Wow, this really needed to come out sooner, but better late than never. Hope you enjoy, and please review.

I own nothing.

For the most part, being the 'new' Diamond's super secret educator and mentor was something along the lines of a bumpy road. More often than not, there would be too many lows than highs along the way.

One of the many things Peridot observed when beginning was that the Steven was easily distracted and unfocused. His attention span ranged from laser focus to zoo-men ignorance, and it didn't help that the zoo inhabitants gained the bad habit of distracting them whenever they got too curious. Not only that, his organic half tired out way too easily and quickly, and more often than not, he would fall asleep while sitting right beside her.

Not that she would ever tell him this, but she didn't mind. Feeling his sleepy body resting right beside her made her feel a little more important. She felt how much this little, creature, relied on her for survival, to make it out there in their harsh society. It almost made up for the fact that she could say anything about it t anyone. Seriously, half the fun of getting promoted was bragging about it to others.

Although, a small part of this job felt a bit disconcerting. Despite saying they got pass that awkward 'I brought you here against your will so stop being mad at me' phase, a small part felt that the Steven still felt some form of disdain for her actions. He wasn't as open about it as he was before, but there was still small signs. Sometimes he would stay silent for minutes after she would ask him something, other times she swore he would invite the other humans on purpose before she met up with him, and something about the hugs he gave now felt a little more forced. That last bit stung, really, really bad.

Still, it wasn't like she could complain about her job to the Diamonds. They'd both be dead if either of them decided to abandon ship anytime soon. "So, exactly when am I going to meet Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond?" The boy whimpered a little, trying to prevent himself from falling asleep. "If I am Pink Diamond, then shouldn't I be seeing them."

"Oh no, no, no, by the stars, no." Peridot laughed for the first time since, well, ever. Nice to know the kid had a great sense of humor despite everything. "You're far from ready. It's going to take months, maybe years before we get to that point."

He didn't see what was funny about that. Was this one of those inside jokes he heard about? "Did you actually know Pink Diamond?"

"No. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that really knew her intimately. My kindergarten hadn't even been developed yet before her untimely demise." She looked at the boy curiously. "At least that's what we all thought before you came along."

"Was she somebody important?" Peridot looked like he hadn't been listening to her for the past week. Though given his ignorance, that was probably the case. "I mean, you keep saying the Diamonds are leaders, so what exactly did she lead?"

At least he asking the right kind of questions now. Stars know she was tired of hearing his endless prattle of 'aren't rocks just hard dirt' or 'do other planets have different names for air and water?'. "The Diamonds lead all of us, duh. They're the wisest and most powerful out of any of us. To compare them to anything would be a gross undermining of their true capabilities."

"But why are they're three leaders? Doesn't that cause trouble if one doesn't agree with the other?"

That was a fair question she had to admit. Maybe this wasn't as hopeless as she thought. "Well, it's a massive empire that expands across the known universe and beyond. The glory of each Diamond has to be thoroughly spread throughout each in order for things to function properly. And since each Diamond we have is perfect, nothing ever goes wrong with anything. That's how we're able to remain flawless."

"But what about Pink Diamond? Didn't you say she failed?"

That was a harder question to answer. To be fairly honest, most information about Pink Diamond and her time on earth had been lost for the most part. Those that weren't on earth at the time could only feed off 2nd hand stories and rumors. "That, that I can hardly be reliable to answer. You'd have to actually participated in the war in order to know the whole story. The Diamonds have chosen to keep it to themselves."

"But, but I'm a Diamond too, right?" There it was again. That pleading voice with the big, bulging eyes. She had to ask him how he was able to change the shape of his pupils like that without shapeshifting. "If I'm Pink Diamond, or if she's me, or a part of me, then shouldn't I know what happened on earth?"

"No."

The answer from Yellow Diamond couldn't have been more blunt and clear. She was in her chambers, obviously thinking deeply about the future. Peridot wouldn't even had bothered to check in with her if she wasn't also taking in the request of another Diamond. "My Diamond, while it's hardly my place to question objectivity.."

"Which is why you have at least 10 seconds to explain yourself before I have you bubbled for the next century."

"...I have to also take in the account of the Steve.., of Pink Diamond." She nearly had to bite of her tongue in order to avoid that slip up. "By having him placed in my care, I have to serve him as I would serve you, and he has been rather insistent on what he wants."

"Pink, even with amnesia, you still somehow remember to provoke me with irksome requests." Even while her Diamond was sitting down, she still managed to look menacing. "Do you know why we haven't discussed the detail of Pink Diamond's shattering?"

"Well, I've hardly wondered.."

"And do you now why no one's spoken of Earth or Pink since the war?" Getting up, Yellow observed some of the bubbled Gems that floated above her. Some of them looked fine, other's were in some sort of twisted, obscure structure. "It's because no one wants to remember a failed colony. No one wants to be reminded of the sacrifices we made before and after the war. No one wants to remember the pain that resulted from everything that's transpired since then." Yellow looked like she was going to smash a wall.

"By some miracle, Pink somehow managed to survive all that. If what you've said is true, than whatever happened, whatever she did, it took away her memories. All that failure, all that pain, it's gone. That's a chance that very few get to have." A part of Yellow's tone sounded very regretful, maybe even a bit envious. Nah, that was silly, right? "So forgive me if I don't want to reintroduce that back into her life."

"I, can appreciate you're protective nature over the issue, but the simple fact is that this is Stev.., Pink Diamond's problem, and he wants to understand what happened." Yellow hand began to spark. "I am loyal to my colony, to you, my Diamond, and I will always be willing to whatever you command of me. But, as a Peridot, as a technician and certified kindergartener, I cannot preform my duties properly without the complete data. Everything needs to be laid out in order for me to find out what I need to fix, and how to make it work."

"Don't you dare compare you're trivial duties to a Diamond's work ever again." There was no yelling, no raise in tone, but the anger seeping out couldn't have been any greater. Despite this, Yellow Diamond's face fell significantly. It was strange to see her in such a relenting position. "The last time I gave into what Pink wanted, it lead to her death."

"Yes, but remember, what I'm teaching him will eventually lead to him resuming his duties as a Diamond. What he learns now will show will effect how he functions, so what better way to teach him then by telling him what not to do."

"I'm definitely going to regret this." Did she just win an agreement against a Diamond? She didn't know whether or not she should be excited terrified. "I'll send someone to you in due time. She'll be able to explain the essentials."

"But, but wouldn't you be better suited to tell him? He's been very persistent on meeting you."

"Oh really? I've never heard her say that before. Figures it takes amnesia for her to finally play nice." Yellow muttered to herself. "No, I rather not. The soldier I'm sending will suffice for now."

Peridot saluted before she left. This whole thing was complicated as it is without the Steven making demands of her. Or was he politely asking? She suppose it didn't make a difference either way, she had to follow he commands one way or another.

"Wait, soldier?"

For the last few thousand years, Jasper had built her reputation around being the perfect example of a Quartz soldier. It had been a hard, grueling process that nearly broke her. After all, who'd ever want to be a Quartz soldier from earth?

It had been hard for her to move on from that, and quite frankly, she was sure that she still hasn't. When trying to perfect an empire, you're not given a moment to grieve. No time can be spent on mourning what had been lost. A soldier couldn't get closure for their lost Diamond.

At the beginning, she had been afraid of what might have become of her. Talk of earth was practically a death sentence if you said anything wrong or upsetting. Nobody, especially the Diamond's wanted a constant reminder of what had happened, but their was still an entire court of gems, unguided, and lost without purpose. That had been the ultimate hell for her, and she feared her life was going to be cut short.

Fortunately, thanks to the mercy and wisdom that was their Diamonds, Blue and Yellow taken it upon themselves to divide the courts and immigrate them into their own. It was far more leniency than any of them deserved, for the one's that failed to protect Pink Diamond.

She would never say this to another living soul, but apart of her wished she was shattered instead. This was a 2nd chance she didn't deserve. Without Pink Diamond, there was no reason to continue her existence. She was made for only one Diamond, and to serve another was excruciatingly painful.

The only thing that slightly relieved the pain was personally seeing to all the Rose Quartz's being bubbled. She had known a few, serving along with them, and to be fair, they didn't deserve the punishment they got. But it was a Rose Quartz that started it all. A Rose Quartz started the rebellion, a Rose Quartz lead thousands of Gems astray, a Rose Quartz destroyed Pink Diamond. The risk of another was far to great, and seeing something that had the face of that monster get poofed always brought a smile to her face.

But today brought another ray of hope in her life. A ray of hope that she thought had long died with her Diamond. Yellow Diamond, her 'diamond', had announced something so amazing, so miraculous, that she was sure it was all apart of some cruel and elaborate punishment that had been building up for years.

Heading down to the human zoo, she couldn't help but wonder if she had anything to worry about. The Human zoo was one of the few places that still conducted functions that Pink Diamond herself ran, and where a majority of Earth's Gems were occupied, picked out by Blue Diamond.

A small part of her envied her fellow Quartz's role. She longed to serve Pink Diamond again in away way that she could, but when the time came, the opportunity was ripped from her hand and placed among the others. The screw ups, the runts, the nigh off-colored gems, they got to continue Pink's legacy.

But if the news she got today proved to be true, than it would've been all worth it. She could show her Diamond, her true Diamond how strong she became for her, how loyal she could be to her and only her. Finally, her years of torment could come to an end.

"Hello." Or it could just be beginning. "Who are you?" The tiny creature she assumed to be human walked up to her as soon as she reached her spot. She was supposed to meet the Peridot, who was 'watching over' Pink Diamond in the zoo. A lot of that sentence didn't make sense to Jasper when it was told to her at the time. "Are you here to see Peridot?"

"Uh, yes." What exactly was she suppose to do here? Most creatures she met on other planets ran away in terror of her. This tiny thing just kind of walked up to her without reason.

"She'll be here in a minute, so why don't you just sit down with me." He patted a spot for her to rest on. She didn't know what to make of this. Again, she was half expecting someone to pop out and start shattering her. Was someone out their just enjoying her anxious worries? "She usually takes forever to come and usually says something a little boring. She's helpful, but a bit dull."

"Hm, that's usually my experience with Peridots in general. Heck, with any brainy Gems in general." Lowing her guard for a bit, she sat down right beside him. Might as well relax before she had to get serious again. "They talk big talk, they show off big words to impress people, but in a situation, they're about as useful as a pebble against a sandstorm."

"Is that why she always calls other's pebbles? She seems to call the other people that a lot." He pointed out to the surrounding humans, who were in the middle of rolling down a hill. Careless, free of responsibility, aimless. The sight of that almost sickened her. How such a species managed to survive for so long was beyond her.

"Don't be too offended. That's probably the most common insult anybody could throw out, and it's not like these guys get insulted anyway. They think too simply for anything to hurt them." A curious glance was thrown at the boy. "You don't seem like the rest of them though."

"I was just brought from Earth. I've lived here only for a little while."

"Wait, Earth? That planet is still habitable?" She was one of the few that was able to catch a glance of the Diamond's final attack. It was a big, gleaming light that encased the entire planet. Nothing could've survived that. "It should just be a big ball of dirt after the war."

"That's what Peridot said, but I told her that I've lived on earth all my life, at least until now. Plenty of other people live their now." A sudden thought comes to the boy's mind. "You, you wouldn't happened to be there during the war?"

"Be there? Runt, I served it almost through it's entirety. I've seen it all." Almost too much if she was honest.

"Then do you know about Pink Diamond? Every time I try to ask Peridot, she either says nothing, or just tells it to me in a confusing way. I keep hearing her name, so I would like to know exactly what she did."

On any other day, Jasper would've refused to answer the question. Furthermore, she probably would've told the kid to scram, and probably even rough the kid up a bit just to make the point clear. She kept her pain in silence for this long, and she was in no mood to talk about it.

Except, except Pink was alive now. Despite her doubts, there was very little reason to not believe the word of Yellow Diamond. Maybe this was the 2nd chance she was looking for. Maybe talking about it now would prove how much stronger she was now. "Pink Diamond, she, she was my Diamond. During the midst of the war, Homeworld begun to run out of resources, so we had to rush many Gem formations in order to compensate. I was one of the very few that came out flawlessly. From the very moment I broke from the Earth's crust, I swore my allegiance to my Diamond."

"Was, was she nice?"

"She was the most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on." She honestly admitted. She may have never been close to her, but she was her most dedicated servant, even if nobody knew it. "She was a gentle soul, filled with a kindness that so very, very rare to find. I've, I've never seen anyone like her. I, I don't know if there will ever be another gem like her."

"What, what happened?"

"She, she was shattered." Her voiced cracked as it's normal raspy tone deepened. "In the height of the war, the cowardly Rose Quartz grew more desperate. When she didn't lash out and promote her poison, she would sink deeper into her tactics, becoming riskier, hitting us more closely than ever. One day, she managed to slip by everyone while Pink Diamond resided in her Palanquin, and right from behind, she struck, and killed her from behind when she stepped out, displaying it in front of nearly her entire court."

Something happened to Jasper in that moment of emotional vulnerability. A small, single tear fell from her face, dripping to the grass for the boy to see. How weak she must've looked in front of something so soft and pathetic. Why was she getting worked up over this? Why was she doing this in front of the runt? Had she sunk soo low in her life that this is what would define her?

Something else happened in the moment that Jasper didn't expect. "Shh, it's okay." The runt had latched itself on her arm, squeezing it tight. Was he trying to tear it off or something? "My dad says it's okay to cry over pain, especially if its about someone you love."

Love? Loyalty and dedication, definitely, but could she say love? "I don't think I can call.."

"You loved working for Pink Diamond, and you loved the person she was." Jasper would've argued with that, but she truly had nothing today against that. "It's fine to let out a few tears. People can't cry forever, so just let it out when you can."

"I'm not going to cry." Jasper rolled her eyes, though she unconsciously scooted closer to the kid. "But, thanks anyways, human." The runt smiled as he settled in comfortably on her arm. She had to admit, something about the kid's talk made her feel a little warmer on the inside. Maybe it was a sign that things would turn out well.

"Oh, you're here, and I see you've already became acquainted." Peridot came from behind. Jasper turned her head around while Steven still slept on her arm. "Typical. If he's ever going to be a Diamond, we'll really have to work on his nocturnal cycle. It's just to inconvenient."

"Wait, did, did you just say.." There was no way she was trying to imply what she thought she was implying.

"By you're confused nature, I can assume you haven't been fully caught up. Well, in short terms, Pink Diamond is alive, and he's sleeping on you're arm."

"WHAT?!"

Next time: 'Normality' sets in for the three as they prepare for the future.