A/N: For the first time, in what seemed like, well, ever, Steven had point blank asked a question to one of the Crystal Gems about a highly uncomfortable topic.
This is the result.
Or part one of it, anyway. the other half of Steven's POV during the episode will be coming up next chapter
Steven had wanted to know the truth for so long. No one would ever tell him anything, especially not the other Crystal Gems, who were always treating him like was a little kid. It was much better now than it used to be, and he could recognize, now that he was a little older, that maybe they hadn't been wrong to treat him like that in the beginning, when he really had been just a silly little kid who didn't know what they were doing.
But he was fourteen now, and he'd unlocked a lot of his powers, he could actually fight and defend himself-he'd been to Homeworld and back, even been face to face with the Diamonds themselves and lived to tell the tale! He was ready, for the truth, for all the things they kept from him.
He could handle it, because maybe he wasn't his mom, wasn't Rose Quartz except for the gem in his belly, but he was Steven Quartz Universe, and he was going to be leader of the Crystal Gems everyone hoped he could be.
-o-
So when he saw yet another strange dream of Pink Diamond on the moon, this time with Pearl seemingly in it, he'd had enough.
For the first time, in what seemed like, well, ever, Steven had point blank asked a question to one of the Crystal Gems about a highly uncomfortable topic. The thoughts had haunted him, enough that he had barely been able to think about the fact that Lapis had left again
( If he thought about that harder, he would come to the conclusion that this time was his fault, for blurting out his weird dream about the Diamonds without really thinking about what it would mean, or how it would affect her. He would wonder, if only he hadn't said anything, or if he'd at least tried to explain that it was dream of the past, of maybe she'd stay. But then, considering what he would soon learn, he would think that maybe, it was best that she had left after all-)
All he could think of was the dream.
( And it was always a dream, wasn't it? That should've been a hint, a reminder that this was not going to end well. When had any one of his weird gem dreams ever ended well? )
But Steven wasn't thinking about any of that. All he could think of was the strange silhouette of Pearl, the inconsistencies the Zircon had pointed out, and how it was all pointing him towards a conclusion that he almost refused to consider. But it made sense, didn't it?
His mom hadn't shattered Pink Diamond. Pearl did. Why , though? That part he didn't understand yet. He wanted too though. He just wanted to know the truth, even if it hurt.
However ready he felt he was though, Pearl clearly disagreed. Once again, she refused to speak about it. Her hands clapped over her mouth again, and the moment Amethyst came back, she all but ran away from him.
It should've ended there, another dead end.
-o-
But then, he got a text.
I want to tell you but I can't.
-o-
He didn't quite understand. Somehow, Pearl's gem was texting him from inside her?
Though Steven would much rather just talk about it, Pearl was really, weirdly , insistent about him getting her phone. It felt like he was missing something here, some piece that would have this all make sense.
Maybe that was the cellphone.
So, despite his doubts, he took Pearl's hand.
-o-
Steven had never really thought about what the inside of Pearl's gem was like. Vaguely, he was aware that it was some kind of pocket dimension since she was always storing stuff and taking stuff out from there, but he'd never thought too hard about what it must've looked like.
The first thing he saw seemed right, though. Pearl was nothing if not organized, a far cry from the crazy state of Amethyst's room. While it was a little surprising to see another Pearl inside, it made sense too. Who else, but another Pearl, would keep all the stuff she stored inside in order?
Everything made sense, at this point, at this level. Steven figured, he would get the cell phone now, and when he returned, maybe Pearl would finally explain everything.
But it wasn't so easy (when was it ever?), because the cell phone wasn't there, but somewhere else. With another Pearl, apparently. He wasn't quite sure he understood how this all worked, but he wasn't going to turn back now.
-o-
When the flash of light passed, he was somewhere in the beach, and he briefly wondered if the Pearl inside Pearl had made a mistake. But as his gaze turned towards the temple, looking very different from usual, he realized he wasn't just in any beach. He was in the beach.
Steven didn't think, when he was going inside Pearl's gem, that he was going to be going inside her head too. Maybe it should've been his first thought. Heck, Pearl's gem was even on her head! But, even with all the gem stuff he was used to by now, even though Steven had technically already been in other people's minds thanks to his dream powers, this was still new, and different.
It wasn't exactly fun and games, either. The first Pearl hadn't been kidding about it being a "mess". He spotted a familiar figure almost immediately, drawn by the sound of her sad cries.
Well, this is awkward.
He felt that familiar prickle of guilt in his stomach, the same he felt whenever anyone talked about how they missed his mother. He knew everyone was sad she was gone, but it was much worse to see just how much. Pearl was crying so hard, more than he'd ever seen her, maybe. He felt helpless in the face of her grief, as always.
All he could do was sit next to her, and try to talk to her.
It was at that the point the conversation took a strange turn, or, even stranger, anyway (he was talking to a Pearl inside Pearl inside Pearl's Pearl, after all). He didn't think Pearl was actually that sad about losing her cell phone, especially when this was supposed to be a past version of her. How did she even know about it, for that matter? It was all getting really confusing, but somehow, he knew, it would all make sense, it would all be alright, once he found the phone.
It had to, right?
