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“Are you sure this is a good idea? The last time you went into Rose’s room you were overwhelmed. None of us know how it even works in there… you could get lost, or hurt… or something worse.”
“Pearl, please? I really want to try something. I promise I’ll come out right after. I think I got the hang of it now.”
“Garnet, talk some sense into him, please! He should at least have one of us go with him-“
“Steven, I think you can handle this. But if you need help, you come out of there right away. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Garnet. Thank you guys!!! I’ll be right back!”
His bare feet smacked on the hardwood floor as he ran towards the temple door.
“Aren’t you worried about what he’s doing in there? Anything could happen! He could-“
“P, you’re freaking out. Let Steven be Steven, he probably just wants to make dogcopter or something from TV. You’re overthinking this.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Pearl sighed, making one last look over her shoulder at the door before a pink light enveloped him.
———
“Uh, temple, can I go in mom’s room please?”
His gem began to glow, and he stepped forward into the cloud like atmosphere of Rose Quartz’s private room. He knew he would have to tell the room what he wanted to see, but he wasn’t sure if it would work this time. He wanted something a bit more… complicated.
“Can I… can I see my mom? And talk to her? Can you even do that or is it because I’m kind of my mom?”
Nothing happened.
Steven sighed. He had thought that just maybe the room might “remember” something about her, so he could at least pretend to talk to her. He had so many questions for her, and stories from his dad could only answer so many of them.
“Room, show me my mom.”
This was apparently a simple enough request, because with a soft poof, Rose Quartz was standing before him.
“Whoa. Hi mom! You’re so tall!”
However, she didn’t move. She seemed to just be a projection, like Pearl’s memory of her at the Strawberry Battlefield.
“Room, can you make her more, I don’t know… alive?”
His gem glowed again, and suddenly he projected an image of Rose’s face over the static cloud-figure in front of him. This image was moving, like a silent film projector. Rose looked like she was laughing at something someone had said, or at a joke. Her eyes got squinty and her nose scrunched up, just like Dad had said she did.
“Show me more!”
The cloud-figure disappeared and the projection expanded, filling a large screen-like cloud with countless images of Rose, talking, walking, dancing. There were even a few scenes of the other gems, but they were in spacesuits and looked less like the ones he knew.
One scene in particular stood out- it looked like a battlefield, only it looked like Rose’s side was losing. Her hair was pulled back in an unruly ponytail, and she wore heavy armor, engraved with swirling designs of thorns that matched her scabbard. Her sword was dented and it was clear they had been fighting for a while. The motley crew of gems by her side were of every shape and size, with weapons varying from swords to maces and even slingshots. Even so, she stood out. She looked strong enough to take on the entire world. Then, she and the other gems looked up in surprise-there was a bright light, and she had just enough time to react. Pulling the gems around her in close, she put up her shield as large as she could, bubbled them in, and the light consumed them.
When the brightness faded, everything was in ruins- completely obliterated, all except for the two gems closest to her… the only ones that fit in the bubble. After a moment, he recognized them- Pearl and Garnet.
As the bubble disintegrated the three gems were obviously rattled- but they had time to make their way to a galaxy warp. A blurred effect occurred as the memory started over from the beginning.
“I wish I knew more about you. I wish I was as strong as you, or as brave as you.”
He sat down on the soft ground at his feet. He lay back and stared upwards at what may have been a ceiling- the air looked like it was painted in marshmallows and flower petals like the ones Pearl told him about.
“I think… I think I’m going to go back now. I promised Pearl I would. Thank you Room!”
As he turned towards the door, he felt his gem glow and project one last memory, this one from the videotape he found in Lion’s mane.
“Every moment you love yourself, that’s me, loving you.”
“Thanks mom. I love you too.”
He smiled, opened the door, and the gems were there waiting for him on the other side.
“Steven! Are you alright? Why were you in there for so long? Did something happen?”
“I’m okay! And it worked! I saw mom!”
The gems looked at him in stunned silence.
“You what?”
“I used my gem to show memories like you did!”
“Thats… that’s incredible, Steven. It’s a very difficult skill- and you said… that you saw Rose? Her memories?”
“Yeah, I saw her with dad, and her at the fountain, and in the war where she used her shield to save you guys!”
Pearl was wide eyed, speechless. Garnet seemed to be thinking intently, and Amethyst was just as shocked as Pearl.
“What? Rose saved your lives with the shield? Why don’t I remember this?”
“You weren’t there, Amethyst. We hadn’t found you yet. But Steven, do you understand what this means? You have some of her memories stored in your gem! We could-“
She was rambling, her words coming faster and faster as the possibilities raced through her mind.
“No. I know what you’re thinking, Pearl. Steven is Steven now, and we are not going to exploit his gem to keep our connection to Rose. Rose is a part of Steven, and she wouldn’t want us to talk about him like that.”
Garnet removed her visor, her eyes flashing. Pearl stepped back, fumbling her words.
“But Garnet, you miss her too-“
“Yes. I do. So does Amethyst. But you know that he is his own person.”
Pearl realized what she had been saying, and a look of regret washed over her.
“I… I’m sorry Steven. I never should have… I’m sorry.”
He took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s okay Pearl. I know you miss her and it’s hard because she’s me now. But all those memories are stored in me, and now I get to make my own memories with you guys.”
Garnet grinned, coming over to pat Pearl’s shoulder. She looked up and made an effort to hide the sadness on her face, but Amethyst leapt into the group hug and she had no choice but to smile.
“Alright, you can let go of me now,” Pearl said in an anxious voice. The hug was nice, but now it was more claustrophobic than comforting.
Steven looked her straight in the eyes.
“Nope.”
At least she hadn’t planned anything for the day. She had the feeling she was going to be here for a while.