I do not own 'Steven Universe'

Chapter 2

"I'm not the bad one here!" Jasper declared angrily. "You and your traitorous Crystal Gems are!"

"W-What?" Steven asked, taken back. "No, the Crystal Gems protect the Earth! We-"

"The Crystal Gems," Jasper spat. "Are the ones who started the war for this miserable planet! Shattered countless gems! They are without a doubt the most selfish beings I have ever met!"

"W-What?" Steven asked fearfully as he stepped back. "They saved the Earth and the people!"

"Saved?" Jasper asked before laughing mockingly at the boy. "They didn't save anything! All they did was buy some time on this hunk of rock before they were destroyed!"

"That's not true!" Steven stated firmly. "Right, Peridot!?"

Peridot stared at him with an awkward shrug. "She's kinda right."

"What?"

"You won the battle for one planet, out of the countless ones in the galaxy. One you would have lost to the Cluster if not for me." Peridot added proudly. "Now look at you, you'd be helpless against another assault by the Gem Empire."

Steven knew her words were true, the Gem Empire wouldn't even need to send too many gems. Jasper alone had nearly subdued the Crystal gems, another gem on her level and they were doomed.

"Face it, this planet is on borrowed time as it is." Peridot stated casually. "Honestly it was a foolish move."

"B-But you're a Crystal Gem too." Steven stated, caught off guard by her bluntness. "You said that the Earth had things worth protecting."

"Affirmative." Peridot nodded. "You."

"Wha-"

"While I find some of the things on this rock fascinating, I'd never call my Diamond a clod for them." Peridot stated as if it were obvious. "You'd have to be insane to do something like that. Home-World and all it's territory expansions offer just as much, if not more, interesting sights."

"B-But you did it for me?" Steven asked. He was both touched and confused at that.

"You-You treated me like my own gem." Peridot stated with a smile. "No one's ever done that before. I've always just been 'Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG' of Home-World. Just another thing that had plenty of replacements at the slightest miscalculation on my part." She looked Steven in the eyes. "You, against all logic and reason, made me feel like I'm a...friend. Like I matter."

"You do matter!" Steven insisted. "Everyone matters!"

"Even those who serve no function?" Peridot asked.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Only those that serve a purpose matter." Jasper stated factually. "Those that don't are a waste, a waste that can spread."

"How can you decide someone has no purpose?" Steven asked horrified. "How can you call someone a waste?"

"If one can't help, they'll just hinder Steven." Lapis stated absentmindedly as she continued to glare at Jasper.

"Ha!" Jasper barked with satisfaction. "Even the Lazuli brat knows that your traitorous partners are nothing but that, traitors!"

Steven looked at her pleadingly. "Lapis?"

"The Crystal Gems left me trapped in a mirror Steven. A mirror." Lapis stated coldly, not even looking at him. "They kept me in there for thousands of years! I was trapped alone, only released to be used." She looked at him, her eyes cold. "Even they seemed to think of usefulness, for me at least."

Steven remembered how Pearl had treated the mirror Lapis was trapped in like a tool. Treated Lapis like a tool. And would have simply discarded her like trash had Steven not interfered. Pearl had handed it-her over to him like she was nothing. Then they tried to take her away when they found out she was still there. Not once did they show any concern for the gem in there, for Lapis. Steven lowered his head, he couldn't think of anything to justify that. He didn't really want to. To be alone for so long...

"I'm sorry." Steven muttered.

Lapis turned to see that he was close to tears. She hadn't wanted to hurt the boy, she was just being honest about it.

"No Steven, it's not your fault!" Lapis declared as she knelt down to him.

"But my mom-"

"Your mom!" Lapis declared. "Not you, never you! You're...innocent."

"I'm...a Crystal Gem too." Steven declared, though not as proudly as usual.

"You've never had the chance to be anything else!" Lapis stated. "On Home-World, you'd have been trained to use your abilities to help benefit our society! You'd be amazing! I wish you could see it Steven, even now with all it's changes it's beautiful." Lapis stated with a faraway look in her eye. "The stuff you see here on this planet are just a fraction of Home-World's true awe, and nothing compared to the beauty of some other worlds."

She sounds just like Pearl. Steven thinks as he remembers the time she had almost taken them to space.

"If you care so much for Home-World, why'd you abandon it?" Jasper asked. She didn't mean for it to sound snarky, she was genuinely curious.

"I didn't!" Lapis shouted as she gave her a menacing glare. "Even you have to understand loyalty. Even you have to respect that."

In truth, Lapis felt as if Home-World had abandoned her. They were the ones to place her in the mirror without a chance to explain herself. They left her in the mitts of traitors for thousands of years! What was she supposed to think!?

Then this...boy, ignorant of all the horrors came along. He talked to her. Tried to understand her. He even tried to befriend her, and succeeded. Then he did something she had long since lost hope of ever happening. He freed her. Then he forgave her for betraying him to Home-World.

For those reasons, she was determined to repay his kindness. No matter what.

"I think he would do great things for Home-World." Peridot states.

"He's a Quartz, he'd be a soldier." Jasper stated matter of factually before looking at Steven. "His shield is...durable." She admitted, albeit grudgingly.

A soldier, like Jasper? Living to fight? The thought horrified the boy. He wanted people to be happy, not in pain!

"No!" Steven shouted. "I don't want to hurt anyone! Gems shouldn't fight!"

"You didn't seem to mind when the gem where fighting off the Cluster mutants." Peridot states, not understanding his conflict. "Or when you tell me those stories of when you all fought off the corrupt gems." She paused to think before glaring. "You didn't seem to mind when you through your shield at me! And you were proud of your victory over Jasper."

Steven lowered his head in defeat. She was right, he was not better than what he was trying to stop.

"That just proves it." Jasper states smugly. "Violence can be used for good."

"That depends on your definition of good." Lapis stated with a sneer.

"Like what?" Steven asked.

"There's protecting." Peridot states. "That seems to be the main reason it's used by the Crystal Gems."

Steven was conflicted, the Crystal Gems did-do save people using violence. A lot. He had even used violence, in anger, to save his friends from the Centipeedle Mother. But that was as a last resort! Right?

Centipeedle...Watermelon Stevens...Lapis...Now that he thought about it, the Gems do tend to destroy even the tiniest possibility of a threat. Even Peridot's statement on the moon, though opinionated, was met with anger and violence.

"But...they do it to protect me and the people." Steven whispered.

"So you see your life, or these apes, as better than a gems?" Jasper asked with raised eye brow. "Violence can only be used to defend this hunk of rock?"

"No!" Steven exclaimed. "I-I-"

"You're thinking with your feelings Steven, not with your head." Peridot stated. "Think with your head and you can see the things that had been clouded by...personal connections."

Steven didn't want to, but he felt that Peridot may have been on to something. If Home-World was as great as they say, then they had to be doing something right.

Jasper just barked out in laughter as she noticed Steven's conflict. "This is rich!"

"What's so funny?" Lapis asked tensely.

"Him!" She barked, nudging her head to Steven. "He's starting to understand!" Even frozen, Jasper looked down at Steven in a superior manner. "How did you think this would work, that I would betray my home for your friendship or something?" She mocked. "That we'd sing and dance and all be friends?"

Steven looked down in shame, he hadn't planned it like that. He hadn't planned anything. He honestly wanted to be friends with Jasper, with everyone, gem and human alike. And everything else.

"I-I just wanted to show you that there's a better way." Steven stated.

Jasper looked at him with narrowed eyes. "And who are you to decide what's better? An empire doesn't last as long as it does from bad decisions."

"She has a point." Peridot chimed in.

"Don't forget, the gems came to this planet for one reason." Jasper stated as she crossed her arms. "I don't know what Rose saw in this planet, or care, but she turned traitor for it. Don't expect all of us to be so sentimentally defective. Some of us care for our true home."

"Not that you have much of a home to return to." Lapis snarked.

"What was that?" Jasper growled.

"Oh yeah, we didn't tell you." Lapis smirked. "Home-World sent some gems looking for you, five Rubies. They were searching for the gem in charge of the failed Earth Mission."

Jasper didn't have blood, but she still seemed to pale from the information. Home-World thought she had failed and even sent gems to find her. That only meant one thing, she was in trouble.

"What happened to the Rubies!?" Jasper demanded. "Where are they!?

"We...kind of blew them into space." Steven stated.

"You what!?" Jasper shouted, making Steven flinch.

"I told them you were on the planet Neptune and they went to search for you!" Steven answered quickly. "Then they came back and Amethyst had to pretend to be you, then she couldn't pretend any longer! Then they Ruby's fused into Mega Ruby and we had blow them into space!"

If Jasper wasn't in such a dire situation, she would have laughed or groaned. Rubies were never the smartest of gems.

"Go home Steven." Lapis stated. "You need to rest and focus."

"What, but what about-"

"Jasper won't do anything, not that it would have any meaningful results. She's as stranded as the rest of us." Lapis stated. "I'll keep her frozen until you return. Go, rest."

Steven looked at the blue gem and smiled, he was tired. Now if only he could find out where Lion went.

Steven and Peridot walked back to the house in silence. Lion had brought him to the beach before wandering off. The green gem could tell that Jasper's words had had a strong affect on her friend. She was actually feeling bad because of it.

It appears I was too hasty in my lessons. Peridot reasoned. Maybe Steven wasn't as advanced as I had assumed.

"I must apologize Steven, it seems that my efforts to reform Jasper has had the opposite affect." She spoke. "I believe that's called...irony."

"It's okay." Steven whispered as he continued walking.

Peridot looked at the moving boy before shrugging. If he said he was okay then he was okay, right?

Steven was currently deep in thought, considering all that he had heard and comparing it to what he had learned growing up.

He had been so far lost in thought that he hadn't realized he had made it home until he bumped into the screen door. Without a second thought he opened it and walked inside, there he saw the Crystal Gems. They hadn't noticed him, each lost in there own world. It seemed they hadn't noticed he was missing either, no doubt not suspecting him to leave in the middle of the night.

"Hey, guys." Steven spoke up uneasily, gaining their attention. "I-"

"Steven, you should be asleep." Pearl chided, cutting him off. "You humans need your rest."

"I...have a question about the Crystal Gems, and my mom." He whispered.

Pearl was shocked by the sudden, albeit weak, declaration, but happy to answer it all the same. Garnet and Amethyst turned towards them, now curious.

"Are...Are the Crystal Gems the bad guys?" Steven asked with uncertainty.

"What, no!" Pearl declared. "We defend the Earth, what's nicer than that?"

"Why?" Steven asked.

"Excuse me?" Pearl asked confused.

"Why do you all defend the Earth?" Steven asked as he looked at the other gems.

"Well Rose-"

"No, why do you defend the Earth?" Steven pushed. "Why did you join my mom?"

The gems took a moment to consider the answer. They each looked at each other before nodding.

"I...joined your mother because she gave me purpose as something more than a...trinket." Pearl stated. "She taught me that I could be whoever and whatever I wanted."

"I fight for the Earth because it's here that I'm free to be me." Garnet explained as she showed the gems on her hand. "The love of Ruby and Sapphire."

"I was born here after the war." Amethyst stated with a shrug. "The Earth is my home."

Steven backed away from the gems after he heard their answer. It was exactly as Jasper had stated.

"That's...selfish!" Peridot accused.

"What!?" Pearl reeled back in shock.

Peridot pointed to Amethyst. "You are exempt because, like Steven, this planet is all you've ever known." She pointed to Pearl. "Though you were following your basic nature, you joined because you blindly served a gem traitor. You!" She pointed to Garnet. "Chose your own feelings over the countless gem lives out there!"

Garnet and Pearl took a step towards Peridot, intent obvious on their faces. Steven decided to speak up to save his friend.

"You all joined for personal reasons but..." Steven stated as he looked at the gems. "Did any of you agree with mom's belief on humans?"

"Of course we do!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Then why do you close yourself off from them?" Steven asked. "Why don't you and humans hang out?"

"I-we-" Pearl looked to her fellow gems for assistance.

Garnet could only shrug in response, she was never much of a social gem, she was content to just be. Amethyst was often around humans, until Pearl dragged her away. Pearl tried to come up with a rational answer, but Steven wasn't giving her anytime. He had more questions he wanted-needed answers to.

"What about the Home-World gems?"

"W-What about them?" Pearl asked uneasily.

"Well, nothing changed with them did it?" Steven asked as he imagined the planet. "They are still going on with the way things were, as if the rebellion never happened, right? And they were just fighting for their own people, right?" Steven asked. "Why did mom rebel? Why Earth? Why-"

Steven felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Garnet kneeling down before him.

"Steven, where is all of this coming from?" Garnet asked.

"He's thinking with his head, not his heart." Peridot stated.

Garnet turned her head to look at Peridot. Though you couldn't see her eyes you could feel her glare from behind her shades. She stood up and walked towards the green gem and looked down at her. Even if she couldn't see it, Peridot trembled under the fusion's gaze.

"What did you tell him?" Garnet demanded.

Peridot was blunt, but she had learned that some things sent the gems off. She was starting to learn what they were and Steven was at the top of the list. Her action had been dangerous.

"We...had a discussion about Home-World." Peridot admitted, though keeping the important information to herself.

"It's...a lot like what Pearl said." Steven stated as he looked to said gem.

"What!?" Pearl asked indignantly.

"You're always talking about how great the stuff from Home-World is." Steven stated. "About how amazing it is and when you talk about Earth and it's humans..."

"You often mention how insignificant they are." Peridot finished.

Pearl looked from Steven to Peridot to the other gems and back. True, she has talked about the beauty of Home-World, but she never meant to cause a trouble.

"What was Home-World really like?" Steven asked.

"It doesn't matter." Peridot stated insistently. "Earth is your home. All of our homes."

"But Home-World was yours." Steven countered.

"Rose Quartz believed-"

"I know what mom believed!" Steven cried in frustration. "You tell me all the time! What do you believe in!?"

"I believed in your mother!"

"But why, y-"

Pearl had had enough of Steven's questioning. "What does it matter why I did it!?"

"You-"

"Your mother fought for these pathetic, one lifespan three-dimensional skin puppets who fumble around with their very existence!" Pearl shouted in frustration. "She gave up on the Great Gem Empire and fought them off of this piece of dirt so that they could have a chance! Then she decides to-to mate with one of the lowly creatures and gives up her form leaving us, who've been with her, who loved her, alone!" She continued, though it seemed as if the last part was more to herself. "She's done more for this planet than you will ever know! The least you can do is be grateful for it!"

Was he being ungrateful? That's not what he wanted, he just wanted to know! Was that so wrong?

"I-I'm sorry!" Steven whimpered as he backed away.

"Don't be sorry!" Pearl shouted as she grabbed his arm, keeping him in place. "You're part of Rose! You are Rose! So why don't you-!"

"Pearl!" Garnet shouted.

"What the heck P!?"

It was at that moment that Pearl snapped from whatever rage-spell she was under. Looking down at the cowering Steven and herself, she realized what she was doing. In her anger, she had grabbed onto Steven in a painful grip. When she let go she saw a painful looking bruise already forming.

"I-I Steven, I-" Pearl fumbled with her words in an attempt to apologize.

As soon as she released him, he backed away from the incoherent gem. Steven didn't want to hear anything Pearl had to say. All he wanted to do was get away, to hide from her. All he wanted-

As Steven's desire for escape grew his gem began to glow. It was matched by the glow of the Temple's entrance, the door to Rose's room had opened. Not wasting any time, Steven ran to his desire.

It had only been a few minutes since Steven had ran away from Pearl, but it felt like hours. Hours that he had spent crying in both resentment and fear, it didn't seem that the tears would be stopping soon.

"I-I just wanted to-to know why." Steven stated through the tears.

"Choice."

Steven's head snapped up to see who had spoken. He was shocked to see the image of his mother. It wasn't hard to understand what was happening, even for Steven to realize that the room was creating her, but it was still...out there. She was larger than he had expected, and looked as happy and regal as she did in her photos. Steven backed away from the construct. The room had showed him many things, but he had never considered this.

It was more than a little overwhelming.

"W-What?"

Rose knelt down to look Steven in the eyes, though her large form still required her too look down at him.

"On Home-World, choice is not a luxury." She stated sadly. "It's a privilege that very few get to have and even then it's limited. Gems live under the Diamond, only their power is absolute."

From the pink void of the room appeared Peridot, behind her were the Crystal gems and Lapis. Even Jasper appeared.

"Under their rule there is order." Construct Peridot stated. "Order breeds progress."

"It also removes individuality." Construct Garnet stated without looking at her.

The Peridot construct lowered her head at that. Her original had just stated that herself not too long ago.

"Individuality is separation." The fake Jasper countered. "Separation leads to disagreement, disagreement leads to conflict."

"Conflict is why you exist." Fake Pearl stated.

"And why the concept of fusion exists." Fake Jasper countered with a smirk.

The gems continued to each give there own comments from their own stand point while Steven and Rose watched. The statements turned from a debate into an argument, with raised voices and flailing arms. Then it became physical. The Crystal gems and the Home-World gems began to fight among each other, dispelling themselves.

It was just 'Rose' and Steven.

"There is no 'Know' in this type of situation, only understanding. We can all give you different statements, but they would all be opinionated." Rose stated. "I did what I did because I thought it was right, that was my belief. Everyone has one, you need to decide yours."

"What...do you mean?" Steven asked confused.

Again the Rose construct knelt down to Steven's level and looked him the eyes. Even if she wasn't real, her eyes looked very kind.

"Steven, would you like to see Home-World for yourself?"

Review

Was anyone out of character? Was anything moving too fast or too slow?