Hey this one-shot is an AU that starts sometime after Nightmare Hospital and ends as an alternate to Message received. The idea is that though Jasper had originally confused Steven for Rose, she and Peridot did realize that he was someone, something, different. They reported the "natural hybrid" to Home World, and because Home World has the research morals of a sadist, they decided to make their own hybrid, Connie. The butterfly effect meant that instead of simply finding the coordinates of the Cluster when they went to the moon; the Crystal Gems were also scavenging parts from the base to complete a transport capable of taking them to Home World to rescue Connie. They had brought Peri as a guide and right before heading to the facility where Connie was being kept, Peri had her conversation with Yellow Diamond in person.
Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe
Connie lay on the hard white table she had been using as a bed and stared up at the crystalline ceiling. She had been in this place for what? Days? Weeks? Seemed like forever ago she had been walking home after sword practice only to be abducted by some Home World Rubies. Her mom had finally let her bring the sword home after the hospital incident so she had been able to take out three of them, but she was outnumbered and it wasn't like attacking mindless beasts. They were made good at fighting and once they fused, she had been grabbed like a doll and physically dragged onto the small transport ship.
She had fought like a wild animal as they towed her to the lab where she was currently incarcerated, but it was literally like hitting a stone wall as she was unable to deter her captors. After she had been strapped to the table, a Peridot with a gem on her chest entered with a tray holding various instruments floating next to her. Her questions had been ignored as the Peridot scanned her and made note of "the subject's" absolutely fascinating "organic traits" to her log, so she had decided to try and get some rest after trying to tell the gem that she was called Connie for the twelfth time. She woke up after being zapped with something that resembled a bent tuning fork sparking with yellow electricity.
"Hmm the subject has left its dormant state after being touched with the disrupter but appears to be otherwise unaffected." The Peridot spoke to her log, "proceeding with phase two." Connie's eyes grew wide as the Peridot pulled a device that looked like a handheld version of the kindergarten injectors off of the tray and approached the table. The glowing straps tightened uncomfortably as a gag formed over her mouth. Emotionless, the Peridot rolled up Connie's sleeve and brought the injector to her left shoulder.
This was the worse pain that Connie had ever felt; it was like acid was burning through her veins. She hardly noticed that the Peridot had left and the straps had been released as she convulsed on the floor in spasms of pain. Eventually, her energy was spent and her throat was raw both from the screams and from the bile she had vomited from her nearly empty stomach. With a shaking hand, Connie reached for the vial that dangled from her neck from a brown cord. She had thought it somewhat disgusting when Garnet had suggested that she carry a small amount of Steven's spit with her for emergencies, but now she thought that the fusion may have predicted something like this was going to happen. Popping the cork with her right hand she had downed the entire bottle in one go, sighing in relief as her bruises faded and the pain dissolved.
However long ago that had been, it was impossible to tell. The Peridot and various Pearls of different styles came in at random intervals and gave her water and occasionally "food" that the Peridot claimed had the nutrients that her "organic half" needed to survive. Gradually, the disrupter stopped feeling like an electric shock and more like a vibrating buzz throughout her entire body and the Peridot started to murmur about how pleased her diamond would be. That was not the only change that would occur. When the skin on the bulge where she had been injected split to reveal a pink, facet-less gemstone that shimmered with small gold flecks like captured stars Connie knew what they had been trying to accomplish and what they had succeeded in doing. Even though she had tried to hide her gem from her captors, one of the Pearls had spotted it and alerted the Peridot.
Since then she was no longer "the subject" she was now addressed as Goldstone, but she absolutely refused to acknowledge the name. Eventually the Peridot lost her temper and ranted about how grateful Connie should be that home world had so graciously removed her from a doomed, primitive planet and elevated her from her lowly organic status. Connie only laughed at the Peridot's ignorance. The green gem departed the room almost red with anger and since then no other Gem had entered.
Connie turned to face the semi reflective walls of her cell and rolled up her sleeve to reveal her gem. She brushed her fingers against its smooth surface, tracing the barely discernable pattern of a symbol that once belonged to Rose Quartz but now belonged to her son. It was proof that even if she was now a hybrid like Steven, she had yet to change on the inside. She heard the door slide open and opened her mouth to speak to whatever gem had entered only to be tackle hugged by none other than.
"Steven?!"
Her friend smiled the same joyful smile he always did "Hey Connie, We're here to rescue you but we better hurry, Amethyst may have tripped the-" Bleep Bleep Bleep "-alarm."
Laughing at the familiar antics of the crystal gems she ran, hand in hand, with Steven. Down the hall a Peridot with a forehead gem wrestled with Connie's tormenter. "Peri, I found Connie and we have to go."
The one with the forehead gem quickly got up and ran with them as fast as her short legs could go. From behind Connie could hear the other announce over the intercom that Goldstone has escaped with the natural hybrid. They reached the courtyard only to be cutoff by several Jaspers and Amethysts armed with disrupters. Immediately Steven formed his shield and dropped into a fighting stance as one of the Amethysts stepped forwards.
"Look what we have here, the traitorous Peridot, the natural hybrid and Goldstone the little science experiment," the warrior paused with a sneer, "You can't really expect to win this fight with only a shield do you?"
"My name is Connie," she growled at the hulking gem that only bore passing resemblance to her friend. "And who says that all we have is a shield."
Just as she had done before Steven had found her, Connie's fingers stretched towards her gem. Only, this time, they didn't stop at the surface. Connie reached into her gem and pulled out a gleaming cutlass almost as long as she was. A trail of gold flecks spiraled towards the tip of the blade and the hilt was decorated with a gem identical to her own. She couldn't help the worry that the shocked look on Steven's face would never fade, but his grin had returned in full by the time she brought the blade into guard position.