered.

"Hundreds of years' worth even." Black Rutile added. "All to learn that this was merely a little game she was playing, and you were but one of her many playmates she cast aside."

"Are you serious?" Pink Pearl continued.

"Why yes!" Black Rutile exclaimed joyfully while circling the Pearl. "All of this was just one big thousands years-long tantrum simply because she couldn't get the Diamonds to listen, and now she's made them waste all their resources and manpower too while doing nothing but cry. But now, we can make a change. If you spy on that Steven boy for me and report back with your findings, I promise you shall finally get payback for what Pink did to you."

"Wait, spy on Steven?" Pink Pearl wondered aloud. "I barely know him, but he seems like such a nice boy."

"Yeah, a nice boy that used the Diamonds to essentially take over." Black Rutile said. "All it took was one stupid joke to bring freaking White Diamond to her knees! You know how ridiculous that is, right?!"

"Okay, that does seem a bit ridiculous." Pink Pearl agreed reluctantly before Black Rutile offered a handshake.

"Now then, do we have a deal?" the Rutile asked with an award-winning smile. Pink Pearl gazed at her gloved hand and back at Black Rutile before she let out a huff and shook.

"Fine, I'll do what you want." Pink Diamond's Pearl accepted the offer. "But you won't do anything to harm him, understand?"

"Cross my nonexistent heart." Black Rutile complied, making an X-shape with her free hand over the diamond symbol on her chest before crossing her fingers behind her back.

"So, that's how she started putting everything together?" Lemon Jade wondered.

"Sometimes I wonder who's more at fault, her or us?" Yellow bowed her head in shame.

"All of us were to blame." White stated. "We mistreated Pink, then she started the Rebellion and led to Black Rutile gaining power."

"It's all our fault!" Blue yelled and emitted a forcefield that compelled the other Gems to start crying just like she was.

"Can you all keep it down?!" Eyeball yelled while swiping her flame chisel against another tree and shedding a few tears. "I'm trying to practice here!"

"Has she been here this whole time?" White Topaz asked as she wiped her tears. "But anyways, I don't think it's all your fault. Pink wasn't just an annoying baby. She just wanted to be seen, she just had some really bad ways of getting attention."

"Alright bluey, talk." A soldier at Area 42 said to Lapis when she was locked in an interrogation room. "What's your deal with the Crystal Gems?"

"My deal?" Lapis asked. "Okay, it all started when I was sent to terraform Earth-"

"I don't need your life story babe, just tell me everything important that happened between 2014 and now!" The soldier commanded the terraformer.

"Alright." Lapis complied. "I was stuck in a mirror for thousands of years until Steven let me out and I stole the ocean to try and get home. When I succeeded, it instead got me roped into a mission to invade Earth which ended when I fused with Jasper, and we used each other as our personal punching bags."

"So, is it true that you were the reason behind the disappearance of the ocean?" the soldier continued. "Killing 550 people across three third-world countries, nearly driving thousands of fishing villages out of business and endangering dozens of species of aquatic life?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Lapis declared in defeat.

"Miss Peridot was it?" another soldier began interrogating Peridot. "You might remember when you hijacked America's television broadcast signals to deliver a message to this Yellow Diamond, correct?"

"Yes." Peridot confirmed. "My original purpose was to check up on the current progress of a superweapon buried beneath the Earth that will destroy the entire planet once it awakens. However, the Crystal Gems informed me that what I was doing was bad for their home, and had no choice but to enlist my help in stopping the beast. Afterwards, I lived comfortably on Earth watching trashy TV shows."

"Like Camp Pining Hearts?" the soldier asked the green Gem.

"You watch that show too?!" Peridot squealed in excitement. "I may be imprisoned for crimes against humanity, but we can both agree that reboot is trash, right?"

"It's so bad, I found myself laughing like crazy!" the soldier replied.

"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper." A soldier tutted while seated across from Jasper. "What can you tell us about the monster situation?"

"Other than it was my fault?" Jasper cowered while covering her face in shame. "He just shattered me and went insane!"

"Who shattered you?" the soldier kept egging Jasper on for more answers. "And what is shattering exactly?"

"Don't talk to me, I'll just ruin your life just like I did his." Jasper groaned and curled up underneath the table.

"Okay you little one-eyed monster, either give us what we want, or you and your friends are gonna end up like that little freak over there." A soldier that was confronting Volleyball threatened before turning on a light, revealing a dissected Watermelon Steven laying on an operating table while a pair of scientists ate its remains. "Okay, to be honest, I'm not sure if you can be dissected, but it doesn't hurt to try."

"How much do you want out of me?" Volleyball asked.

"Just some basics for discrepancy, miss." The soldier continued. "Like for example, what's with the eye? I've seen some ocular damage in my line of work, but nothing like this."

"This, it was an accident by Pink Diamond." Volleyball answered while gesturing to her broken eye. "I'm sure you're just as tired of her being demonized so much, but it was an accident."

"Accident how?" the soldier kept interviewing.

"Bismuth, Bismuth, Bismuth." The last Gem to be interrogated was, of course, Bismuth. "Before we start, I must ask, bismuths are supposed to be metals, so what business do you have being a Gem?"

"Does it look like I care?" Bismuth asked. "But what I do care about is saving Steven. He's been letting all this pain and suffering he's endured for years build up inside of him and now he's let it turn him into a big monster! And if we don't act soon, he's gonna stay that way!"

"My word, is this true?" the soldier gasped.

"You bet." Bismuth replied confidently. "Look, I know we don't see eye to eye right now, but we need all the help we can get to save him and Earth from Black Rutile. You wouldn't dare let a child suffer this much, right?"

The soldier got up and paced around for a bit before he came to a decision. Though these Gems were supposed to be their enemies, he didn't want to harm an innocent, traumatized young man either. As he sat down, Bismuth put on a small smile.

"I'll talk to the president and see what I can do." The soldier said.

"Thanks sir." Bismuth nodded. "Any little bit of help means the universe to us."

"Mr. President, Vice President, General Waller, we reached a breakthrough." The soldier declared as he stepped into a room where Eduardo, Theresa, and Lloyd were talking with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. "It seems this monster was once their ward and he has changed into this form through years of childhood trauma combined with a bit of borderline personality disorder."

"I see." Lloyd nodded before turning to the three Gems. "And you just let this happen? Makes me wonder who the real monster is!"

"Yes, I get it, it's all our fault!" Pearl broke down crying. "Go ahead, lock us up, execute us, just anything to rid Steven of us!"

"Pearl, calm down." Garnet soothed the ex-servant. "We may have been partially to blame here, but it's not entirely our fault. Steven just has very unhealthy ways of coping, and now his stress has built up to toxic levels. So please, we're begging you, we need your help."

"Ditto." Amethyst responded. "We gotta save Steven before it's too late. Plus, it's just as much our fault as it is that Black Rutile jerk's! She's been stringing everyone along all this time, and you guys are all no different! Seriously, did humans get THIS dumb over the past thousands of years?"

"Dang kid, you got fire." Theresa chuckled. "I like that. What say when this is all over, we have a little spar? I am proficient in krav maga from studying abroad, after all."

"Oh, you're on!" Amethyst declared while shaking the vice president's hand.

"Well, I see now that you Gems haven't changed a bit." Eduardo stated while taking Garnet's hand. "If there's anything you need, we're here to help." Suddenly, an alarm began going off. "Ay caramba, what now?!"

"Mr. President, we have a break-in!" an elderly man in a black suit yelled as he and his African American partner burst into the interrogation room. "A middle-aged man and an Indian girl suddenly came out of a portal riding on a pink lion!"

"Wait, what?!" Eduardo yelled just as Connie, Greg, and Lion burst into the room ready to rescue the Gems. "Everyone, please remain calm!"

"Don't worry guys, we're here to save you!" Connie exclaimed while drawing her sword and pointing it at General Waller. "You let the Gems go, the world needs them!"

However, as the dust began to settle, the two human allies began to realize that not everything was pretty okay, as Greg looked around the room and asked "What did we miss?" while Lion let out a purr.

Back in the woods, the Diamonds seemed to have reached an understanding with White Topaz, with Black Rutile seemingly none the wiser. However, that would all soon change.

"So, do you agree that Steven is better than Black Rutile passes him off as now?" Yellow Diamond said.

"Yeah, I've met him before, so I'm speaking from experience here." White Topaz answered, unaware of her master angrily watching from the cave. "Steven really is that nice of a guy. Sure, he's still got a few flaws like breathing down everyone's neck and thinking the universe can't move without him being the center of everything, but his heart is in the right place and has changed everyone around him. Unlike some Gems I know."

"So that's how it is." Black Rutile angrily declared as she stormed out of her cave with Aquamarine in tow. "After all you've done for me, after all we've been through together, all it takes is just words to turn on me?! Are you so stupid that you don't even know you're being brainwashed?!"

"We aren't brainwashing her Rutile." White Diamond declared while slowly wriggling free from her Spinel-made restraints. "We're just showing her that she has bad taste in friends and you must be stopped!"

"Well, have it your way." Black Rutile snapped her fingers, cuing Aquamarine to take back her wand and release Steven from the forcefield. "Steven, destroy your tormentors now!"

Unfortunately for Black Rutile, Steven was too confused to even listen and bashed his head against the mountainside, causing a cave-in that destroyed her lair and a rockslide to nearly crush her before he began running away.

"Steven!" the Diamonds yelled as one and began chasing Steven back to Beach City as the pink monster began leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

In Little Homeworld, the Gems living & studying there were going about a seemingly normal day when the monster stampeded into town, destroying much of the village in its path and causing multiple Gems to run & hide in fear.

"Hey guys, wait for me!" Spinel cried before Lemon Jade grabbed her by the arm.

"No Spinel, we have to stop Black Rutile!" the Jade fusion bravely declared before twirling Spinel around like an Olympic hammer to toss at the mastermind.

"Ah Spinel, almost forgot about you, just like Pink did." Black Rutile said while heaving Spinel off her. "You remember how I gave you the Rejuvenator and the Injector, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that was you." Spinel answered.

"You may not know it Spinel, but this garden contains secrets even you didn't know." Black Rutile explained to the abandoned playmate not too long ago, soon after running into her while testing the Warp Pads. "I helped build this atrocious locale, so naturally I'm the only one who knows these secrets."

"But other Gems helped you, how come they didn't know?" Spinel asked.

"Save all questions until after you finish the job." Black Rutile answered before she turned on some lights, revealing a secret room beneath the garden housing a massive Injector Spinel would soon use on Earth. "Now then, your job is to go down to Earth, inject this pink bio-poison that will slowly kill all organic life, and take down anyone that stands in your way with this." The Rutile then presented the Rejuvenator to Spinel. "Should you fail, you will pay the price when the time comes. Are we clear?"

With a sadistic grin, Spinel took the Rejuvenator from Black Rutile. "Crystal."

"And as for you," Black Rutile yelled after tossing Spinel to the ground and storming towards White Topaz. "how dare you betray your only friend?!"

"You're a bad friend!" White Topaz argued back as she summoned her brass knuckles and punched Black Rutile in the face, while Aquamarine & Eyeball contended with Spinel & Lemon Jade. "You always treated me like garbage because I was too nice for you and never showed remorse for it, among all the other horrible things you did like manipulating, gaslighting, and even murder!"

"Oh please, we Gems were natural sociopaths before Steven came along, we never showed remorse for anything!" Black Rutile said while readying her Breaking Point 2.0.

"You were only using Steven's own trauma to your advantage so you can use him for galactic domination!" White Topaz yelled, causing her now-former boss to let out a hoarse, sarcastic laugh.

"You know something Topaz?" Black Rutile asked as she aimed her shattering device. "You're right. I do deserve better minions, hence why Aquamarine and Eyeball have stuck by my side throughout all of this. So in other words, consider yourself replaced."

"TARGET CONFIRMED." The Breaking Point 2.0 declared in a mechanical monotone while Black Rutile aimed it straight at her Topaz. "COMMENCE SHATTERING IN FIVE. FOUR. THREE. TWO. O-"

Without a moment's hesitation, Spinel ripped the Breaking Point 2.0 from Black Rutile's arm and smashed it to the ground before shoving Black Rutile into a tree before taking White Topaz & Lemon Jade by the hand. "Come on, Steven's waiting for us!"

As the three Gems raced off after Steven, Black Rutile was helped up by her two remaining minions, who were worried for their boss's safety.

"My Rutile, are you alright?" Aquamarine asked worriedly.

"What happened to this?" Eyeball wondered while picking up the damaged remains of the Breaking Point 2.0.

Black Rutile did not answer as she stepped towards the clearing where she attempted to shatter White Topaz and shakily took off her green visor with a warm, but creepy smile. Suddenly, the Rutile snapped the visor in two with her bare hands, furious that everything had been falling apart. And now, she only had one boy to blame.

"STEEEEE-VEEEEEN UNIVEEEEEEERSE!"

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 6: Be-All, Cure-All

We're a normal family,

In a normal neighborhood

Starring Steven DeMayo

No lies or betrayal here,

Everything is all good

With Greg DeMayo

Yes, everything is nice and friendly here

No time to shed a tear

And Rosemary DeMayo

How long can we keep it together?

A little Mayo's all we need!

"A Little Mayo's All We Need was filmed before a live studio audience." An offscreen voice announced as Steven woke up one morning to discover that something didn't seem right. This didn't seem like his bedroom, but it did at the same time.

"What am I doing here?" Steven asked himself just as the door opened.

"What are you doing here? That's a silly question!" Greg declared as he stepped into Steven's bedroom, eliciting cheers from the audience. "Morning Scthu-Ball, wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" The audience then started laughing.

"Dad, I had the weirdest dream last night." Steven said. "My mom was an alien war criminal who started a war that nearly destroyed the Earth, and now I was forced to make up for all the horrible things she did as her half-alien son."

"Wow, guess we should stop having chili for dinner so often with dreams like that." Greg remarked, causing the audience to laugh again, much to Steven's confusion. "Come on down, Mom's making breakfast."

"Wait, Mom?!" Steven exclaimed while getting out of bed. "But, she's dead! She gave up her physical form to give birth to me!"

"Well, she's bound to do that at some point when you're older." Greg shrugged with a grin. More laughter, which made Steven even more creeped out. "Now up and at 'em, don't wanna be late for school!"

"School?" Steven muttered as Greg left the bedroom before pulling up his shirt, revealing a belly button where his gem should be. "Wait, am I human?!"

"Indeed." Steven's inner voice boomed and took the form of his shadow. "This is what you always wanted, correct? Living a normal human life as a normal human boy in a world where Gems never existed. Well, I gave you your wish."

"Well, what about everyone else?" Steven asked his silhouette.

"Don't fret, they're still outside fighting your body, but your mind is perfectly safe here." The shadow purred before it slowly took the form of the more muscular Steven from when he fought Jasper. "My advice, just give in to the dream world you always wanted."

"I, uh…" Steven stuttered before the shadow returned to normal, and he finally decided to go downstairs for breakfast. However, he was in for a big surprise in the kitchen.

"Good morning my little starlight!" Steven's mother, who bore a striking resemblance to Rose Quartz, greeted her son with a big hug and a kiss, eliciting aww's from the audience. "How did my rosebud sleep last night?"

"Like a log!" Steven robotically said like a script was being forced into his head.

"Well, all little logs need a healthy breakfast to start their day." The fake version of Rose stated before handing him a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs. To Steven's surprise, the scrambled eggs spelled out a message saying "GIVE IN STEVEN."

"Uh, Mom, Dad, have you ever had those times where a voice inside of you tells you to give in to something?" Steven asked his parents while eating breakfast.

"Well, a voice certainly told me I made the right choice marrying your mom." Greg smiled. "Right Rosemary?"

"Of course, Greg." Rosemary smiled back and the parents kissed.

"Okay, this is starting to get a little sappy." Steven muttered to himself. "Mom, do you remember anything about the Diamonds? The Crystal Gems? Anything?"

"Yeah, he's had this dream last night where you were an alien who forced all this trauma onto him after your death." Greg explained to his wife. "Maybe tonight we should have meatloaf for dinner."

"Oh, I would never do that to you!" Rose gasped. "I only want the best for my little boy."

"Yeah, the best." Steven laughed nervously. "Well, guess I should get ready for school. Can I be excused?"

"Sure you can kiddo." Greg agreed and let Steven leave the table.

"This is only a dream; this is only a dream." Steven muttered to himself on his way back to his imaginary bedroom. "A dream taking the form of a sitcom, of all things."

"But is it still a fantasy?" the Negative Steven pondered while suddenly appearing in a family picture featuring Steven as a toddler. "Or could it be real life?"

Steven let out a yell as he stumbled back, catching the attention of his imaginary parents. "Steven, you alright up there sport?"

"Never better Pops!" Steven once again said automatically before he covered his mouth. "It's like this world is taking me over."

After getting changed for the day, Steven was dropped off by his mom at Beach City High School, where the students either resembled his human friends, or human versions of the Gems he had met throughout his life. And much to his delight, some familiar faces immediately caught his eye.

"Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl!" Steven cried happily while racing towards human versions of the Crystal Gems. Garnet had a big letterman jacket on, Amethyst was squatting on the ground & looked like a juvenile delinquent, and Pearl was dressed as a head cheerleader while looking at her phone. "Oh good, am I glad to see you!"

"Hey, got any cheese?" Amethyst asked with a goofy grin, causing more laughter.

"Steven, you have to wake up!" Garnet urged Steven. "We've been created by your damaged psyche to try and break you out of this dream world, but we need you to work with us!"

"Please come back to us Steven!" Pearl began to sob. "To all of us."

Before Steven can respond to his three guardians, the dream world began to activate some sort of defense mechanism. "Why do you three always have to pick on me every day?" he asked, once again talking like he read a script. "There are tons of other students in this school, yet you always go after me!"

"We're too late, the dream world is starting to take over!" Garnet exclaimed while watching Steven walk to his first class. "Our real-world selves have to act fast!"

"I think not Crystal Gems." Negative Steven growled as he suddenly appeared behind the three and prepared to attack.

"A LITTLE BIT OF MAYO WILL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THESE MESSAGES!"

In the real world, the Steven monster had returned to Beach City after fleeing from Black Rutile and gazed at his reflection in the ocean below him, amongst the deceased Watermelon Stevens and the wreckage of their ship. He kept having a splitting headache, as if something was trying to take over from the inside. Suddenly, he began to hear footsteps from behind him.

"Steven, it's us!" Yellow Diamond called for the son of their deceased sister. Steven's head perked up and he let out a beastly shriek before lunging at Yellow, pinning her to the ground. "We know you're still in there, you have to fight it!"

"White, hold him steady!" Blue yelled while grabbing one of the monster's arms, and White did the same with the other, releasing Yellow and giving her the chance to grab the beast by the neck.

"Who would've guessed it would be us left to save the Earth from her?" White Diamond grinned. "After all these years spent wanting it destroyed?"

"Helping first, irony later!" Yellow struggled while Steven kept on waving his arms around, trying to break free from the ex-monarchs' confinement. "Don't fight it, Steven, this is for your own good!"

Suddenly, a Warp Pad activated from inside the temple, and out the house came the Crystal Gems, the president and the military ready to assist. "There he is men!" Wade Grant shouted. "Fire, keep him down!"

Firing the anti-Gem weapons previously used on the Crystal Gems, the military shocked Steven repeatedly until he could barely even stand, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Almost immediately afterward, other military personnel began getting to work on investigating Steven's condition and trying to find a way to cure him.

"Good work, all of you." Garnet declared. "Now, let's get him back to normal."

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Spinel cried as she, White Topaz, and Lemon Jade arrived just in time to help out. However, White Topaz's appearance wasn't as well-received as she thought.

"You!" Jasper yelled at the Topaz. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't get suspicious everyone." Yellow Diamond stated. "White Topaz is on our side now. She just fell in with a really bad crowd."

"Wait, you serious?" Amethyst asked.

"Yeah, the Diamonds helped me learn that I should find better friends while they were held captive by Black Rutile." White Topaz explained. "She was planning to shatter them all with this Breaking Point gizmo and frame Steven for it, but those hopes were dashed when I finally decided to stand up to her."

Although the Gems were a bit unsure, ultimately they had no choice but to accept it. "Welcome to the club White Topaz." Lapis said, the first to step forward and welcome Black Rutile's former bodyguard. "We're gonna need all the help we can get to save Steven."

"Wait, what club?" White Topaz wondered.

"The club of people who tried to kill Steven before changing themselves for the better." Peridot stated. "You may call me president of the club since I was among the first that Steven reached out to."

"I was kinda here before Peridot." Lapis remarked.

"Wait, another Breaking Point?" Bismuth gasped upon hearing the name of her old anti-Diamond weapon. "Oh wait, she got the idea from her interviews with us, right?"

"Yeppers." White Topaz nodded cheerfully.

As the conversation between the four Gems went on, Jasper helped the Crystal Gems fasten a helmet with a satellite dish attached to it onto Steven's head, and it began delivering footage to a nearby console that Eduardo, Wade, Theresa, and Lloyd were watching.

"With this state-of-the-art technology," Lloyd grinned. "we'll be able to reach out to Steven from within his deepest, most sensitive of thoughts. All we need to do is find the right frequency."

"Okay, just need to turn the knob a few times." Eduardo muttered while operating the video equipment that was transmitting Steven's thoughts from his mind. As he finally found the right frequency, the president was in for a shock. "My goodness. Uh, everyone, you're gonna need to come over here."

The Crystal Gems began to gather around the console and started watching what the president had seen, and what they saw was Steven living a whole other life inside his head.

"Is that Steven in some cheesy sitcom?!" Greg exclaimed. "What's going on, and why a sitcom?"

"I don't know, but I think I might need some popcorn." Theresa said with interest in the program.

"Steven did say he wanted to live a life as a normal human free from Gems." Garnet analyzed the situation. "Perhaps this is what he meant."

"But the question is," Jasper declared. "how much longer can he hold out?"

"Wow, I can't believe it!" Steven declared in his dream sitcom world. "I got all this homework to do, those three keep telling me I'm living a dream, and the prom's tomorrow!"

"Yes, a prom." Negative Steven declared. "A perfectly normal human event in this perfectly real human world. You won't ever get that in your silly alien dream."

"Yeah, who'd ever want to live in a world as horrible as that one?" Steven replied with a laugh. "Three guardians constantly putting your life in danger, a negligent father, a whole town's worth of ungrateful friends." However, that was when he began to realize something. "Wait, would I ever really say that?"

"It was only a matter of time." Negative Steven boomed while the colorful television world began to get a little darker. "Everyone has already turned their backs on you. Now it's about time you did the same to them."

"No, this can't be real, this is only a dream!" Steven exclaimed and soon tried to run. "I have to get out of here!"

"NOOOO!" Negative Steven roared as some nearby flowers suddenly came to life and tied Steven up, long enough for Negative Steven to reveal himself as essentially an evil version of Steven with much darker colors, menacing red eyes, and a more muscular build. "Why leave when you can just give in?!"

"You!" Steven yelled at his darker self. "You're the one who keeps making me do all these horrible things! Just what are you anyways?!"

"Pardon me for being so rude Steven." Negative Steven stated. "I am the thorn in your side that is everything bad about you personified. Your immaturity, your refusal to accept that you're not the center of the universe, your unwillingness to let everyone move on without you. I am all of that taken physical form."

"If you're like the evil me, why is this place so happy?" Steven asked. "I mean, what's the point of trapping me in my own dreams if it isn't anything I recognize?"

"I had it custom-made especially for you." Negative Steven smiled evilly. "This neighborhood, these people, all to satisfy your dreams of living like a normal boy. If only you'd give in and let go of your atrocious old life!" He began gesturing to the imaginary townsfolk conjured specifically for Steven. "Here, everyone loves you and that's all there is to them. Like so." With a snap of Negative Steven's fingers, some of the side characters began coming to life as an example.

"Howdy neighbor, what's the haps?" a well-meaning but overly nosy next-door neighbor resembling Ronaldo asked.

"I'm your long-lost relative, and I'm here for a very special episode about terminal diseases!" a self-proclaimed relative resembling Andy proclaimed.

"Be sure to keep studying, because learning rocks!" a teacher who looked like a dead ringer for Mr. Smiley exclaimed.

"But these all look like my friends. My REAL friends." Steven growled at his darker half.

"Oh please, enough with the excuses." Negative Steven rolled his eyes in disgust. "If they were your friends, then you wouldn't get your nose in everyone's business under the foolish belief you can fix absolutely everything because of your hideous savior complex! Admit it, you're no hero! You're just like your mother." He then began to smirk. "In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you, just like how you hate her despite every good thing she's done."

Being compared to his mother set Steven off, and he let out a feral roar while summoning his shield to break free from the flowers and knock Negative Steven down. "I am nothing like my mom, and I never will be!"

"If you hate her so much, surely you wouldn't mind if I burned a few bridges to her?" Negative Steven waved his arm and brought forth the dream versions of the Crystal Gems, trying to wriggle free from shadowy bonds. "Your choice child, return to that accursed real world or stay here and live with them forever."

"I don't care what happens, I won't let you hurt anyone I love!" Steven yelled defiantly.

"If you say so." Negative Steven shrugged and with a snap of his fingers, the three burst into flames screaming as they were disintegrated into ashes right before his good half's eyes. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? You still hold affections for those three?"

Steven said nothing. He was still processing the gruesome deaths of the human versions of Garnet, Amethyst & Pearl before he decided to turn and run.

"Stop him!" Negative Steven commanded the sitcom characters, who gave chase while he led them in pursuing Steven.

Meanwhile, Rosemary stepped forward, apparently not a pawn of Negative Steven, and she glared at Steven's dark side with righteous fury.

"I feel like something's not right here." Theresa observed the screens depicting Steven's thoughts. However, even though Steven looked very distressed on the outside, the screen seemed to imply nothing was going wrong in his head. "He's not looking too hot, yet things are shown to be perfectly fine here. What gives?"

"The mind is a complex thing to read." Garnet informed. "Steven's is no different, especially recently. Whatever he's thinking, it looks like he's trying to cover it up."

"Yeah, kinda like how I covered up all the terrible things Black Rutile did to me." White Topaz concurred. "I really thought she was my best friend, but the last good while has proven she doesn't feel the same at all."

"Same." Jasper declared. "I thought I finally got my Diamond back, but then I got turned down just as quickly as I got her back. If you ask me, I know what it's like to be betrayed by someone you thought you cared for."

"Wow, really?" White Topaz said to Jasper while blushing. "I thought I was the only one. I mean, who knows, maybe we could become each other's real friends."

"I'll try anything once." Jasper blushed back at the thought of a new bond. "I guess my Diamond, er, Steven would be proud of me if he were still here."

"Wow, good on you." Lapis grinned at Jasper. "Making your first friend."

"Who would've thought?" Jasper mused when she got an idea. "Wait here, I got some inner demons to settle."

Strolling away, Jasper walked back into the beach house and into the bathroom, where she gazed at herself in the mirror. "Hello again, old me." She greeted her reflection. "If you don't mind, I'm getting the help of the Crystal Gems to get my Diamond back, and I believe you can't follow me from here on out."

"You fool!" Jasper's reflection, taking the form of when she first arrived on Earth, bellowed to her present self. "They are weak without that imposter, and this is your chance for revenge! They humiliated us, forced us to fuse with that flying brat, and then let us get corrupted after saving you!"

"My body has been corrupted before," the present Jasper stated. "but I won't let my mind do the same again."

"Is that humility I see?!" the past Jasper roared. "That's the same humility the boy failed in using to brainwash you, and now he succeeded. What are you waiting for?! Shatter everyone who has ever wronged you now and join Black Rutile! She is the only one who can respect you now!"

"And let my own past haunt me again?" Jasper argued with her reflection. "Black Rutile is stuck in the past, but the Gems are living in the here and now. And it's time we do the same. We may have failed Pink Diamond, but I'd rather be a Crystal Gem than fail her son."

This rebuttal quickly caused the past Jasper's expression to soften, as if she had reached an understanding with her current self, and she sighed. "If you insist on being weak just to keep Pink alive, then I see no reason to care about what you do anymore. The Crystal Gems shall live."

As the reflection faded away, signifying Jasper coming to terms with her past actions and how Pink Diamond had partially influenced them, she heard a voice cry out for her. "Hey, Jasper!"

"What?!" Jasper yelled back.

"I think we made a breakthrough, you gotta come and see!" Greg exclaimed from outside. Jasper raced back to the beach as Steven began tossing and turning in the sand, causing the console in front of him to go crazy with activity.

"What seems to be happening?" Volleyball exclaimed while the screens only showed static.

"We seem to be getting through to him!" Pearl declared. "Okay, who wants to reach out to him first?"

"I'll go." Connie stepped forward with determination. "I'm Steven's best friend, it's only natural I go first."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Lemon Jade said while Connie was fitted with a headset by the president.

"This is it, Connie, you could be the key to saving him." Eduardo encouraged the girl.

"Thank you, future predecessor." Connie smiled before she began adjusting the headset and began speaking into the mic. "Steven, can you hear me? It's Connie. Can you hear me?"

"It's Connie. Can you hear me?"

His friend's soothing voice was able to calm Steven down as he kept running through his dream world, searching for a way out. Just as Steven was about to call out to Connie, Negative Steven had other plans.

"Don't listen to her!" Negative Steven bellowed while conjuring up a bad memory to toss at Steven. "That girl is just as bad as the rest of them!" He then tossed the memory at Steven, and it took the form of Connie leaving him after the first visit to Homeworld. "Remember, you had given your life to protect your friends from Homeworld, and this is how she thanked you! That ungrateful little shrew!"

"No, she was mad because I got them all worried sick! I could've died on Homeworld!" Steven argued, causing the memory to dissipate before he started running again. "Any more bad memories you want to throw at me?!"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Negative Steven roared while conjuring up another bad memory, this time of Lapis nearly getting him sucked out of the moon base. "Lapis never cared one bit for anyone but herself, and this was no different! How come you keep her around when she has done the most horrible things?!"

"It was an accident!" Steven yelled, once again causing the memory to vanish. "Are you just going to use all the horrible things my friends did to me just to break me?"

"I'm not sure, let's give it a shot." Negative Steven grinned at the idea before raising his hands to the sky and gathering bad memories from all over to form a massive sphere above him. Some of them were real experiences Steven had, but others were no doubt false ones created to give Negative Steven more power. A fake one that Steven could easily identify was Amethyst & Pearl teasing him for proposing that he play a song in battle.

"Pearl would never do that." Steven muttered as the fake memory zipped past him. "Amethyst, maybe, but not Pearl."

"Once these memories crush you, your mind will finally submit to the dream." Negative Steven bellowed as his orb finished charging and prepared to throw it. "SAY GOODBYE TO THE WORLD YOU KNEW!"

As Steven summoned his shield to protect himself from the bad memories, Negative Steven saw fit to gloat one last time before obliterating his good half. "This all could've been avoided if you had listened to me more." He stated. "If you hadn't been such a goody goody-two-shoes, things could've, no, should've been different."

"You forced me to act out!" Steven yelled while bracing himself and trying to push the bad memory orb back.

"You are right, but it was just the thing you needed to grow a spine." Negative Steven said solemnly with a salute. "Adios my friend. Have fun at prom."

Suddenly, Rosemary stepped in-between the two Stevens and pushed the bad memories back one-handed, all with a calm but furious stare at Negative Steven.

"Mom?!" Steven exclaimed. "Dream Mom?!"

"No, it cannot be!" Negative Steven roared in shock.

"Yes, it is." Rosemary declared fiercely before she closed her eyes and began to glow. Rosemary began splitting herself in half, one half of her was stockier and had a pink circular gem, while the other was taller with her gem upside down. However, one trait they both shared was that they both had pink, curly hair.

"No, this isn't possible." Steven began to cry at the sight of both Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond standing before him. "This is just another dream!" His tears of shock quickly turned into tears of anger as he charged at the two and began fruitlessly trying to hit them. "This is all your fault, everything is your fault!" Steven began sobbing. "You're a monster, you ruined everything for everyone! It's because of you that everyone is suffering, because of me!"

"Oh, poor dear." Rose sadly shook her head and turned to her other identity. "He's been through so much."

"I think you and I know what he really needs." Pink replied before she decided to take the struggling Steven in her arms. "Come here, Steven." She said and gave her son a hug, which started to calm him down.

"What are you doing?" Steven said, still letting out some tears. "You both never cared for anyone."

"We just thought you really needed a hug." Rose answered as she joined Pink in giving her son the hug he so desperately needed. "We've put you through so much. It's all our fault for this."

"Are you kidding me?" Negative Steven growled while his eye began to twitch. "You're letting them hug you? Go on, keep fighting! They said it's all their fault!"

"You stay out of this." Rose firmly said to Negative Steven while forming a rose-colored barrier to keep him out.

"No, don't listen to a word they say!" Negative Steven hollered while pounding on the dome.

"If I had learned to behave myself back in the day and were as sweet & gentle as you are," Pink stated. "I would've saved everyone centuries of my tantrums."

"And I wish I didn't have to give the Diamonds such a scare by faking my shattering," Rose added. "but in the end, it was for the sake of Earth."

"I guess I really am as bad as you guys are." Steven realized. "I've done a lot of nasty stuff over the years. I keep making myself the center of everything, I forced the Diamonds to change their ways and allowed a megalomaniac warlord to almost take control, and I even shattered Jasper."

"Shattered?!" the two larger Gems exclaimed.

"You've got to be joking, right?" Pink asked.

"I'm not, but it wasn't my fault." Steven answered. "She was training me to control these Diamond powers that keep messing things up for me, but then I went mad with power and shattered her. I put Jasper back together, but now she's so sad because of me."

"I think I remember a Jasper under my command, don't think I ever got to know her super personally though." Pink claimed.

"I remember her more though, we fought a lot during the Rebellion." Rose responded.

"Yeah, and now it's because of me she's stuck on a planet she hates so much." Steven said glumly.

"Oh, stop beating yourself up so much, Steven." Rose said to Steven. "You have done so many remarkable things too. You helped so many people, both human and Gem alike. Heck, I don't even think anyone could've reached out to the Diamonds quite like you did!"

"Yeah, I did do some pretty great stuff!" Steven declared, his spirits brightening as the darkness around them gave way to a hot pink landscape. "Sure, I may have done some pretty bad stuff too, but I shouldn't let them outweigh the good!"

"NO! NOOOO!" Negative Steven screamed abruptly, breaking through the dome and charging straight at both versions of Steven's mom. "You've listened to them long enough Steven!"

"Stay away from them!" Steven yelled back, summoning his shield once more to protect Rose & Pink from Negative Steven. "You've been a thorn in my side for too long! I won't let you make me hurt the people I love ever again!"

"He's right!" Rose added defiantly. "Nobody's perfect!"

"And you shouldn't let bad deeds outweigh the good either!" Pink stated.

"So that's how it is." Negative Steven panted and stood up straight against his kinder self and the two sides of their mother. "It all comes down to this!" Negative Steven then slowly began to transform into a beastly gargoyle-like creature, simulating Steven's transformation in the waking world. "Once I had killed all three of you, this body shall be mine to control!"

"Bring it!" Steven, Pink Diamond, and Rose Quartz replied, standing united against the monstrous personification of Steven's inner demons in a battle to literally save Steven from himself.

"Did that work?" Greg asked Connie in the real world. "I mean, I don't hear an answer."

"I'm not sure either." Connie replied, just as the pink monster before them slowly opened his eyes. "Wait, look! I think we got through to him!"

However, what Connie got wasn't a sign Steven was still in there. Steven let out a roar as he stood up and tore off the satellite dish strapped to his head, the roar causing everyone to fall down and Garnet being forcibly un-fused into Ruby & Sapphire.

"I guess not!" Pearl exclaimed as a familiar silhouette soared above them. "Oh no, it's-"

"FINALLY!" Black Rutile screamed as Bluebird Azurite dropped her to the ground. Compared to when the Crystal Gems last saw her, Black Rutile was frothing at the mouth in rage and her green visor was gone, everyone taking both as a sign that she had finally cracked. "I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING YOU ALL, AND FOR TOO LONG I WATCHED AS YOU TRIED TO RUIN MY LIFE'S WORK!" The Rutile drew her sword from her gem and made the blade widen across the guard. "YOU'VE ALREADY DONE ENOUGH TO RUIN EVERYTHING! NOW PREPARE TO DIE!"

Standing before the psychopathic Rutile, however, the Crystal Gems and the Diamonds prepared for one last battle against her and her two surviving allies. Meanwhile, White Topaz held tightly onto Jasper's hand as she glared at her former boss.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 7: Love Like You

Little Homeworld was in total disarray. What was once a peaceful, lively town for Gems on Earth to live in peace in was now crushed to near pieces by a rampaging monster that dashed across the settlement, and its inhabitants were left to help each other out and pick up the pieces.

"Hello-ooo, Cubic Zirconias!" Teal Zircon yelled as Cherry Quartz and Snowflake Obsidian picked up rubble to help her look for Gems scattered from the monster attack. "Just holler if you haven't been poofed!"

"We're stuck over here!" the Heaven Cubic Zirconia yelled for help.

"Please, someone get us out of here!" the Earth Zirconia added.

"Don't worry little guys, we're coming!" Snowflake exclaimed, racing over to where she last heard the tiny Gems and lifting up some wood that the two were buried under before scooping them up in her hands. "How's it snowing?"

"Terrible." The Heaven Cubic Zirconia groaned. "Sometimes I wonder why even bother staying on Earth if we're always in danger."

"That's what I want to know too!" Emerald replied as she and Pyrope helped carry Laz and Zuli away from some wreckage, followed by a Flower Buddy straggling behind. "Just what was that monster? I don't think Black Rutile ever mentioned one during my time as her advisor."

"This must be one of those Gem monsters the Gems fought back in the day!" Zuli deduced. "We gotta help them!"

"But where did it come from?" Demantoid asked before Bixbite's claw burst from the remains of Bismuth's forge, giving the green Gem a scare before the crab-like Gem cut away the wreckage she was buried in.

"I don't know," Bixbite replied. "You think Black Rutile might have something to do with it?"

"Possibly." Emerald answered. "She already did betray most of her rebels, so chances are she sent out the beast to get rid of us for good."

"Regardless, we have to do something." Squaridot said. "I'll try and send a message to Lars and Hessonite. Hopefully, they can give us some help." As the Peridot began to search for a communication module, the other residents of Little Homeworld began to gather up and make a plan.

"Okay, so we're all in agreement that we're headed to Beach City to give the Gems a lift, right?" Larimar suggested.

"Yeah, pretty much." Orange Spodumene declared. "But I don't think any of us either fought in years or fought at all."

"We'll do it." Laz declared with Zuli, Emerald, Demantoid, and Pyrope behind her.

"Black Rutile left us behind," Emerald started.

"So I think it's time we get a little payback." Demantoid finished for her taller comrade.

"Blue and I will stay behind in case any more trouble comes." Yellow Pearl bravely stated.

"Just go and save the Earth." Blue Pearl added.

"Thanks, Pearls." Orange Spodumene nodded to the former servant Gems. "Come on Gems, for our new home!"

"For our new home!" the other Gems cheered and raced off for the inevitable battle.

Meanwhile outside Beach City, its citizens were having their fair share of tension. They've gotten used to their fair share of Gem-related activity, but the giant monster and the government coming to arrest their alien neighbors got them wondering if the Gems can still be trusted.

"So let me get this straight," Shep said to Sadie. "the Crystal Gems are a bunch of alien criminals that started a war with their home planet's oppressive regime and have been living on Earth for thousands of years since?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that." Sadie proclaimed. "Steven's mom, Rose Quartz, was once a member of that oppressive regime, but she got tired of being looked down on by her fellow oppressors and really grew to love Earth. You still following me Shep?"

"Yeah, I'm with you." Shep nodded before they noticed a crowd of Gems in the distance. "And those Gems walking up over there, what do they have to do with this?"

"Wait, what?" Sadie stuttered as she finally noticed the Little Homeworlders behind them, as did the rest of the townies. "What do you guys want?"

"We came here to help the Crystal Gems stop that monster!" Grossular Diopside exclaimed, hopping up and down.

"Where are they now?" Watermelon Tourmaline asked.

"Oh, they've just been accused of wanting to destroy Earth and were held hostage by the government for a bit because of that Black Rutile who really hates them." Shep rattled off.

"That's all we need!" Chrysocolla exclaimed. "Let's go!" Suddenly, a dark shadow cast itself over Beach City, followed by a massive pair of pink legs descending to the Earth.

"Hey, just what Squaridot ordered!" Blue Chalcedony exclaimed while Lars, the Off-Colors, Hessonite, and Citrine disembarked from the legs.

"Never thought I'd be back here again." Lars mused, taking in the sights of the town he hadn't seen in so long before he looked at Sadie. "Hey Sadie, long time no see."

"Lars!" Sadie exclaimed as she raced up and hugged her old coworker. "I never thought you'd be back so soon either!"

"Hey, Lars." Shep greeted the space hero.

"Hey, Shep." Lars replied. "Now, Squaridot said something about a monster problem?"

"Yes, it stampeded right through Little Homeworld!" Squaridot exclaimed. "I think the Crystal Gems might need all hands on deck for this one!"

However, the Crystal Gems were going to need the help more than ever now, as a revenge-crazed Black Rutile had them, the Diamonds and President Suarez cornered while Bluebird Azurite, now un-fused into Aquamarine and Eyeball, stood on either side of her.

"I wanted to make Homeworld great again, I wanted to save it from monsters like you who think forcing peace and love down everyone's throats would make everything better!" Black Rutile ranted. "But you all took it away from me! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Wait!" Eduardo cried and stepped up to the mad Rutile. "Before you try and commit genocide against the human race, I just want to ask. Why are you doing this? These Gems are some of the most wonderful people I've ever met, and yet you believe they're the bad guys?"

"You don't know them like I do, human emperor." Black Rutile growled lightly while summoning her Bowie knife behind her back, with every intention to kill the president where he stood. "That monster was once a dumb little boy who brainwashes everyone he meets into bending the knee towards him, and always flies off the handle whenever things don't go his way. We have conquered this entire galaxy in our glory days, and yet Steven's no better than they were thanks to telling one stupid joke that brought the mighty White Diamond to her knees and forced her to become a braindead doter!"

White just gave a nervous shrug.

"When I become the rightful ruler of Homeworld, I will force all the Gems he bullied into compliance to return to the old ways and enslave the galaxy that should be rightfully ours to control!" Black Rutile continued before showing off her knife. "And guess what? Your planet will be the first to fall!"

Black Rutile prepared to strike Eduardo down, but before the deed could be done, she barely heard a "Watch out Eddie!" and instead stabbed Lloyd Waller in the chest, who had raced towards the two and served as a shield for the president just in time.

"Lloyd, no!" Eduardo yelled.

"No need to worry Mr. President, I think she stabbed me in either one of my lungs or my kidneys." Lloyd shakily assured. "Either way, I need help badly."

"Get this man back to Washington!" Eduardo bravely ordered a few soldiers while running away from Black Rutile. The soldiers carried Lloyd away in his wheelchair to the nearest helicopter and soon flew away.

"You won't win this Black Rutile!" Jasper declared.

"Oh sure, just like how it's always been your fault we keep on losing!" Aquamarine declared. "Once we're finished with all of you and there's no more hope of Steven returning to the same obnoxious, sanctimonious brat we despise so much, we plan on fusing him and all your remains with the Cluster so we can use it as our tool to destroy our enemies once and for all!"

Just then, the rampaging Steven felt something grab at his ankle. From cracks in the seafloor, the Cluster's hand popped out and tried to keep Steven from running. But unfortunately, Steven proved to be stronger.

"And we have you to thank for all those years of abuse you weighed on him." Eyeball grinned sadistically.

"They're right." Pearl realized in shock. "Deep inside that monster, Steven is in there, and he's so angry at everything. At us."

"It was pretty obvious something was going on." Amethyst stated angrily. "Ugh, why didn't he just tell us sooner?!"

"If we don't get through to him, Steven will be like this forever!" Sapphire began crying hysterically and grabbed onto Ruby for comfort, but her red wife began sobbing as well.

"Yeah, I guess we all are pretty awful." Lapis admitted sadly.

"Oh look, the first one to admit how toxic you all are is the resident abuser of the group." Black Rutile taunted. "Ooh, look at me, I wasn't looking where I was going six-thousand years ago and got stuck in a mirror like an idiot, that gives me an excuse to be awful to everyone!"

"Hey, you leave her alone!" Peridot yelled in Lapis's defense. "Can you not be stuck in the past for once?!"

"Come on, Steven's just as stuck there like me, and yet I'm the bad guy here?" Black Rutile proclaimed. "Fine, now I'm the bad guy."

As the core Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, and Spinel began sobbing over how Steven's condition was their fault, Greg just kept on looking scared & shocked at Steven before Major General Grant stepped in front of him.

"Sir, it's best you leave the area at once." Wade informed Greg. "Black Rutile seems to be a massive threat to humankind, and we don't want any more casualties."

"NO!" Greg yelled at the major general. "Every time Gem stuff happens, I'm always told to stay out of it! But that's my son stuck in that monster because of her, but he also has every right to be angry because I didn't protect him!"

"You didn't protect him from us, though!" Blue Diamond cried. "He's like this because of us!"

"We're the reason Steven does nothing but suffer!" Yellow Diamond sniffled.

"Oh sure, you only now feel sorry for the lives you ruined because of some brat you barely know." Black Rutile rolled her eyes without a hint of sympathy for anyone. "You've all gone soft Diamonds, not just because of Steven, but Pink too."

"This is all my fault!" Spinel cried as she loudly blew her nose with her pigtails.

"Don't be silly Spinel, everyone is like this because of me!" White Diamond replied.

"No, it's because I let Black Rutile make me wipe his friends' memories!" Spinel corrected sadly. "I was just another toy for her to throw away while Steven was left dying on a barren world!"

"But that was because she took advantage of how Pink hurt you, and because of how we hurt Pink!" White continued. "Like how I hurt Yellow, Blue, Steven, and everyone else in this universe! It's all my fault!"

"So, this is how much of an effect Steven's had on everyone?" White Topaz gasped in realization.

"Yes, apparently so." Black Rutile answered her former bodyguard. "But enough about him, let's kill you!"

"Yes, it's all your fault!" Connie exclaimed, stopping the crying as she sat atop Lion as the sun began to shine again.

"Oh goody, Little Miss Silent Treatment once again declares herself superior to everyone." Aquamarine sighed.

"Yes, you all hurt him, but this is no longer about you guys!" Connie made a grand speech to everyone, while Black Rutile, Aquamarine, and Eyeball mockingly glared at her. "Maybe Steven would care about how sad you guys all are because he always puts everyone's feelings first!"

"Kind of like how he put himself above us all!" Eyeball jeered, but Connie paid her no attention.

"But he can't do that right now, because this time we have to return the favor!" Connie continued, angering Eyeball. "We all had Steven when we needed him the most, but the only person Steven never had was himself! He's always been there for us, so what can we do to be there for him now?"

"Wow, she really could fill your shoes one day." Theresa whispered to Eduardo, who responded with a sheepish grin and a giggle.

"I got an idea!" Black Rutile suggested by holding Pearl at swordpoint. "How about we get rid of all of Steven's abusers first?!"

"Like you?" Lars boldly retorted as he, Hessonite's crew, the Off-Colors, Sadie & Shep, and the Little Homeworlders revealed themselves to the remaining three rebels, saving Pearl from certain death. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, Squaridot had to get us up to speed."

"Lars!" Connie cried. "I don't know when you came back, but we need everyone's help!"

"She's right." Garnet said upon Ruby and Sapphire fusing again, materializing her shades with a wave of her hand before everyone turned to watch Steven wrestling with the Cluster. "And I know how."

"What do you mean Garnet?" Lemon Jade asked the fusion.

"We don't have any time to waste!" Garnet shouted. "Yellow, make me as big as a Diamond, now!"

"Understood." Yellow obliged.

"Blue, lift everyone up." Garnet then pointed to Blue.

"Of course." Blue replied.

"You got it." Greg declared.

"We'll stay behind to monitor your progress and call out advantage points." Wade declared.

"And Black Rutile is mine." Jasper declared. "It's all because of her I've been shattered, and it's time I returned the favor."

"But don't you need a little help?" White Topaz asked Jasper while thumbing over to the Lapides, Emerald, and the Garnets behind her as the Gems and humans left to deal with Steven.

"No, this is my battle alone." Jasper stated. "She'll probably try to get rid of all of you."

"So, shoving away others so you can fight your own battles?" Black Rutile smirked while turning her knife into a sword with a big blade that normal men would find too hard to carry. "In that case, allow me to send out my friends to fight mine."

"At last we meet Jasper." Eyeball declared as she stepped forward and pulled out her flaming chisel. "But I feared it would be like this."

"Do I know you?" Jasper raised an eyebrow at the Ruby who idolized her, who immediately broke down in tears at the thought of her hero not recognizing her.

"Weak." Aquamarine snarked and launched bubbles from her wings at Jasper, but they were quickly popped and the blue Gem was grabbed & tossed aside.

"I don't need either of you!" Jasper yelled at Black Rutile's remaining minions. "My real fight's with her."

"Well, took you long enough." Black Rutile said sadistically and charged at Jasper, and her sword clashed with the horns of the ultimate Quartz's crash helmet. Black Rutile then swung her sword at the beach house, causing Jasper to crash through the giant hole in the front hall and into the kitchen, destroying much of the area and creating a massive dent in the support beam above her.

Seeing an opportunity, Jasper grabbed the damaged support beam and decided to use it as a weapon against the Rutile, whacking it against Black Rutile's head as soon as she charged into the house. A few whacks later, however, Black Rutile sliced the beam in two and punched Jasper in the face. However, Jasper retaliated by grabbing the Rutile by the neck and tossing her through the roof into the conservatory.

As soon as Jasper jumped after her, Black Rutile responded by tackling Jasper and pushing her down into Steven's bedroom before pinning her against the wall.

"Playing dirty, aren't we?" Jasper purred with a grin. "Never realized someone so skinny could be so strong."

"I'm far stronger than you realize." Black Rutile boasted. "You may be the strongest Jasper there is after popping out of the ground, but I worked hard in all my thousands of years of living. Constant training, studying, and conquering to exceed White Diamond's expectations, and I have not let them go to waste at all!"

"Well, can all that training prepare you for this?!" Jasper roared, preparing a mighty slap that sent Black Rutile flying out of Steven's room, out of the nearly destroyed house, and onto the sand. Jasper smirked while looking out at her foe from the massive hole she had created and curled up into a ball to charge at her.

However, Black Rutile thought quickly and revealed one of her gadgets from her gem, a holographic shield device that defended her from Jasper's attack and sent her flying into the temple statue's face, leaving a big Jasper-shaped hole in the statue as Jasper fell and crashed into the conservatory.

"Had enough yet?" Black Rutile asked.

"Fire!" Private Eric commanded his troops to start pelting Black Rutile with energy blasts from their anti-Gem weapons, but they proved ineffective as the Rutile turned her shield to guard against the gunfire.

"Your human weapons are completely useless against me." Black Rutile coldly said. "Besides, you'll all die along with the rest of this pitiful planet anyhow."

"Quit hiding and fight me!" Jasper bellowed as she burst out of the conservatory and charged again, only this time Bluebird Azurite was there to block her.

"My Rutile!" Bluebird yelled while unleashing a massive bubble that exploded as soon as it hit Jasper, knocking her out and sending her flying to the sand. "You are finished, Jasper!"

"You know Jasper, I've come to realize that we aren't as different as either of us believed." Black Rutile mused while standing above Jasper with her sword pointing at the bigger Gem's gem. "We both refuse to move on, only you want to stay in the past while I want to create a better future for everyone."

"No, you're wrong." Jasper defied harshly. "You're no hero that wants what's best for everyone, you're completely insane!"

"I'm insane? I'M INSANE?!" Black Rutile yelled, becoming angry enough to prepare to stab Jasper in the gem and once again kill her. "YOU ABANDONED ME, YOU ABANDONED YOUR PEOPLE!"

"Yes, do it!" Bluebird cheered her master on.

"LOOK INTO MY EYES!" Black Rutile demanded with an utmost burning hatred for her soon-to-be deceased foe. However, Jasper refused to back down even when shattering was again a possibility, and braced herself for the release of death. At least until she had some unexpected help.

"NO!" White Topaz cried out, trapping Black Rutile in a bear hug from behind, tossing her aside and punching Bluebird away before helping Jasper up.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked the Topaz as she was lifted off the ground. "I thought I told you to stay out of this!" But when Jasper tried to let go of White Topaz's comforting grasp, she instead fell on the ground. "Why are you helping me regardless?" Jasper asked while propping herself up on her fist.

"Because we're friends now. You don't have to fight alone anymore." White Topaz smiled warmly and offered a helping hand, which Jasper finally accepted after much hesitation. "Now, let's end this together!"

"Oh look, how touching." Black Rutile jeered at the pair. "Looks like you found someone to replace me with, Topaz."

"Someone who'll be an actual friend too." White Topaz retorted. "And maybe something more, if you want Jasp."

"Wait, what?" Jasper did a double-take. "What did you just call me?"

"What, you don't like the nickname?" White Topaz giggled.

"No, I just-" Jasper stuttered awkwardly. "I mean, we're in for the fight of our lives, this isn't the time for being friends and giving each other cute nicknames Paz!"

"Aw, you even got me one!" White Topaz cooed and pinched Jasper's cheek, much to the latter's embarrassment.

"Um, I'm standing right here!" Black Rutile complained. "You're supposed to be fighting me!"

"For once, I agree with you." Jasper stated. "Topaz, we must fuse if we need to stand a chance against her!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, fusion already?" Paz exclaimed, looking back and forth between Black Rutile and Jasper. "Then again, it's the two of us against technically three Gems, so I don't see why not." With that, she extended her hand to Jasper. "May I have this dance?"

"Whatever." Jasper blushed, turning her gaze away from the Topaz while taking her hand and beginning a graceful waltz, much to their enemies' shock.

"They're actually doing it, aren't they?" Bluebird muttered as the two bigger Gems danced like they were a beauty and a beast in a ballroom.

"Looks like we must even the odds." Black Rutile deduced and began to make plans as Jasper and White Topaz's gems began glowing and they merged into a tall & muscular Gem wearing a wrestling singlet with grey and white diamond patterns on the chest, burgundy gloves with spiked fins coming out the sides & matching boots, wild yellow hair that seemed like a mix of the components' hairstyles, an orange mask with lighter orange stripes, and a visor over her eyes.

"So, what do we call ourselves?" the new fusion muttered, gazing at her massive, gloved hands. "Hm, how about Orange Moonstone? That seems pretty catchy."

"Well, two can play at that game!" Black Rutile proudly announced before saddling Bluebird on her back like giving a piggyback ride and the two merged into a large mass of light. The result was an equally tall four-armed & legged Gem with a slenderer frame, black skin with splotches of orange and brown, a brown bobcut, a short-sleeved black jacket with a high collar over a red and blue bodysuit, and liquid gold wings emerging from her back. "Bear witness to the majesty of Pietersite!"

"The only majesty I see is the majesty of kicking your butt once and for all!" Orange Moonstone gave a toothy smirk and motioned for Pietersite to bring it on. The other fusion gave no reply other than pulling out two swords from Black Rutile and Eyeball's gems, and she charged while shrieking loudly, forcing Orange Moonstone to do the same as well.

Meanwhile deep within Steven's mind, an equally great battle was taking place between Steven, Rose Quartz & Pink Diamond against Negative Steven in the hot pink mindscape that was once a sitcom setting. Although Steven and his mothers had their own natural abilities to use in battle, Negative Steven had an equally powerful weapon. Words.

"You keep Ronaldo around even though he's nothing but a brainless tool!" Negative Steven roared, flying around and firing laser beams from his mouth at the trio. "You condoned Sadie forcing herself onto Lars on that island!"

"Hang on Steven, I got you!" Pink cried as she generated bubbles from thin air to juggle and throw them at Negative Steven.

"It's because of you that your best friend suffered for thousands of years under White Diamond!" Negative Steven let out another laser roar aimed at Pink. "And you let her get replaced too!"

"It was an accident!" Pink yelled when Rose came in to defend her with her shield.

"Accidents happen, and we don't let them control our lives!" Rose declared.

"This coming from the Gem who allowed countless soldiers to die!" Negative Steven continued critiquing.

"Sheesh, he's doing nothing but yelling at us for our faults." Steven groaned in disgust. "Then again, he is my negative qualities taken form."

"And he can't seem to be stopped." Rose deduced. "Every attack we throw at him, he hits back harder with an insult at our expense."

"If only there was someone who could give us some inspiring words to back us up!" Steven exclaimed.

"I know what you want to do Steven, saying it out loud won't help at all." Negative Steven growled and prepared to fire another laser from his mouth. "Now all three of you, hold still."

"Yes, you all hurt him, but this is no longer about you guys!" Connie's voice echoed throughout the mindscape for everyone inside it to hear. "Maybe Steven would care about how sad you guys all are because he always puts everyone's feelings first!"

"That's Connie!" Steven yelled elatedly.

"A friend of yours?" Pink asked coyly.

"The best!" Steven replied.

"Oh great, her." Negative Steven groaned. "Does she believe everything will go her way by just talking?"

"Isn't that what you've been doing?" Rose said. "Thinking we'll just bow down because you do nothing but complain about us?"

"I do not complain!" Negative Steven roared angrily. "You are horribly toxic, there is no changing that! But once I take control, I shall reveal you for what you believe yourself to be!"

"But he can't do that right now, because this time we have to return the favor!" Connie continued her speech from the outside. "We all had Steven when we needed him the most, but the only person Steven never had was himself! He's always been there for us, so what can we do to be there for him now?"

"The hope, the kind gesture, it's so sickening!" Negative Steven began trembling and fell to the ground. "Everyone is supposed to be against you! How is this even possible?!"

"Because even in the darkest of times, there's always be a light that will never go out!" Steven declared triumphantly with Rose and Pink behind him as their gems began to glow in sync.

"The darkness inside may be strong," Rose added. "but with at least one true friend by your side in the bleakest of times."

"You can pull through anything!" Pink concluded before the trio merged into light, which turned Steven into a taller version of himself with long, bright pink hair, a shining white jacket, his old pink shirt, and a glimmering pink aura.

"So, this is what you abruptly decided the end to be, light versus darkness?" Negative Steven scowled. "I don't see why not, but I hope you realize that everything that happens from this point will seal your fate. If you win, you shall be free to earn your happily ever after. Otherwise, you shall perish, and I shall take control at last."

"Let's go." Ultimate Steven, the fusion of Steven and both sides of his mother, replied before condensing his aura into an energy blast that clashed with Negative Steven's roar.

Going back to the waking world, the epic clash between Orange Moonstone and Pietersite was in full swing. The two fusions fought violently above Beach City, bouncing between the sky and the town and causing mass destruction in their wake. Thankfully, the townsfolk were safely watching the brawl from a very safe distance while Lawrence Abrams frantically commentated on the battle in a report that could be seen from all over.

With a single double ax-hand, Pietersite was slammed into Dewey Park, the resulting impact turning the area into a massive crater with debris flying everywhere.

"Blast you!" Pietersite yelled as soon as Orange Moonstone touched down, and dashed forwards with her swords drawn, but the other fusion fought back by summoning boxing gloves to punch her in the face.

"RAAAAAAAAGH!" Orange Moonstone shrieked while punching Pietersite in the face multiple times at rapid speeds, so fast that her arms seemingly vanished into thin air. "What's the matter, not going to fight back?!"

"Don't get cocky!" Pietersite grinned before she suddenly zoomed away and reappeared behind her more muscular opponent, followed by grabbing her by the hair and swinging her around in a circle before letting go, making Orange Moonstone fly towards the water tower. Once she crashed right into it, the structure began to tip over before falling on top of the Crab Shack, destroying the restaurant.

Orange Moonstone's hand burst from the wreckage and pulled herself out before making a mad dash back to Beach City, stopping at the rooftop of the Big Donut.

"I'm not one to back down so easily!" Orange Moonstone grinned, ripping the donut shop's namesake sign from its stand and heaving it at Pietersite's direction. Unfortunately, Pietersite sliced it in half and grabbed Orange Moonstone by her face, picking up the bigger fusion and pushing her towards the Funland Ferris wheel, slamming her back into the attraction and causing it to tip over into the ocean.

"Now fall!" the thinner fusion loudly commanded, letting go of Orange Moonstone's face and dropping her into the water after the Ferris wheel.

As the carnage continued in town, Laz, Zuli, Emerald, Demantoid, and Pyrope watched the battle nervously, unsure of whether to obey Jasper or step in and help.

Back in Steven's mind, Ultimate Steven's fight with Negative Steven has become far more brutal than Steven would've wanted it to be. Ultimate Steven kept on punching Negative Steven in the face, pulling at his wings, smashing him through houses, and causing him much pain.

Likewise, Negative Steven kept taking big bites out of Ultimate Steven, pulling his arms, firing more lasers from his mouth, and throwing more bad memories at his opponent's way.

"This could've been different Steven." Negative Steven declared. "I could've been the devil on your shoulder you needed so much, one to tell you what's wrong, but you just couldn't listen because you're such a pacifist baby!"

"Stop calling me that!" Ultimate Steven cried and pinned his darker self to the ground. "Stop acting like a child!"

"One of the things I embody is your childishness, what's your excuse?" Negative Steven inquired, struggling to break free from Ultimate Steven's grasp. "Besides, the way you're fighting me right now, it's perfectly unlike you! You refuse to fight, yet here you are beating me senseless!"

"Wait, really?" Ultimate Steven exclaimed before looking down at his free hand, contemplating how violent this battle had made him, but then he made a realization. "No, this is all your doing. You and Black Rutile kept driving me mad, and I always let you guys control me. It's time I be the bigger man."

"Meaning?" Negative Steven raised an eyebrow.

"Here, let me show you something you and I should both remember." Ultimate Steven replied and conjured up a new memory to show his evil half.

"About time we finally got this opened." Amethyst exclaimed while helping Steven move a treasure chest from out of Lion's mane into the living room. "Feels good to tie up this loose end at last."

"But what could be inside?" Steven wondered, setting the chest on the floor.

"That's for you to find out Steven." Pearl answered before producing a skeleton key from her gem. "And who would've guessed this key was hiding under the floorboards this entire time?"

"Well, this is it." Garnet declared, handing Steven the key. "Open it."

Steven nodded awkwardly and inserted the key into the lock, turning it and pushing the top part open. But when the Crystal Gems expected something important to Rose that she left behind for Steven to discover, they instead found nothing.

"That's it?!" Amethyst complained. "There's nothing here?! All that theorizing over the past few days meant complete jack!"

"Have to say, quite a subversion of expectations." Garnet smirked, coolly adjusting her shades.

"Then why would Rose leave an empty chest in Lion's mane for so many years?" Pearl wondered aloud.

"Maybe it's supposed to be symbolic or something." Steven theorized. "Like, the real treasure is me and how much I've grown up until now! Like, I'm the secret ingredient in the secret ingredient soup!"

"Not sure what soup has to do with this, but I agree." Pearl stated and gently stroked Steven's face. "You've grown so much since we first met you. And I'm sure Rose would've been so proud too."

"Thanks, Pearl." Steven replied, giving Pearl a hug before she hugged back, followed by Garnet and Amethyst joining in.

In the present day, the Steven monster began charging at the battle between Orange Moonstone and Pietersite, and he would've caused even more destruction to Beach City than the fusions were had Lapis not stepped in.

"Sorry Steven, I need you to stay here!" Lapis cried while summoning a wave to splash the pink beast with to keep him distracted while everyone else ran towards him.

"STEVEN!" Connie screamed, riding atop Lion while Peridot flew on Bismuth's back, Greg, Pearl, Amethyst, Lars, Sadie, Shep, Volleyball, the Off-Colors, Hessonite, Squaridot, Citrine & the former corrupted Gems rode on one of Blue Diamond's clouds, Spinel saddled on Yellow's shoulder as the Diamonds ran behind the group, Eduardo, Wade & Theresa were on a helicopter, and Garnet led the way.

"STEVEN!" the Diamonds added.

"STEVEN!" the Crystal Gems roared before Garnet leaped into the air, revealing that she was now the size of a Diamond.

"STEVEN!" Garnet boomed, taking the monster by surprise as she dropped down and gave him the tightest hug she could offer. "Steven, when I fell apart, you were there to put me back together." She soothingly reminded Steven, recalling when he first met Ruby and Sapphire on the hand ship. "I'm here Steven. We're all here."

"It's working, he can hear us?!" a teary-eyed Lapis cried and began joining the hug. "STEVEN!"

"I can't believe it, it's working!" Eduardo yelled eagerly, watching everyone else join the biggest group hug he had ever seen.

"Those Gems really are something else." Wade grinned.

"That's probably the second biggest hug I've ever seen." Theresa added. "Hey, you're all doing great you guys!"

"I'm here Schtuball, and I'm sorry for making you mad the other day!" Greg apologized while clinging to Steven. "Whatever you need, I'll do it! You hear me?!"

"Steven!" Peridot added. "You never gave up on me when I felt guilty for getting you kidnapped, among other reasons that I don't understand, and now let me do the same for you!"

"I know you feel bad, dude!" Amethyst began crying. "Believe me, I get it! Sometimes you'll just never be able to like yourself, but it's still possible man!"

"You saved us, and now we'll do the same!" Teal Zircon exclaimed, struggling to keep her balance as the corrupted Gems held onto Steven's stomach.

"Hey Steven, you can hear me, right?" Lars cried out. "I just wanna say thank you for helping me become my best self!"

"Ditto!" Sadie smiled.

"I already helped you during that dome incident, and I'm more than happy to do it again!" Shep grinned.

"I just wanna say Steven," Volleyball said. "getting the help I needed to get over Pink meant everything to me. But now, let me do the same for you."

"Us too!" the Off-Colors cried.

"We are going to save Steven!" Padparadscha Sapphire declared merrily.

"And me!" Citrine exclaimed.

"Steven, I know it's awful to keep secrets for so long to the point that it'll start hurting others!" Pearl began tearing up. "You didn't want me to hide anything from you, so now you don't have to hide anything from us any longer!"

Soon, even the Cluster began to reach out and take Steven's hand.

Pietersite shrieked like an animal as she tossed a car at Orange Moonstone, only for the vehicle to be punched in half by the other fusion's sheer strength alone.

"I won't let you destroy everything you touch!" Orange Moonstone roared as her fists locked with Pietersite's.

"Fat chance, because everything I destroy is nothing more than food for my hunger!" Pietersite yelled back. "My hunger for unlimited power!"

Just then, two silhouettes were cast over the warring fusions, and they turned to discover the Lapis twins controlling massive water figures much like the one Lapis nearly used against them on Aozul 2, while Emerald and the Garnets stood below them with weapons at the ready.

"Filthy traitors!" Pietersite snarled. "How could you turn against me at a time like this?!"

"Because you left us to get poofed back during the invasion!" Emerald said while summoning a spiked club from her gem. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I'd rather stay on Earth than go back to working for a depraved maniac who'd throw out her minions without hesitation!"

"You may believe we have been brainwashed as you feared, but this planet does have its positives." Pyrope snidely declared with her face behind a fan.

"Like for one, protecting it from the likes of you." Demantoid added, jitte in hand. "Now Lapises!"

"Right!" Laz and Zuli exclaimed before throwing their tridents down at Pietersite, and they would've come close to poofing her had Pietersite not cut the tridents to pieces before throwing her swords at the terraformers, stabbing and poofing them.

"Oh no!" Demantoid yelped as the Lapides' gems fell into her hands. "I'll admit, I should've planned this better." Unfortunately, Demantoid didn't have time to say anything else before she got poofed as well.

"Demantoid!" Emerald and Pyrope yelled when they were suddenly decapitated, causing them to be reduced to just their gems as well.

"Once I am finished, I shall rip your gems apart!" Pietersite boomed, picking up Emerald's gem, and was about to crush it in her hands, but she forgot one thing. Turning back with gritted teeth in frothing rage, Pietersite only had a few seconds to react by pulling out her swords once again before Orange Moonstone picked her up and sent her flying into the air before jumping after her.

"Why do you fight for a planet that has brought you nothing but pain?" Pietersite asked, gaining some momentum by flapping her wings while firing bubbles from her gold wings to knock Orange Moonstone down, but to no avail.

"Because this is Pink Diamond's planet!" Orange Moonstone replied, stealing Pietersite's swords from her hands and stabbing her in the head. "And you have no place on it!" With a mighty, bestial roar, Orange Moonstone slowly cut Pietersite down the middle with her own swords, only stopping at Black Rutile's gem before grabbing her by where she cut and ripping her in two, causing her three components to un-fuse and fall to the sand.

"We did it." Orange Moonstone gasped and slowly fell to the ground, un-fusing back into Jasper and White Topaz as soon as she hit the ground.

"We did it?" White Topaz asked, turning her head to the panting Jasper.

"Yeah, we did it." Jasper grinned triumphantly, happy that Black Rutile was finally defeated once and for all. And all that was left was to save Steven.

"We're doing great here folks!" Theresa declared, watching the big group hug take place. "But what could be missing?"

"I think I know." Wade answered. "Connie, now!"

On that note, Lion jumped through one of his portals and Connie leaped upon Steven's nose to give him some kind words of her own. "Steven, you must've been so afraid to show us this side of yourself." She sighed. "But we're not going anywhere, we're all going to take care of you the same way you took care of all of us. I don't have your powers, but…"

Connie then gave Steven a kiss.

A pink tear suddenly appeared near Ultimate and Negative Steven during their fight, shocking one but empowering the other.

"What?" Negative Steven gasped in surprise before Ultimate Steven touched his darker counterpart's chest, launching a pink blast that destroyed his monster form and returned him to normal.

"There, now will you leave us alone?" Ultimate Steven declared before un-fusing into Steven, Pink, and Rose.

"It seems I might've been wrong." Negative Steven realized solemnly. "Nobody is truly beyond redemption. Seeing the ones I have demonized so much come to your aid in your darkest hour made me realize that yes, you are still loved no matter what." With a defeated smile, Negative Steven began fading away back into his dominant self's subconscious. "Farewell, Steven Universe. Seems I am no longer needed anymore."

With Negative Steven's disappearance, so too did the dream world begin fading away, Pink and Rose slowly joining the rest of the mindscape's inhabitants.

"Well Steven, it's time to wake up." Rose said to her son. "Anything you want to say?

"Yeah." Steven declared. "I'm going to tell them everything, especially about what happened here. Which reminds me, am I actually seeing you, or are you just more creations by my subconscious?"

The two Gems shrugged at each other before turning back to Steven.

"That's for you to decide," Pink answered, giving Steven a coy wink. "But I know one thing that's real." She then cleared her throat and began to sing. "If I could begin to be half of what you think of me, I could do about anything. I could even learn to love like you."

"That song!" Steven gasped.

"Yes, I specifically wanted Greg to sing you that as a baby once I passed on." Rose revealed before she started singing as well. "When I see the way you act, wondering when I'm coming back. I could do about anything; I could even learn how to love like you. Love like you."

"I always thought I might be bad, now I'm sure that it's true," Steven joined his mothers on the lullaby. "Because I thought you were so good, and I'm nothing like you."

"But look at you go, we just adore you. We wish that we knew," the two manifestations of Steven's mother harmonized while hugging their son. "What made you think we're so special."

"If I could begin to do something that goes right by you," Rose stated before she began to fade in full. "I would do about anything, I could even learn how to love."

"When I see the way you look, shaken by how long it took," Pink added. "I could do about anything, I could even learn how to love like you."

"Love like you." The two sides of Pink Diamond finished their part of the lullaby as they completely disappeared, leaving Steven alone.

"Love me like you." Steven said, bursting into tears as the world around him began to fade into white.

"Huh?" Steven muttered as he slowly opened his eyes, finding himself rusting on the Cluster's hand, wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by all his friends and family, absolutely relieved that the crisis is over and he's finally safe. "W-what happened? Did I hurt any of you?" he stuttered. "I'm so sorry."

However, Steven's worries were quickly quelled as Lion walked up and began licking his face. "Lion!" Steven laughed while tightly hugging the big cat. "Lion!"

Steven's joyous laughter at seeing everyone again didn't last long, as the laughing quickly turned into tears as every last bit of his emotions started pouring out with each sob. He had a lot to talk about and was more than happy to do so. But first, Steven needed a good, long cry.

Chapter Text

Steven Universe: Alternate Future

Part 4, Chapter 8: The Future

"Oh, everything hurts." Black Rutile groaned as she woke up lying splayed out in the sand, freshly defeated once and for all. "What happened? The last thing I remember was that other fusion tearing me in half." Her eyes widening in realization, the Rutile scrambled to search for her two remaining comrades in the sand. "Aquamarine, Ruby, where are you two?!"

However, all Black Rutile was able to find were their inactive gemstones, leaving her the official last surviving member of the Rutile Rebels. "Wake up you idiots, your master demands it!" Black Rutile yelled, shaking the gems together in her hands. "Please, we have to flee immediately before the Diamonds-"

"Before the Diamonds what?" White Diamond boomed as Black Rutile discovered her massive shadow emerging from behind and turning to discover the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, Hessonite's team, Lars and the Off-Colors, the Little Homeworlders, Spinel & friends, and the Gems' Earth friends all looking down on her. And none of them were happy in the slightest.

"Look at yourself Black Rutile, all alone with no one to back up your lies." White sneered.

"I thought she was your best soldier." Yellow Diamond responded. "Frankly White, and no offense, you have horrible taste."

"How pathetic." Blue calmly jeered.

"Horrible taste, pathetic?!" Black Rutile screeched angrily. "I have been training my entire existence to be the best servant I can be and this is how I'm treated?! I only wanted to make Homeworld a better place!"

"For you." Steven stoically objected to Black Rutile's claims as Blue lowered him to the ground. "You only wanted to make Homeworld a better place for you."

"You!" Black Rutile shouted at Steven, tossing the gems of her two flunkies away and marching towards her. "This is all your fault! I've lost everything, my armies, my bodyguard, my status! And you took everything away from me!" In a fit of rage, Black Rutile then tackled Steven and began fruitlessly slapping at him, but the boy barely reacted in comparison to his archnemesis's pathetic flailing and crying until he summoned his shield to push her away, the shield now looking like it always did.

"Please, just stop," Steven ordered the Rutile. "You've already humiliated yourself enough, and I don't even know what happened here." He continued, looking at the damage done to Beach City from Pietersite and Orange Moonstone's fight, catching Jasper & White Topaz gathering up the poofed gems of the Lapides, Garnets, and Emerald, before turning back to Black Rutile. "If you think you can still stop me, then you need to think again. We both refuse to grow up and move on, but I'm far more mature about it than you'll ever be, and more loved too. Heck, I even finally forgiven my mom while I was a monster!"

"You, mature?" Black Rutile mused before letting out a croaking laugh. "Let's not forget how you love shoving your stupid ideals down everyone's throat and go ballistic at the slightest hint of others thinking differently than you!"

"Again, just like you." Steven declared. "So tell me, why do you keep antagonizing me?"

"I wanted you to hurt, to witness everything you've ever worked, fought, and hoped for die." Black Rutile replied before beginning another rant. "I had a dream! A dream of a perfect society ruled by actions, not words! Ruled by strength, not compassion! Where power is in the hands of those that truly earned it, not those who think peace and love should be forced onto everything while those who object are punished! You and your empire are diseased, rotten to the core, and I selected myself as the cure!"

"And some cure you turned out to be!" Jasper barked as she and White Topaz approached the Crystal Gems with their bubbled saviors in hand.

"It's okay guys, no one can hurt you anymore." White Topaz whispered to the bubbled gems while gently stroking the bubble they were contained in before glaring at Black Rutile. "So, how does it feel to be proven horribly wrong?"

"Don't you dare side with them you mongrel!" Black Rutile snapped at her former sidekick. "So, what do you all plan to do with me?"

"I say we keep her bubbled." Garnet stoically suggested.

"Nah, bubbling is a little too light for a psycho like her." Bismuth replied. "I say we just shatter her and show her how she made us feel!"

"Now now everyone, we don't want to vindicate her." Pearl stated when she got an idea. "How about we force her into Little Homeschool?"

"What, you want me to enroll in that kindergarten and live your warped view of happily ever after?!" Black Rutile exclaimed fearfully and dropped to her knees in desperation. "Please my Diamonds, give me another chance! I can even instantaneously forget all the horrible things I did to you all to prove I can change!"

"No, you won't ever get off easy." Connie boldly rejected the Rutile's pleas.

"Well, what is almost everyone here still doing?!" Black Rutile asked. "It's all because of them that Steven is suffering and they all get away with it, but I'm the bad one here?!"

"I think that's enough out of you," Jasper stated as she grabbed Black Rutile by the neck. "So Paz, care to do the honors?"

"With pleasure." White Topaz beamed and summoned her brass knuckle gauntlet.

"Come on Topaz, you wouldn't hurt your bestest friend ever, right?" Black Rutile asked with a sheepish grin as she struggled to break out of Jasper's grasp, but her begging fell on deaf ears.

"How many times do I have to tell you this?" White Topaz responded. "You're a bad friend."

And with a single punch to Black Rutile's gem, her reign of terror ended at long last. Jasper opened her fist to reveal the evil Gem's gem in her palm and encased it with an orange bubble.

A few months later, Beach City was in the middle of a slow recovery process. Repairs and reconstructions were made to the parts of town destroyed during the battle. The Crab Shack was completely remodeled, the water tower was rebuilt, the Big Donut had a new sign, Funland was closed for repairs, but the biggest change was that Dewey Park was now known as Crystal Park. In place of the statue of ex-Mayor Dewey, a statue of Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven was built to honor the heroics of the Crystal Gems. The beach house was also undergoing reconstruction, with the face of the Obsidian statue now resembling its current incarnation.

Outside the beach house, a now cured Steven pushed play on a stereo and began to do some stress-relieving exercises while thinking back to the immediate aftermath of Black Rutile's downfall.

"So all this happened while I was turned into that monster?" Steven asked the Crystal Gems as soon as he was brought home and got a fresh change of clothes.

"Yeah, you should've been there!" Peridot exclaimed. "We were all wham bam shang-a-lang, meanwhile Jasper and White Topaz were like boom, pow, slam!"

"That reminds me, hey, I'm White Topaz." White Topaz introduced herself to Steven. "You may remember me as one of the Gems that tried to kill you, but then I changed my ways."

"Some things just never change." Steven grinned and shook the Topaz's hand. "Welcome to Earth, you're gonna love it here."

Outside, Jasper relaxed on the roof she had bashed holes in, gazing up at the sky in contemplation of what to do with her life now. The Earth and her Diamond were safe once again, but what was left for her to do?

"So, where are you gonna go after this?" Lapis asked Jasper, flying up and lying down next to her. "I'm going to assume you'll keep on sulking in that cave, right?"

"You know, I'm not sure." Jasper replied pensively. "I finally got a good fight, but then what? The Diamonds are no longer in power, so I doubt they'll be needing my services at the moment." She then turned to gaze at the Diamonds as they helped Steven get caught up. "Maybe I could leave Earth and go find myself on another planet somewhere."

"Or you could stay here and finally come to Little Homeschool." Lapis suggested. "Next time something this big happens, the students are gonna need to learn how to fight. What do you say?"

Jasper took a little time to think. On one hand, she definitely needed to take a load off after fighting for her life against Black Rutile and her subordinates. But on the other, she had continuously rejected invitations to Little Homeschool time and time again. However, this time she decided to change her mind at last.

"Okay, you win. I'll come." Jasper declared, turning over on her side to face Lapis. "But we'll need to set some ground rules first. First, no begging for me when I'm not interested. Second, my space is my space, make no mistake. And third, I think I might need some help getting over this whole Pink business."

"Okay, we'll be here for you when you need it." Lapis said and held out her fist.

"Are you trying to punch me?" Jasper asked, not understanding that Lapis wanted to fistbump her.

"It's called a fistbump." Lapis explained. "Kind of like a handshake, but you know, with fists. You know you love your fists."

"That's true." Jasper replied and returned the fistbump.

Downstairs meanwhile, Steven had just been caught up on everything that happened while he was in his monster form. But now he had no choice but to say his piece in return.

"So Steven, were you really in control of yourself while we tried to save you?" Amethyst asked.

"I don't think so," Steven replied. "This, like, evil side of me took control and forced me into this creepy sitcom world in my head where I was a normal human, and you guys were too."

"Wait, a sitcom?" Pearl wondered. "Why is that?"

"That's a pretty loaded question, but I'll just keep it brief." Steven responded sadly. "It was because of what I said to Dad on our road trip, about how I wished I was human in a world where the Gems never existed, and I even saw my mom in there too. Both Rose Quartz AND Pink Diamond."

"WHAT?!" the Crystal Gems, Connie, Greg, White Topaz, Lars, the Off-Colors, the Diamonds, Spinel's gang, and the President all cried out.

"Steven, is this true?" Yellow asked.

"This is because of all of us, isn't it?" Spinel added.

"Yeah, pretty much." Steven looked down at his feet in regret. "I've said some pretty nasty things these past few months, but I think that was where I crossed the line."

"Well, you know what?" Greg stated. "It's about time we get you a therapist."

"Excellent idea good sir." President Suarez agreed. "This boy has suffered so much for someone his age. Anybody younger would've completely cracked!"

"Already got some state doctors on the horn." Vice-President Maxwell stated as she started talking on her phone. "M'yello? Oh Lily, so good to hear from you again! How's the kid's transition going?"

"No, I don't think any big government shrinks will be needed here." Connie declared. "I think I know just the person to help out."

Not too long after, Steven was now sitting in the waiting room of a psychologist's office, where other people who had no doubt suffered similar conditions to his. Scared children nervously holding onto their parents, traumatized adults reading newspapers & magazines, and senior citizens gently fiddling with their hands all waiting for their appointments, and Steven was no different.

"So, what are you in for?" an older man with a long, stitched-up scar going across his face, an orange vest with black stripes, and some gold rings on his fingers, asked Steven.

"I was a monster for a little bit, along with tons of other problems." Steven replied. "What about you?"

"We all feel like a monster at some point in our lives." The man sagely stated. "Me? I just saw some things I wished I'd never see again. In fact, you want to know how I got this scar?"

"I don't know, but it looks pretty bad." Steven mused about the scar.

"Big pile-up a few years back." The man revealed. "I was lucky to get out alive, but now I can't get stuck in traffic without getting paranoid." He then pulled out a box of cigarettes and offered one to Steven. "Want one?"

"Sorry, but I'm almost seventeen, sir." Steven kindly rejected the offer. "Plus, you know this is a no-smoking zone, right?"

"Sorry 'bout that." The man awkwardly replied and put the cigarettes away.

"What about the rest of you?" Steven asked the other patients. "Why are you all here?"

"I just got out of divorcing my abusive husband." A mother answered. "He kept picking on my little one like one of those fratboys in the movies, and the pain still lingers."

"Me? I'm just worried I'm gonna die alone and no one will remember me." An elderly gentleman stated.

"And you said you felt like a monster?" the mother asked.

"Well, I literally turned into one." Steven stated. "Pretty sure it was all over the news, and it made the government arrest my family after they were manipulated by a psychopath who's been plotting to destroy me."

"You're kidding, right?" the pile-up victim asked. "You're telling me you actually turned into a giant monster? How is that even possible?"

"That is a long story." Steven answered just as the door opened.

"Mr. Universe?" a doctor's assistant asked for Steven, who then got up off his seat and walked towards him. "Dr. Rebecca will see you now."

"Thanks, mister." Steven nodded before turning back to the other patients. "I'll be back to tell you more!"

"Don't be a stranger." The old man grinned while Steven was led to his new therapist.

"So, what is a therapist like?" Steven asked the man as he was led through a hallway of many doors.

"Well, a therapist is someone you can talk to about your problems, what's been eating you, and all that." The assistant said. "They in exchange offer some helpful advice and train you to become more well-adjusted."

"Kind of like how I was." Steven compared himself to the idea of therapy when the two arrived at a door with a plaque reading "DR. REBECCA SUCROSE" on it, and the assistant knocked.

"I'm coming." a woman's voice called and opened the door, revealing that she wore glasses and had her hair shaved on both sides of her head while the top was very curly. "Oh, you must be the boy Priyanka and her kid told me about. I'm Dr. Rebecca Sucrose, and I'll be your psychologist for today."

"You're gonna love her, she's really dang good." The assistant gave a thumbs up before leaving Steven to be shown into Dr. Sucrose's office. The office gave Steven the vibes of a gentle woman who was always willing to lend an ear, and he could also see pictures of the doctor with a ukulele much like his own, getting married to a black man, and spending time with a brother that looked a bit like him for some weird reason.

"So, Steven was it?" Rebecca said as she sat down on an office chair. "As I said, my old friend Priyanka recommended me to you at the suggestion of her daughter and your friends. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"Okay, but I think you're gonna need to hang on because things get a little weird." Steven stated sitting across from his new therapist as he began his story. "You see, my mom is actually an alien matriarch from another galaxy from a race of gem-based lifeforms who have been colonizing worlds across the universe, but she didn't want to because of how much she valued organic life which earned her scorn from her fellow matriarchs and some subordinates. Eventually, after a lot of whining, she was given her own colony, which happened to be Earth. My mom then grew attached to the planet enough to fake her death and take up a new identity as a freedom fighter who was framed as the one who killed her-"

"Whoa, slow down!" Rebecca exclaimed, stopping Steven's story in its tracks. "Gosh Becky, you really found an award-worthy patient today." She whispered to herself before going back to Steven. "Sorry for interrupting you, I just wanted to know about you. Not your mom or the alien race she fought against. Just you, and that's that."

"Just me?" Steven muttered. "Well, alright. I live in Beach City with my friends the Crystal Gems, who are alien warriors that fought to protect the Earth thousands of years ago. My mom died giving birth to me, as in she gave up her physical form to give birth to me, and I grew up never actually knowing her outside of everyone telling me she was so amazing."

"Mother issues, got it." Dr. Sucrose responded while writing down in her notepad. "What else?"

"Well, not too long ago, I learned that she shattered one of the leaders of their people known as the Diamonds, but then it turned out she was a Diamond herself." Steven continued. "You still following this?"

"Always will be." Rebecca said, continuing to write.

"Anyways, I was then forced to clean up all the messes my mom made in addition to helping my friends," Steven said. "Stuff like trying to help her servant fix her eye, convincing her former playmate to not destroy Earth, and trying to make peace with the other Diamonds even when they tried to kill me."

"So in other words, she forced all this onto you?" Rebecca asked.

"Kind of, but it wasn't what she wanted." Steven said. "She told me this herself, she didn't want to cause all this trouble but had no other choice for the good of Earth."

"Wait, I thought you said your mother was dead?" Rebecca asked.

"That is another long story." Steven declared.

As Steven continued exercising, he suddenly heard Lion roaring as the undead big cat emerged from one of his portals with Connie on his back. "Morning Steven." Connie greeted. "One last routine before hitting the road?"

"Yeah, I'll be sitting a while." Steven answered and turned off his stereo before going into the beach house with Connie

"Any updates on Black Rutile?" Connie asked as she pulled out a map and her laptop.

"She still believes being forcibly enrolled in Little Homeschool is a fate worse than shattering, but she hasn't posed that much danger since we defeated her." Steven answered while the two walked up to his bedroom. Steven took the map from Connie's hands and began examining it on his bedsheets while Connie began typing on her laptop and Lion rested next to them.

"I'll be in Charm City for Sadie & Shep's concert, then I'll meet up with you and Lion at Providence Island while you're touring schools, and then I'll catch up with Lars on our weekly space hangout." Steven explained to his best friend. "After that, I think I'll go and see Beckham Jordan again at Empire City to shoot a few hoops together with the local kids."

"I'll add them all to your Boogle Maps doc." Connie declared. "So, how is everyone taking the news?"

"Well, I told everyone in town, plus my dad, and they're all bummed to see me go but still wish me the best." Steven answered. "Now all that's left is to tell the Gems."

"You mean you haven't told them yet?!" Connie exclaimed. "Steven, you have to! Besides, didn't that evil inner self call you out for keeping secrets from everyone?"

"I know, but I just have no idea how they'll take it." Steven sighed. "Everyone's been so protective of me these past few months since my meltdown, now I wonder if there's a way I can let them down easy."

"Like Rebecca said, you should start putting yourself first for a change." Connie responded, looking back on how Steven got the idea to begin with.

"So, I think I can come to a conclusion here." Dr. Sucrose said to Steven. "The monster attacks, the disappearance of the ocean, the repeated invasions, that Cluster thing, and the monster meltdown all happened somewhere around Beach City, correct?"

"Yep, and that's not even accounting for what happened off-world." Steven nodded. "What are you saying by that?"

"Well, I think maybe it's time to perhaps see the world outside Beach City." Rebecca revealed. "You ever gone traveling before, on Earth to be precise?"

"Yeah, I've been to a few places." Steven said. "I been to Korea to learn more about my mom, I went to Empire City a few times, Keystone, Ocean Town, just places pretty close to home."

"Well, what I suggest is that maybe you should start going outside your comfort zone, maybe take a trip of the country to find yourself." Rebecca replied. "Make new experiences."

Steven's face started looking nervous and he shifted in his seat. On one hand, he couldn't bear to leave everyone in Beach City behind after all he's done for them and vice versa. But on the other hand, he's done enough putting others before himself and being a shoulder for everyone to cry on.

"Are you okay, you need to take a break?" the therapist asked Steven. "Was it something I said?"

"No, you're fine, I just," Steven stuttered before taking a deep breath. "I just can't decide what to do here. I mean, while a lot of bad stuff has happened to me in Beach City, that shouldn't ever outweigh all the good stuff either. Maybe I need some time to think."

"Okay, give it some thought and we can talk about it again." Rebecca said. "Same time next week?"

"Sure, same time next week." Steven nodded and shook his psychologist's hand. "Thanks, doc."

"Please, just call me Rebecca." The doctor said.

Back in the present after Connie decided to leave, Steven sat patiently at the kitchen table and faced the Warp Pad, waiting for the Crystal Gems to return. He had a special surprise waiting in a cooler sitting next to him on the table, and he was eager to show the Gems.

"Man, zipping Black Rutile's lips will always make me smile!" Amethyst sighed as the Gems returned from the Warp Pad. "Oh, hey Steven."

"Were you waiting for us?" Pearl asked the boy.

"I sure was." Steven announced, opening the cooler to reveal his favorite dessert inside, Cookie Cats.

"Whoa, Cookie Cat!" Amethyst gasped and ran over to grab one for herself.

"I thought they stopped making those." Pearl grinned nostalgically at the frozen treats.

"They still did, but now I made my own." Steven explained, holding up a deformed-looking Cookie Cat to demonstrate. "You can kinda tell."

"You still gave it your best shot." Garnet smiled and took one out of the cooler to eat. "They're still delicious nonetheless."

"Mmm-mmm!" Amethyst moaned in delight after chomping down on hers.

Pearl meanwhile took a very small bite out of the ice cream bar's ear. Amazingly, she liked it. "Scrumptious!"

"Oh man, these take me back!" Amethyst exclaimed. "Back when you were just the plucky sidekick whose biggest issue was not being able to get a Cookie Cat. Hey, remember the song?"

"Yeah, those were the days, huh?" Steven replied. "Maybe we should sing it again."

"If I may." Pearl declared and cleared her throat before beginning to rap. "OOOOHHHH, he's a frozen treat with an all-new taste!"

"'Cause he came to this planet from outer space!" Amethyst added, copying Pearl's dorky dancing.

"A refugee of an interstellar war." Garnet performed her solo.

"But now he's at your local grocery store!" Pearl yelled excitedly.

"COOKIE CAT!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"He's a pet for your tummy!" Pearl sang.

"COOKIE CAT!" Amethyst continued.

"He's super duper yummy!" Pearl continued while rubbing her stomach.

"COOKIE CAT!" Amethyst yelled.

"He left his family behind." Garnet deadpanned.

"You're right, he did leave his family behind." Steven declared proudly.

"Hey, that's not how it goes!" Amethyst complained. "Speaking of which, you ever noticed how eerie it is that the Cookie Cat song lines up with Pink?"

"I think Cookie Cat ran out of ways to grow on his home planet." Steven mused, gazing at his Cookie Cat. "And even though it was hard, and he suffered a lot of struggles home, and he loved his family so so much, he decided that maybe it was time to start moving forward."

"And this has to do with ice cream because?" Amethyst asked with eyelids lowered, a way for Steven to know it was finally time.

"Everybody, I've got an announcement to make." Steven declared. "I'm gonna move out!" The Gems gasped in shock at the boy's decision, but they let him explain himself anyways. "I have a very comprehensive plan to visit the entire country before deciding where to settle down, and I can still video chat with Dr. Rebecca while hitting the road. Don't you try to stop me this time!"

"We won't talk you out of this," Pearl said. "but that leaves the question of when you're gonna leave."

"Tomorrow, I guess." Steven replied nervously.

"Oh, so soon!" Pearl exclaimed. "Well, all human adolescents have to become more independent eventually." She then gave Steven a hug. "I'm just so happy for you."

"Yeah bro, we're gonna miss ya!" Amethyst exclaimed, getting a turn to hug Steven as well. "Peace!"

"You guys know I might never come back, right?" Steven said before Garnet placed her strong hand on his shoulder.

"We know Steven." Garnet smiled. "This will be an exciting new chapter in your life."

Despite Garnet's kind words, Steven was still left confused at how well the Crystal Gems were taking it. "That went well, right?" he asked aloud before shrugging and heading to the Warp Pad to tell everyone at Little Homeworld.

As soon as Steven left, the Crystal Gems gazed at the barren Warp Pad with varying degrees of concern and sadness on their faces, proving that their prior encouragement of Steven's decision was all an act.

"So, we're gonna tell him eventually, right?" Amethyst asked.

"I guess so." Pearl resisted the urge to cry. "We just got him back, and now he's gonna leave us again."

"Don't cry, Pearl." Garnet gently stroked Pearl's hair. "But now how is everyone else going to take it?"

Meanwhile, at Little Homeworld, Steven had decided to tell the Crystal Gems' B-team of his departure. How did they react?

"YOU WHAT?!" Bismuth roared in shock atop the whirly-bird tower. Combined with Peridot's heartbroken expression and Lapis's angry face, Steven assumed they didn't react too kindly to the news. "What's the matter Steven, are you mad at me? You still holding a grudge for what happened in the Forge?!"

"Of course I'm not mad Bismuth." Steven answered. "And besides, everyone else has tried to kill me before, so the Forge incident is just another day for me." Suddenly, Bismuth brought him in for a tight hug.

"Then don't leave!" Bismuth began to cry while holding Steven in her arms. "Oh no, am I smothering you?" she asked while letting go and backing away. "I get it, you need some space."

"Bismuth." Steven said.

"How's about I build you a nice vacation home right outside Little Homeworld?!" Bismuth suggested while turning her hand into a hammer while Lapis marched up to Steven with arms and wings spread out in irritation.

"Listen to me Steven, you can't just run away from yourself!" Lapis yelled at her beach summer fun buddy before her wings disappeared, and she started pointing at him. "Wherever you go, you'll be there. Trust me, I know what that's like."

As for Peridot, she was left a sobbing mess on the floor. "But you promised you'd never leave us when Pumpkin died!"

"Take it easy Peridot, I'm here." Steven said comfortingly to Peridot while taking her face in his hand.

"Where am I going to find another Steven as good as you?" Peridot asked in-between sobs. "I love this one so much!"

"I know a Steven as good as me. Here." Steven answered while presenting Peridot with his old pink shirt.

"My very own Steven shirt?" Peridot gasped elatedly.

"Be the Steven you want to see in the world." Steven said, causing Peridot to start wailing again and blow her nose into the shirt. Steven then walked over to Lapis, who had her arms crossed and eyes closed before holding up a gift for her. "Here Lapis, for you."

"What the?!" Lapis gasped after opening her eyes, discovering that Steven was going to give her an art kit. "142 pieces, 60 crayons, 24 oil pastels?! And it even has watercolors?!"

"You like it?" Steven asked the touched terraformer.

"I love it!" Lapis began crying as she took the kit from Steven's hands. "Thank you so much, Steven, for everything!"

Steven then walked to Bismuth last, who was a bit nervous to receive what he was going to give her. "Stay back Steven!"

"Bismuth, I can think of anyone who's more of a Crystal Gem than you." Steven said before handing the frayed Crystal Gem flag to Bismuth. "So I want you to have the original Crystal Gem flag."

"Oh, Steven!" Bismuth began to cry just as hard as Lapis and Peridot as the three brought Steven in for a group hug. "If it weren't for you, none of us would be who we are today! You make me so proud to be a Crystal Gem and a friend!"

"Why did you have to put it so well Bismuth?!" Peridot kept bawling.

"I'm going to use my tears to make a watercolor painting of you!" Lapis said between sobs.

"Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, I love you all!" Steven began crying, touched at all the kind words they gave him in exchange.

"WE LOVE YOU TOO STEVEN!" the three Gems kept on crying.

While Steven left the B-team to let all their sadness out, there were still a few Gems that he left unaccounted for. One of whom was more than happy to see him leave.

"Well well well, Steven Universe." Black Rutile snarled. Ever since her ultimate defeat, Black Rutile had now lost everything, and the only things she had left were her sword, a new red visor in the shape of a V, and Aquamarine & Holly Blue as her remaining followers. Her cape and white diamond symbol were also missing from her new appearance, signifying how White Diamond has effectively disowned her. "Leaving all of them behind, are we? My point still stands, you're just like your mother."

"Hi, Black Rutile." Steven casually greeted his archnemesis.

"Let me finish boy!" Black Rutile yelled. "You may think you've earned your happily ever after, but I'll always be there to haunt you no matter what! You can never escape me Steven, my ideals and I are as unstoppable as a Diamond!"

"Bye Black Rutile." Steven said goodbye to Black Rutile just as casually, much to her outrage.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Black Rutile kept yelling. "I haven't finished my vow for revenge yet!"

"Hold it!" Jasper barked and grabbed Black Rutile by the neck. "You've already done enough. When are you just going to give up?"

"I'd rather be shattered than give up!" Black Rutile said defiantly.

"I wish I could arrange that," Jasper threatened by summoning her crash helmet. "But I don't think you even deserve death, you pathetic bully." After dropping Black Rutile to the ground, Jasper made her crash helmet disappear and spoke to Steven. "Heard you're leaving, Steven. Well, guess what? I'm coming with you!"

"Jasper, I think I'm gonna go this alone." Steven stated.

"But who will protect you?!" Jasper exclaimed. "You're my Diamond, I should be the one to save you from harm!"

"I can protect myself, y'know." Steven said. "Besides, you can let go of Pink now and spend time with all the new friends you can make here, like White Topaz."

"Yeah, like her." Jasper sighed in disappointment before giving Steven a small smile. "See you around Steven."

Jasper marched on over to a self-defense class she was teaching to her fellow Quartzes, who were eager to see how a veteran fought, and a reluctant Holly Blue Agate served as her training dummy.

"Now, the first step to landing a strong punch is to put all your strength into either one of your arms, like so." Jasper instructed, winding up her left fist and slugging Holly Blue in the face, knocking her over and making the Quartzes cheer.

"I hate everyone." Holly Blue groaned angrily.

"Nice to see Jasper finally making a change." Steven said to himself just as Black Rutile got off the ground.

"Like I wanted to say, I will always be watching you, Steven, waiting for the day to see you crack and become my thrall!" Black Rutile yelled angrily, but Steven paid her no mind. "Where are you going, get back here!"

"Is something the problem here?" Emerald, now having traded her shoulder pads for a simple chest piece that looked like a tank top, asked as she backed Black Rutile into a corner. She was accompanied by Morganite, the Garnets, and the Lapides. The latter pairs also had new forms created after Pietersite poofed them all.

Demantoid had a dark green vest on with matching light green shorts. Pyrope let her hair down and switched her regal attire for a casual sweater, a long skirt reaching to her knees, and flat-soled boots. Laz had a shoulderless top with a yellow star on it, a gold choker, a matching armband on her right bicep, a gold belt holding up a skirt with a similar design to Lapis's top over a pair of shorts and blue & gold boots. Zuli had a similar colored attire with her ponytail held up by a gold scrunchie, gold bracelets on her wrists, a crop-top that also resembled her best friend's top, a pair of shorts with stars on both legs and a gold belt, and matching sandals.

"Hey everyone, long time no see!" Black Rutile greeted her former minions sheepishly, though they didn't greet her back. "We're all still friends, right? Why don't we go plot against Steven just like old times?"

"You want us to keep running with a loser like you?" Laz scoffed and walked away. "No thanks."

"After the way you treated us in the invasion and your battle with Jasper, why bother?" Emerald added, just as disapproving towards her former master.

"Yes, you're all alone on this one." Pyrope rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Catch you when you finally decide to ditch your petty grudge." Demantoid declared and joined the other Gems in abandoning Black Rutile.

"What about you two?" Black Rutile asked Zuli and Morganite. "Do you want to reform the Rutile Rebels with Aquamarine, Holly Blue, Cat's Eye, and I?"

"Yeah, not happening." Zuli said and began following Laz. "Hey, wait up!"

"After the way you left me to get arrested, I'm having second thoughts about your plans." Morganite stated. "Besides, Earth has a lot of creative opportunities, surprisingly."

"No please, don't go!" Black Rutile begged on her knees as Morganite turned away. "I'm nothing without any of you! Exile has been so lonely!"

"But what about me?" Aquamarine, now wearing a denim blue sundress, asked Black Rutile.

"Shut up." Black Rutile growled at the tiny Gem.

"Whoa, even Jasper's upset I'm leaving." Steven muttered as he walked around Little Homeworld, examining the repairs to the damage he caused as a monster. Morganite and the Ruby Squad were restoring the Cubic Zirconias' house, Orange Spodumene assisted the Lapis twins in fixing the swimming pool, Teal Zircon and the Nephrites replanted some flowers in the greenhouse, and everyone else was cleaning up the rubble.

Suddenly, Steven discovered the shadow of his monster form appearing on a nearby wall, making him let out a loud scream. Then he began to hear laughter, and White Topaz and Larimar emerged from the bushes chuckling.

"See Steven, I told you I'd make you scream!" Larimar chuckled. "White Topaz helped with the shadow puppets."

"Oh, hey White Topaz, I see you're making friends." Steven greeted the former bodyguard of Black Rutile when suddenly, White Topaz picked him up and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, thank you so much Steven for teaching me what friendship could be!" White Topaz squealed. "Thanks to you, I've made so many new friends who can share the magic with me!"

"Don't mention it." Steven responded as he tried gasping for air while looking at Black Rutile, pacing around with Aquamarine floating behind her. "And who knows? Maybe once Black Rutile gets her act together, maybe you two can become friends again."

"Eh, maybe, we'll see." White Topaz replied. "I still can't believe you have this much of an effect on people."

"Kind of reminds me of when I first came back from my therapist." Steven replied, beginning to reminisce one last time.

By the time Steven returned home from his first visit to Dr. Rebecca, the afternoon began giving way to twilight. Stepping out of his Dondai Supremo, Steven was immediately swarmed by news reporters, paparazzi, and his friends in both Beach City & Little Homeworld. On the deck of the beach house, the Crystal Gems stood alongside President Suarez, his vice-president, the cabinet, Major General Grant, and General Waller, who was recovering nicely from being stabbed in the kidneys.

"Whoa, what are all of you doing here?!" Steven exclaimed, pushing his way through the excitable crowds to make it back home.

"You made it just in time Steven!" Greg approached Steven with a proud smile on his face. "They're celebrating you all for what you did for Earth!"

"Wait, really?" Steven gasped in shock.

"Yes really, Mr. Universe." Lawrence Abrams announced into his microphone and handed it to Steven. "Any words to say about this high honor, young sir?"

"I don't get all the hype, I was the monster here." Steven spoke into the mic.

"That doesn't matter." Lawrence declared and took back the microphone. "Now up you go. It's time."

The crowd began clearing the way for Steven to meet up with the other Gems at the front of the beach house like he was a king or something. Walking along, Steven could see that everyone had come out for such a special occasion. Connie's parents, the Diamonds, the Pearls, Spinel, Lars & Hessonite, the students of Little Homeschool, the Watermelon Stevens, everyone was here. Even Black Rutile was among the crowd, though she had on a nasty scowl compared to the others' smiling faces.

"And here is the man of the hour!" Eduardo exclaimed, presenting Steven to his eager audience as the half-Gem boy took his place alongside his rebel family. "If it weren't for Steven and his friends, I wouldn't be standing here giving this speech to you, my fellow Americans." He declared. "These Gems have been living among us since the dawn of man, guiding us through the darkest of hours. And recent events have proved no different. Even when we held them captive, the Crystal Gems refused to give up on their dear friend Steven Universe against impossible odds. And it's to this that we award them the highest honors possible, not just for rescuing us from the insidious Black Rutile, but for all their good deeds from over the years."

Theresa presented each of the Crystal Gems with a gold medal, congratulating each of them for their part in saving the world. As the crowd continued going wild and chanting the Gems' names, Steven couldn't help but keep himself from crying at being celebrated as one of Earth's mightiest heroes.

"So, how are you liking the heroes' welcome?" Connie asked as she and Steven got their medals.

"I couldn't have asked for anything more." Steven declared gazing out at the crowd, before he found a familiar face among them. There, standing among his Beach City friends, stood what seemed to be an exact duplicate of himself, but his voice seemed all too familiar to him.

"You earned this." Negative Steven declared with a thumbs up. Steven quickly rubbed his eyes, only to find that Negative Steven had disappeared. Or maybe he wasn't there to begin with and was just his imagination. Regardless, Steven believed he really did earn this.

"Steven, just between you and me amigo," Eduardo said, kneeling to Steven's height. "good luck on the recovery process."

"Thanks, Mr. President." Steven smiled.

Meanwhile, Black Rutile continued glowering among the throngs of excited humans and Gems, silently furious at how Steven was being hailed as a god despite barely doing anything while she was treated as the villain. She then scoffed at an uncontrollably crying Greg before walking away.

When Steven returned home from Little Homeworld, he found Amethyst sitting on the couch looking bored. "Oh, Amethyst!"

"What up Steven?" Amethyst asked Steven.

"I have a gift for you. Wait here." Steven said, racing upstairs and coming back down with a big box in his hands. "Want to know what it is?"

"Is it food?" Amethyst asked as she took the box from Steven's head and bit into one of the contents of the box.

"No, it's-" Steven began before Amethyst realized she nearly ate one of Steven's game consoles. "I was gonna say it's my video games."

"Ah, dude!" Amethyst laughed. "You better kiss your high scores goodbye, and your save files too! I've been waiting ages to play Golf Quest Mini for myself!" She then began to depart with the box in hand. "Why the heck would anyone play a game with one save file anyways?"

Although Amethyst was elated to receive such a gift, Steven was left a little dumbfounded at how she reacted. "Uhhh…"

Later outside, Steven approached Pearl as she relaxed in a chair playing her bass guitar. "Hey Pearl."

"Oh hello Steven, how are things?" Pearl asked. "Do you need any help packing?"

"Not quite," Steven answered before he presented Pearl with a certain instrument he held near and dear to his heart as a boy. "It's my old ukulele. I'm giving it to you now."

"Oh, how thoughtful!" Pearl exclaimed as she took the ukulele from Steven and stored it in her gem. "Thank you for the present."

"You know Pearl, it's okay to be sad I'm leaving." Steven said, on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry Steven, Connie told me what happened." Pearl replied. "I agree with Rebecca about how this can be a great learning experience for you to explore the world. Nothing to be sad about."

"Yeah, nothing to be sad about." Steven repeated sadly as he walked back inside. As he left, Pearl quizzically tilted her head at her hybrid ward, and wondered if keeping their true feelings a secret was a good idea.

Meanwhile, Garnet did the day's laundry atop the temple hand when Steven appeared on the Warp Pad carrying a big scrapbook in his hands. "Garnet!"

"Well bust my britches, it's Steven Universe." Garnet chuckled lightly. "What do you have there?"

"It's a very important and sentimental gift I'm giving you before I leave." Steven answered. "Getting Ruby and Sapphire married after the whole Pink Diamond reveal was so amazing, and I hope one day you can help plan mine." He smiled while revealing the book to Garnet, and it had "DREAM WEDDING" written on the front.

"Thank you, I'll take very good care of it." Garnet smiled as she took the album.

"Okay Garnet, level with me here." Steven said. "You used your future vision, saw everything would turn out fine, and told the Gems not to worry, right?"

"Steven, I don't need future vision to know you'll be alright." Garnet answered soothingly before beginning to leave the laundry hand. "Besides, part of the fun of leaving is learning to figure things out on your own."

As soon as Garnet disappeared from the Warp Pad, Steven began to cry alone.

Later that night, Greg was helping Steven pack up all his belongings into some suitcases, leaving his room now completely barren. As Steven closed the last of his luggage, he let out a heavy sigh.

"You doing okay Schtu-ball?" Greg asked calmly.

"Yeah, it's just-" Steven began.

"Just what?" Greg interrupted his son.

"Well, I told Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl that I was leaving earlier, but they don't seem that sad I'll be gone." Steven vented his worries to his father. "Heck, even Jasper is more sad I'm leaving, and she's tried to kill me tons of times!"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Greg wondered. "I mean, you're finally moving on from all the horrible things that happened to you and growing as a person, they have every right to be happy."

"But I thought they were going to beg me to stay." Steven replied. "I mean, you think that's a little petty?"

"I don't think so. You're allowed to have these kinds of feelings, even petty ones." Greg remarked before he gave Steven a hug. "The Gems still love you, I think they're just trying to be supportive."

"Thanks, Dad." Steven smiled softly when he realized he forgot something. "Oh wait, I should give you your gift!" He then jumped onto the bed and placed a poster of Kerry Moonbeam above the pillows. "Here Dad, you can move in here now. And it's also my way of saying sorry for that car crash."

"Wait, for me?!" Greg exclaimed. "I accept the apology, and I already said sorry for making you mad, but don't you think this is a little too fancy for me?"

Steven then laid down on his former bed and motioned for Greg to lie next to him. "Try the bed Dad, you're gonna love it."

Greg then laid next to his son on the bed, and he got a good idea of why Steven wanted to give him the room. "Whoa, this is some mattress! I don't think I want to get up!"

"I knew you'd like it." Steven declared. "Hey Dad, we're pals, right?"

"Always, Steven." Greg smiled. "Seems like the Gems are swapping one Universe for another, huh? You know, you leaving home and me getting to move in, well, I feel like this is kinda my reward for fathering the savior of the galaxy."

"Yeah, if you put it like that." Steven grinned. "You finally got a place to yourself and a good roof over your head. Which reminds me, what about the van?"

"I'll think about what to do with it some other time," Greg answered before pointing at one of the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. "Hey, one more thing. Every time you look at the stars at night, just remember that the Gems will always be there for you, and so will I."

"Love you Dad." Steven sniffled at the touching words.

"Love you too Steven." Greg smiled.

The next day, it was finally time for Steven to leave home for his cross-country trek, with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Greg, Connie, Lapis, Peridot, Jasper, Bismuth, White Topaz, and Lion were all there to see him off one last time.

"Bye Connie, see you soon." Steven said goodbye to Connie with a hug and a kiss.

"Call me when you reach a bed and breakfast." Connie replied. "Don't breakfast without me."

"You got it." Steven obliged before moving on to say goodbye to Greg. "Bye Dad."

"Aw, I'm gonna miss you Schtu-Ball." Greg said as he and Steven hugged. "But I'm so proud of you too."

"Thanks, Dad." Steven gratefully thanked his father, then he began to give Pearl a goodbye hug of her own. "Goodbye Pearl."

"Goodbye Steven." Pearl replied before Steven walked over to Garnet.

"Bye Garnet." Steven said to the fusion while giving her a hug.

"So long Steven." Garnet declared as Steven hugged Amethyst last.

"Bye Amethyst." Steven said to his sister figure.

"So long tiger." Amethyst bade farewell. "Don't you forget about me, alright?"

"I won't." Steven answered. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

"Have a safe trip." White Topaz waved farewell.

"Don't be a stranger." Jasper smirked.

"Bon voyage." Bismuth said. "That's what they say, right?"

"We're all gonna miss you." Peridot added.

"But we'll all still think of you." Lapis stated. Lion simply nuzzled Steven and gave him a lick.

"I hope so." Steven sighed before getting in the Dondai Supremo and driving off, watching his friends wave goodbye from the rearview mirror. But something told him this wasn't right. Why were they still not sad he's leaving? Pearl especially would normally go hysterical. As soon as the Gems were out of sight, Steven put the car into reverse, skidding back to the beach house and bursting out of the car in tears. "What's wrong with you guys?! Why aren't you sad I'm leaving?!"

With the jig finally up, Amethyst proceeded to cry ugly tears while Garnet let out a jet blast of sadness from behind her glasses.

"Oh man, I can't take this anymore!" Amethyst kept bawling.

"We tried to be strong for you." Garnet stated. "Pearl can definitely agree on that." Pearl turned to face Steven, her eyes big and watery while being rendered unable to form coherent sentences. Out of all the Gems, Steven felt his departure affected Pearl the most.

"You guys!" Steven cried and ran towards the three Gems to give them all a big goodbye hug.

"I was just kidding dude!" Amethyst exclaimed. "I'd never delete your save files; I could easily buy my own copies online!"

"And I'll never play anything except your ukulele!" Pearl added.

"I'd be overjoyed to plan your wedding," Garnet said, trying to remain calm like she always is. "In fact, I've already done it more than 300 times."

"Why didn't you guys tell me this?!" Steven yelled. "I mean, even Jasper seemed more bummed I was leaving!"

"I'm sorry Steven, but I couldn't resist peeking into your future." Garnet explained. "There were too many possible futures where we were so sad, you decided to stay to keep us happy."

"We didn't want to hold you back!" Amethyst added.

"But I also saw many paths ahead of you that we were a part of." Garnet continued while taking off her glasses. "Wherever you go, if you need someone to talk to, to listen, and to be there for you, we'll always be there."

"Til the end of the line, right?" Steven finished for Garnet as he began crying tears of joy.

"Yeah, to infinity and beyond." Amethyst replied. Greg began shedding a few tears before Connie put a comforting hand on his arm. Bismuth meanwhile began crying hysterically again as Lapis, Peridot, and White Topaz raced to comfort her. Jasper had her back turned the whole time and bowed her head in sadness, only for Lion to nuzzle against her.

"We all love you, Steven." Garnet declared.

"I love you guys too." Steven replied while wiping tears from his eyes before returning to his car and driving away, this time for good.

"Check your rear left tire before you hit the desert!" Garnet called with a single tear running down her cheek. "It's nothing too serious, but just in case before it becomes too much of a problem!"

"Later, brosalino!" Amethyst held up a peace sign.

"Bye Steven!" Garnet yelled farewell.

"Have fun!" Amethyst added.

"Bye!" Connie, Greg, Lapis, and Peridot called out.

"Happy trails." Bismuth kept on sobbing into White Topaz's arms.

"Be well, my Di-" Jasper began before she stopped herself. "Be well, Steven."

"Goodbye!" Pearl cried out as Steven began getting further and further away.

As Steven turned the corner, he passed by the restored Big Donut as it was surrounded by his friends from Beach City and a few visitors too. They all cheered as he passed by, holding up a banner saying "GOODBYE STEVEN", and Onion gave the Dondai a thumbs up while carrying Steven's old cheeseburger backpack.

"Hey Steven, don't forget to come back to Empire!" Beckham Jordan called out for Steven with Makoto and Matt by his side.

"I'll give you a call when I pop the question!" Sheena added.

"Gems of all courts, we have a surprise for everyone!" Aubergine Pearl announced to Gems from all the Diamonds' courts. "Today is a most momentous occasion. To celebrate the fall of Black Rutile, we present to all Homeworld and beyond with this!"

A few Aquamarines pulled off a tarp revealing a massive statue of Pink Diamond beneath, one the Diamonds and Spinel were happy to see be given such overwhelming praise by their subjects.

"Let this statue serve as an eternal reminder that though we may try our best to prove otherwise, nobody's perfect." Aubergine Pearl continued.

"Pink would've been so happy to see this." Yellow wept openly.

"And she would've been even happier to see how far we've come." Blue added.

"Indeed." White began to sniffle.

"Aw, come here you big lugs!" Spinel laughed as she bounced up and wrapped her arms around the Diamonds for the biggest hug she could offer.

"Well 00014, it seems our services are not needed at the time." G said to Bane Jones as he closed his lab for the night. "What do you say, drinks on me?"

"Stirred, not shaken, Geoff?" Bane smiled back at the WDA's gadgets expert as the two walked through the hall.

"Exactly." G declared.

"Oh, you know me so well." Bane laughed while the two passed by B making a report to the president's cabinet.

"Mr. President, I have a report to make on Black Rutile's current status." The leader of the World Defense Agency stated. "She is currently being held in Little Homeworld, but satellites tell me she's plotting to get her revenge."

"Thank you, Beverly." President Eduardo nodded. "We'll keep an eye out." As the transmission ended, B began racing after her two subordinates.

"Hey boys, don't forget about me!" B exclaimed.

"Okay, you're going to love this pitch!" Neil Michaels declared to some Hollywood bigwigs as he and Christopher Cage presented their next film. "We call it, The Pink Beast of the Bay!"

"Starring me, of course." Cage confidently said.

"Mommy, look what I just made!" Chloe exclaimed as she raced towards her mother with a drawing of the Crystal Gems in hand. "Look, I drew Steven and all his friends! I think they'd love it if I sent it to them."

"Oh, that would be so nice of you Chloe." Yvonne replied. "They live in Beach City, right? Maybe we can take it to the post office."

"Yay!" Chloe cheered.

"So Mr. Bowling, what do you suggest we do now?" Lennie said to Francis von Bowling as they and Milton sat behind bars in prison.

"Simple, we start planning revenge like a supervillain would do." Francis confidently said.

"But still, those Gems are mighty strong." Milton declared. "What can we do this time?"

"Get some help." The leader of P.H.A.N.T.O.M stated. "Excuse me, guard? I'd like to make a phone call."

"Okay, who's it for?" the guard asked while opening up Francis's cell and leading him away in handcuffs.

"I'd like to get the word out to an old chum of mine from Russia." Francis smirked. "I think The Sickle and his cohorts should do nicely."

"That's right Steven, you better run and never come back." Black Rutile grimaced while watching Steven drive past Little Homeworld through her new visor's binocular function. "It's a good thing you found these when all my assets were seized Holly, they're far superior to my old ones."

"Oh, you are too kind!" Holly Blue accepted the compliment.

Suddenly, Black Rutile's view was obstructed by the unexpected appearance of a massive banner that she could only see the back of, carried by Laz and Zuli. "Hey, you're blocking my view!"

"Don't bother, they won't pay attention." Cat's Eye purred while standing alongside Holly Blue and Aquamarine as the newest member of the Rutile Rebels. Or at least, what's left of it.

"So where do we go from here, my Rutile?" Aquamarine asked.

"Oh, it's quite easy." Black Rutile declared, turning to her last remaining colleagues. "Someday Little Homeworld, the next day everything else."

As Steven passed Little Homeworld on his way out, he caught a glimpse of the Lapis twins carrying a massive banner saying "THANK YOU STEVEN", no doubt the Gems of Little Homeworld's way of expressing their gratitude for all Steven's done for them. Just then, his phone began to ring, and he picked up to see Pearl's name on his screen before taking the call.

"Sorry Steven, I just wanted to check in!" Pearl said on the other end of the line. "So, is everything going good so far?"

Taking a deep breath, Steven slowed down the car while popping his head out the window to discover that clouds in the shape of his mother's dual identities hanging above him, as if Rose and Pink would always be there to watch him. Pulling his head back inside, Steven had one single word for an answer.

"Yeah."

STEVEN UNIVERSE: ALTERNATE FUTURE