Onyx
"Okay, Onyx!" Lapis said, from outside. "You can come out now!"
I wandered outside and saw the ship out by the side of the barn. All the Rubies who were here last time were back again and they were all trapped in water bubbles.
"Are you okay?" I said.
"Yeah, I overreacted," said Lapis. "They were pretty easy to deal with."
"I guess Steven's little lie wouldn't work forever," I said.
"So, what should we do with them?" said Lapis.
Suddenly, I heard the warp pad activate.
"Great…" I grumbled. "Here they come…"
"Onyx!" Pearl yelled. She was the first to get to the area before Garnet. "Are you okay? Garnet said that the ship came back and…" She stopped when she saw the Rubies.
"Taken care of," said Lapis.
"Wait! Where's Steven?" said Pearl. "I thought he was watching you."
I stayed silent.
"Onyx, where did they go?" said Pearl. "This isn't the time for your silent treatment."
Oh sure, she let Garnet be silent to her, but not me… I thought.
"He went to the Beta-Kindergarten with Amethyst and Peridot," Lapis answered for me.
"Why would they go there?" said Pearl.
"The Rubies are back?!" said a voice.
Steven, Peridot, and Amethyst came up from behind us. Guess they were back from their little trip.
"They showed up on their little ship acting very angry," said Lapis. "So I put them in time out."
"I thought we were done with these guys," Steven said, walking up to the trapped Rubies. "Why did you come back here?"
"Let's release one and just ask what they're up to," said Garnet.
"Ooh! Can I pick?!" said Steven.
"Go for it," said Garnet.
Steven walked up and saw his choice.
"Oh! Let's talk to Leggy!" he said, pointing at the Ruby whose gem was on the side of her leg.
"Leggy?" said Pearl.
"I named them based on the placement of their gems," said Steven. "There's Leggy, Army, Navy, Eyeball and, uh… Doc. Leggy seems like the easiest to talk to."
"Leggy, come on down," Lapis said, moving her right hand downward.
Leggy was surprised to be let out. She fell to the ground in shock.
"Hey," said Steven. "Hi. I'm Steven. What brings you back to Earth?"
"Um… I… don't… know?" said Leggy.
"Oh, uh, I understand," said Steven. "I used to forget why we go on missions all the time."
"I'll just… go stand over here, then," Leggy said, walking over to the fence.
"Let's take a chance of Army," said Steven.
Army dropped from the air, but seemed more prepared for the landing.
"Good afternoon!" Steven said, sounding friendly.
Army yelled and ran towards Steven.
"I'll tear you limb-" she tried to say, before Garnet picked her up with one hand.
"Hey! Don't be like that!" said Garnet.
"Why I outta-" Army yelled, before she started kicking and punching the air, while yelling in audible things.
"Aw…" Garnet, fondly. And she tucked Army under her arm, while keeping her retrained.
"Hey, what the-" Army tried to say.
"Next!" said Garnet.
"Uh… Navy?" said Steven
Navy wasn't as aggressive as Army when we let her out, to say the least.
"If I remember correctly…" said Navy. "We were on Earth…" She trailed off and looked away."Heh… This is so embarrassing… Ohoho… Aaah!" And she ran and joined up with Leggy.
"Okay, uh, Eyeball?" said Steven.
Eyeball landed on his feet and stared us in the eyes.
"I'm not telling ya'll nothin', about nothin'!" said Eyeball. And she crossed her arms with a scowl.
"The only one left now us, uh… Doc," said STeven.
Doc landed on his feet and wasted no time.
"Where's Jasper?!" said Doc. "Last time we came, you tricked us into playing that stupid game! Then, you said, 'She's on Neptune'. So we looked, and she wasn't there! She wasn't on Neptune, or any other planet in this whole, dang, solar system! Tell us where she is right now!"
Army freed herself and joined the other Rubies as they gathered around Doc.
"No games," said Doc, "no tricks, and no slick disguises."
"Yeah!" the other Rubies yelled.
"Hey!" yelled a stern voice.
"Everyone turned their gaze to the source. Amethyst had shape changed to look like Jasper.
"I'm right here!" said Amethyst.
"Oh my gosh…" I said.
"Is she serious?" said Pearl. "There's no way this is gonna-"
"Look, it's Jasper!" said one of the Rubies. All of them seemed excited. Eyeball pushed through the group and Amethyst by herself.
"Jasper!" she said. "I'm Ruby 1F4 cut 4ND. I fought in the war for Earth." She formed her Homeworld salute.
"Uh… At ease," said Amethyst.
" I was on the ground in Facet-6 when I heard the tale of the Facet-9 Kindergarten Quartz that could," said Eyeball. "They said you popped out of the ground with your helmet on, and took out eighty Crystal Gems before the sun went down! When I found out this mission was to look for you, I nearly disapated my form! It is an honor to finally meet you!"
"...Yep!" said Amethyst. "That's me! Always huge! Never small all the… All the time since I was made!"
"Wait a minute," said Eyeball. "You look different than I thought before…"
"Oh, here it is…" said Pearl.
"Oh, you must mean my tan," said Amethyst. "You know, from the sun!"
"Stupid Earth sun!" Eyeball said, kicking the dirt. "I hate this planet!"
"Curse this planet!" Amethyst yelled, doing the same. The other Rubies came and joined in.
"Well, it's a good thing we finally found you," Eyeball said, as everyone settled down. "Yellow Diamond and Emerald are awaiting your return. We'll take you back to Homeworld right away."
Oh, right… The Rubies don't know that he's here… I thought.
"No!" Amethyst said, using her real voice for a second. She cleared her throat and tried to do an impression of Jasper again. "I, Jasper, have decided to stay on Earth."
"What?!" said Doc.
"Why?" said Leggy.
"Yeah, why Jasper?" said Navy.
"Because, I gotta stay here," Amethyst said, walking over to us. "With these guys! Yup. Gotta keep a prisoner… for the Diamonds."
Army started clapping.
"Jasper…" said Leggy.
"Such… devotion…" Navy said, wiping a tear. Doc and Eyeball applauded with Army.
"Well, Yellow and Emerald will definitely want to know about this," said Doc. "We'll have to file a report at the nearest Moon Base."
"Where's that?" said Leggy.
"Uh, somewhere right here?" said Navy.
"You dummies!" said Doc. "It's uh… It's… Hmm…"
"Agh! It's there!" Eyeball said, pointing up at the sky. It was one of those days where the moon was out during the day.
"I gotta hold this all the way to the moon?!" said Amethyst.
The Rubies immediately glanced over.
"Uh, hold this…" said Amethyst. "These… prisoners. Gotta bring the rebel prisoners if we're going to the moon. Can't leave them here, unsupervised."
"Very well," said Doc. "To the ship!"
"What are you doing?!" I said, as the Rubies headed to the ship.
"Saving your butt!" Amethyst whispered, angrily.
"Lapis did that, not you!" I whispered back.
"Amethyst, this isn't going to work!" said Pearl.
"You can't hold that form forever," said Garnet.
"I can do this!" Amethyst whispered. "We'll go to the moon, come back, and they'll leave us alone. Just play along!"
"But-" I said.
"Let's give it a try," Steven said, pulling me along.
I knew Steven was really just trying to not let me argue…
"Fine…" I grumbled, walking towards the ship.
The ship was actually bigger on the inside than the outside. Five seats with controls were there for the Rubies and there were windows for each one.
"Whoa! It's huge in here!" said Steven. "I thought it'd be super cramped!"
"Hey! This ain't no pleasure cruise!" said Eyeball.
"Yeah!" said Amethyst. "Show some respect you… Crystal Germs!"
"Yeah, you tell 'em, Jasper!" a Ruby cheered.
"I bet they got those germs from Earth," another quipped.
"Aw, curses!" Garnet said, walking over to the nearest wall to sit. "I can't believe we've been caught! And by none other than Jasper!"
"Uh-huh," Steven said, joining her. "That sure is Jasper… the one who caught us. Har-rumph!"
"Oh all the the indignities!" Pearl yelled, dramatically. "Do what you want! I'll never talk!"
"Ha… I wish," said Amethyst.
"Yeah," said a Ruby who laughed a little.
"She talks a lot," another Ruby said, smiling.
"Go sit over there, now!" Amethyst ordered, as she pointed at Garnet and Steven. Pearl did as she was told.
Amethyst stared at me. She was probably waiting for me to do the same.
"Whatever…" I muttered, joining the others.
"He doesn't talk much, huh?" said Leggy.
"I talk!" I said. "I just hate the sight of her in my face!"
Amethyst glared.
"Quiet down!" said Amethyst. "Your job on Homeworld isn't to speak!"
"Maybe so…" I said, looking away. "My blade does the talking for me… That's how it is, huh?"
Amethyst looked surprised.
"Jasper!" Doc said, running up to her.
"Ah! I'm Jasper!" said Amethyst.
"Please feel free to take my seat up front," said Doc. "The captain's seat! It would be an honor."
"Yeah!" said Amethyst. "Yes!"
"I hope it's to your liking," Doc said, as Amethyst sat in the chair.
"It's all right," said Amethyst.
"You can go ahead and head towards to Moon Base whenever you're ready," said Doc.
Amethyst looked at the controls. "Of course!" she said. But was confused on how the ship worked.
"Listen," Amethyst said, grabbing Doc and putting her in her lap. "I'm Jasper, and… I'm too worn out from catching rebels to fly, so I'll just sit here like this and you work the thing to get us to the moon. Got it?"
"Yes," said Doc. "Of course. To the moon, then?"
"To the moon, then!" Amethyst declared.
"To the moon, then!" the Rubies said, excitedly.
The shipped whirred on and we took off into the sky. I was nervous, but since Garnet hasn't decided against the plan, I guess it's better to go with it.
The skies turned to black. We were officially in space. And now, we were heading towards the moon.
"Hey, keep my seat warm while I check on our prisoners," said Amethyst.
"Yes, Jasper," said Doc. "Good idea."
"NO!" Pearl shrieked, as Amethyst walked over to us. "Stay away from us, you brute!"
"Keep it down, Pearl!" said Amethyst. "That one Ruby wants to throw you into space!"
Army was throwing her one of her fists into the other palm.
"Sorry," said Pearl. "I got a bit carried away."
"Shouldn't you get back to your seat, 'Jasper'?" I said.
"Ah!" said Amethyst.
"Onyx, that's enough!" said Garnet. "Let it go!"
"Uh, are you okay, Amethyst?" said Steven. "You've been holding that form forever, now."
"I've got it under control," said Amethyst. "Hey! My seat better still be warm when I get over there!" she yelled to Doc, as she walked back.
The ship headed to the moon. The air lock was used to get into the Diamond Base. It was the very same place where we went to find the location of the Cluster.
The Rubies got out of the ship first.
"All clear!" Doc said, who led everyone out.
"Right this way, Jasper," said Eyeball.
"Oh, Jasper!" Pearl said, as we stepped out of the ship. "Won't you ever let us go?!"
"Look at this place," Eyeball said, looking around with her gem shining through the dark. "Frozen in time… An Era-1 base. Her Era-1 base."
The light from Eyeball's gem shined onto of the portraits of the Diamonds. Now that my mind was wasn't clouded anymore, I knew who that was.
"It was a tragedy what happened to her…" said Eyeball.
"Who is that, anyway?" said Leggy.
"Were you made yesterday?!" Eyeball yelled. "That is Pink Diamond. Jasper, maybe it's best if you explain."
"What? Me?" said Amethyst. "No. No, you do it. I'm like… too messed up about it…"
"I understand…" Eyeball said, gently. "She was… your original Diamond."
We carried on to the top. Eyeball explained everything as we ascended.
I vaguely recalled Pink Diamond, now that they mentioned her. Maybe I still needed more time to reclaim my memories of her, but as I tried to remember, a bit of sadness started to swell up in my chest.
"The Earth… was Pink Diamond's colony…" Eyeball explained. "Everything was going smoothly. Kindergartens were incubating their first soldiers. Big war pieces of Quartzes - like this mountain over here - were being created from its rich minerals with great success. Then, bam! One of Pink Diamond's very own soldiers started a rebellion, and took it too far… Where were you when it happened?"
"Oh, you know…" said Amethyst. "Around…"
"I was there!" Eyeball said, stopping to look at Amethyst. "I saw it with my own eye. I watched the leader of the rebellion, Rose Quartz, shatter Pink Diamond!"
And at that sentence, it hit me like a rock… P-Pink Diamond… She was… She was my… She was our…
"No," Steven, said, breaking me away from my thoughts. "Rose Quartz… would never do that! A-And sure she had to fight, but… But she would never shatter someone!"
Tears were in Steven's eyes. I wanted to believe that wasn't true, as well, but Garnet could say nothing and Pearl was shivering in fear. She couldn't even bear to look at Steven or myself.
"Hey," said Doc, who came back from ahead. "We got a problem."
We all went up to the controls at the top. There, we saw what the problem was.
"The panel's broken!" said Doc "The communicator's gone! There's no way to contact Yellow Diamond from this hub!"
"Crystal Gems!" Eyeball yelled in anger.
While they were distracted, Amethyst turned back to her normal self. Sweat was running down her face and she looked exhausted. Steven was holding Garnet's hand, but he continued to look conflicted. Amethyst shape-shifted to look like Jasper again when Doc turned to her.
"We'll have to take you to Homeworld to file a report in person," said Doc.
"I can't!" Amethyst yelled, struggling to hold her form. "I can't go!"
The Rubies looked concerned.
"You know what?" said Amethyst. She looked to Eyeball and put her hand on the Ruby's head. "You know me. Go back home and file the report for me. I'm trusting you, soldier."
"Wow," said Eyeball. "Of course!"
"That settles it," said Doc. "Alright, Rubies. Back to the ship!"
The Rubies went into their ship when we got down from above. Amethyst turned back to her normal self. The other congratulated her, but I was drawn to the picture of M… I mean, Pink Diamond. Sure, the White Diamond emblem was on my outfit beneath this sweater, but… Pink was a Diamond. She was important to my master, but she was happy to turn against her. After all, PInk Diamond was happy to extinguish all life from Earth.
"Are you okay?" said Steven. He had walked up to me while I was distracted. I was so tired of people asking me that, but just this once - for Steven's sake - I let it slide.
"Are you?" I answered back.
"I… I think so," said Steven. He looked to others who were staring at us. "O-Onyx…" he whispered. "If you remember anything… Did Mom… Did she really…"
"U-Um…" I said. "I-"
"Hey, do you need a ride back to Earth?" said Doc. "I can sit in your lap if you wa-" She looked and saw Amethyst as herself. "What?!"
"I'm still Jasper!" said Amethyst.
"We've been tricked again?!" said Doc.
The other Rubies gathered by the ship's door.
"No way!" they said.
"Rubies assemble!" Doc shouted.
The Rubies ran off the ship and jumped into formation.
"Yeah!" they yelled, as the fused into a giant Ruby.
"We won't let you trick us again," the giant Ruby shouted.
"Hey, Rubies!" Steven yelled, who was by the door of the Moon Base. "If you're gonna fight… take it outside!"
Steven pressed the button, and the giant Ruby was nearly pulled out the door. She clung to the frame.
"You can't get rid of us that easy!" said the giant Ruby.
A light was at the center. Garnet and Pearl formed Sardonyx, while a tired Amethyst chilled out on her right shoulder.
"I bet she can!" said Steven.
Sardonyx swung her hammer into the giant Ruby. They unfused and were sucked outside. Eyeball tried to grab something… but she grabbed Steven yanking him out with her.
NO! I yelled in my mind. Terror filled my chest.
"No, no, no, no, no!" I yelled, running at the door, with tears in my eyes. I jumped into the air, reaching out my hand.
"STEVEN!" I yelled, but he was too far away.
"Steven…" I said, softly, not noticing that I was floating away myself.
Suddenly, Amethyst's whip wrapped around my waist. I was pulled back into the base. The door closed and I landed onto the cold hard ground.
"I've got you, Onyx!" said Amethyst.
"Steven!" I yelled, freeing myself from Amethyst' whip and running towards the door.
"Onyx, leave the door alone or you'll be pulled into space!" Garnet said, grabbing my arm
"Let go of me!" I yelled, fight back tears. "Not Steven! Not him!"
"Get it together!" Garnet said, yanking me away. "I-I… We have to keep it together…"
I was shocked. This was the first time I actually saw Garnet trying to keep herself from panicking.
"Can you do that for me?" said Garnet.
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my angry and sad thoughts at bay.
"...Okay," I said.
"What do we do?!" Pearl yelled, holding back tears. "Steven! He's trapped in space!"
"We use the ship!" said Garnet. "We're going to get our Steven back!"
"But Steven can't breathe in space!" said Pearl.
"What?!" I said, getting worried.
"Pearl!" Garnet snapped. "Steven will be fine! I know it! Everyone into the ship!"
Everyone raced into the ship. Pearl closed the hatch at the entrance and ran to the captain's seat.
"A-Alright! I can do this!" Pearl said, staring at the controls. "I'm coming, Steven!"
The ship whirred on and it floated towards the door.
"I did it!" said Pearl.
"Keep it steady, Pearl," Garnet said, as the ship wobbled as Pearl steered out of the Moon Base.
"Onyx, did you see where Steven went?!" said Pearl.
"That way!" I said, pointing to the right of the Earth.
"Hang on tight!" said Pearl.
Some of us fell over as Pearl suddenly changed the ship's course.
"Easy, P!" Amethyst snapped. "You're gonna knock us out of the ship! Now who's being reckless?!"
"We have to find Steven!" Pearl said, as tears filled her eyes.
"We'll find him, Pearl!" said Amethyst. She seemed just as worried as Pearl, though.
Garnet tried to help me up, but I waved her off and headed to a window to look out in. The remaining Crystal Gems did the same. I know I sound like a jerk, being so mean during a crisis… I'll even admit it's selfish. I could even feel Amethyst's and Garnet's eyes on me as I walked over to the window.
"You alright?" said Garnet.
"I'm fine!" I said, trying to sound stern.
It was silent for a while. I knew Garnet and Amethyst were watching out for any sign of Steven, too. We'd also have to keep an eye out and see if we ran into any Rubies. I knew the intensity was high for Steven, but they all knew I was still angry at them.
Something about the empty void of space brought up a memory of my master for some reason. She was a Gem for Pink Diamond. That much was true. Yet, there was one thing she liked to do that she could never before she betrayed Homeworld. She loved singing. That type of activity was usually only done by Pearls and only if they were ordered to…
Geez, why was it that only in dire straights that I get these little tidbits of memories back. A tear filled one of my eyes and I could see it in the reflection of the window making, making me glare. I was sick of feeling conflicted! Sick of feeling sad and angry! Then in the same reflection I could see Garnet and Amethyst staring at me. I was sick of the Gems seeing me at my lowest!
"Stop staring at me!" I yelled.
"You're crying…" said Amethyst.
"So what if I am?!" I said. "Steven's out there and we don't know where he is! Do have any idea how large space is!"
Pearl kept staring at the screen, but tears were flowing down from her eyes, as she tried to focus on driving.
"Onyx, you're making Pearl very upset!" said Garnet.
"Dude, you okay?" said Amethyst.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?!" I yelled. "I'm fine! I'm great! I'm peachy! Stop asking!"
Amethyst glared.
"So what? Is it wrong to care?" said Amethyst.
"I thought you'd be happy," I said. "I cried about it like you told me to!"
"Well, I-" Amethyst tried to say. Suddenly, the ship shook. We all fell down from the movement.
"What's happening?!" said Garnet.
Amethyst checked outside the window and a bunch of floating rocks were around us.
"An asteroid field?!" said Amethyst.
"Pearl, get us out of here!" said Garnet.
"I'm trying!" said Pearl. "I don't know how all of this works!"
"Well, I…" Amethyst continued, while we were on the ground, and Pearl kept trying to work the controls. "I've been training! And you, on the other hand, have been moping around!"
The lights flickered as another asteroid hit the ship. Either the impact messed up the lights, or Pearl pressed a wrong button.
"I lost… everything!" I said, as the ship started shaking. A thicker field of asteroids was ahead.
"Do something!" said Garnet.
"I'm trying!" said Pearl.
"My master…" I muttered. "My friends… My home…"
"AH!" Pearl yelled, as the windows started closing and the lights went out. There was an alarm and red flashing lights. The ship started shaking even more. The forced knocked her and Garnet away from the controls, along with Amethyst and myself to the floor.
"They're gone…" I said, sadly. "They're all gone! H-How… How could anyone understand how I feel?"
Amethyst looked to the floor for a second. I hoped for a response… And well, I got one when she looked me in the eye.
"Will you stop whining?!" Amethyst yelled.
I gasped.
"No! Maybe I don't understand!" Amethyst yelled. "I don't know what it's like to lose an entire army full of Gems I care about about. But… Pearl does! And Garnet! And Ruby! And Sapphire! Yeah! I don't know what you and they feel… but I know what it's like to lose the one who always knew what to do!"
"Amethyst…" said Pearl.
"Ever since Emerald came to Earth, you've been miserable!" said Amethyst. "You've snapped at us! You ran from us! You made yourself feel like everything's your fault! But… you're kind! And so much less uptight than Pearl!"
"Amethyst!" Pearl said, angrily.
A tear filled my right eye.
"You told me not be ashamed of where I came from!" said Amethyst. "You said you cared about me… when I thought I was a monster! Heck, you learned to fight from a video game!"
"A… Amethyst…" I said, trying to get up, but the rumbling made me fall again.
"Even if you didn't beat Emerald, you got your memory back!" said Amethyst. "And yeah! The truth stinks! But you still have people you care about! You have us!"
I tried to get up, but another hit knocked me down towards the door, but Amethyst's whipped grabbed me by the waist. Pearl and Garnet held onto Amethyst as the ship tilted to the side.
They were right… I had them…
I grabbed the whip, and behind the Gems, I saw screen.
"We need you here!" said Garnet. "In the present!"
"Orchard wouldn't want you to grieve over her death!" said Pearl. "And… Rose would've said the same thing…"
"Now help us find Steven!" said Amethyst. "So together, we can clobber the the jerk who made us all miserable!"
I stood onto my feet and used Amethyst's whip to pull me towards them.
"I… I loved them all…" I said, as I got closer to them. "But… you're right! At least I still have you guys!"
Amethyst grabbed my hand. Then Pearl pulled me towards the controls and Garnet helped me get a grip on the chair. I reached over to the screen, and the moment I hit a button, the ship came to a halt. The sudden change in movement, knocked me to the floor and the lights went out, only to turn back on a second later.
I used the chair to help me stand. Everyone else got up, too. Outside the reopened windows, I could see stars far and wide.
"We made it…" said Pearl.
A wave of silence came over the ship.
"...So, it took us almost dying for us to make up, huh?" Amethyst finally said.
I wiped my eye, but everyone else looked like they had something in their eye, too. And we also laughed a little.
"I-I'm sorry…" I said.
Amethyst put her hand on my shoulder.
"Well, I've been a jerk, too," said Amethyst. "And I guess it didn't help at all when I turned into Jasper."
I turned to Garnet and Pearl.
"I finally understand… why you had to hide… all that from me…" I said to Garnet and Pearl. "But… I can't promise I'll stop feeling like this really soon. Does it… ever go away?"
Garnet couldn't even provide a reassuring smile for that question.
"I wish I could say yes…" said Garnet.
"But it gets easier," said Pearl. "I promise."
"I know it's painful," said Garnet. "But all we can do it keep moving and fighting. If not for them, then for the ones who are still with us."
"Steven…" I said, softly.
"And don't worry," said Garnet. "We'll find him."
"No!" I said. "Steven! He's right there!"
Everyone rushed to the same window I was looking out of. Steven was safely in his bubble, but he was unconscious.
"We have to do something!" I said.
"Stand back!" Pearl said, sitting at the controls once more. "This time, I've got it!"
The ship whirred with power and a yellow tractor beam shined onto Steven. The door opened and Steven was safely brought into the ship. We ran over, and as soon as the door closed and one of us got a grip on him, his bubble gave out. I caught him and fell onto my knees.
"Steven!" I cried. "Steven!"
"Wake up!" Garnet said, as everyone gathered around him.
Steven's eyes slowly opened and he seemed surprised to see us… but also relieved.
"Steven!" Pearl, Amethyst, and I yelled. We all latched onto the boy, embracing him, letting our tears escape.
"Told ya we'd find him!" Amethyst said, smiling through her tears.
"Heh… You were right…" Pearl said, doing the same. And they awkwardly laughed.
"I'm sorry, Steven!" I said. "I was so upset, and I yelled at you and everyone!"
"It's okay, Onyx" said Steven. "As long as you're okay, I'm okay."
Garnet took off her visor and gazed at Steven with all three teary eyes. She patted him on the head, but Steven himself started laughing… and crying… and we did, too. We all joined in a group hug.
After we all got it together, Pearl began to steer the ship again… but I knew Steven still had a lot of stuff to ask us. I didn't know what the others would say, but I could recall anything, I would answer him as honestly as possible.
"...How come nobody told me about Pink Diamond?" said Steven.
"...We all did what we had to during the war…" said Garnet. "Everything's different now."
"But did Mom really do it?" said Steven. "Did she really… shatter her?"
"Steven… I wish I could say no…" I finally answered.
Steven frowned, almost on the verge of tears.
"...She had to…" said Garnet. "The Earth belonged to Pink Diamond. Destroying her was the only way to save the planet. For Amethyst to be herself, for Pearl to be free, for me to be together, for Onyx to be more than a tool… For you to exist."
"But I thought…" Steven tried to say. "At least she never…"
"She didn't always do what was best for her…" said Garnet. "But she always did what was best for Earth…"
"Even... if it meant shattering someone?" said Steven.
"Yes…" said Garnet.
Steven sighed. He sat comfortably in his chair and stared ahead towards our destination.
"...Thanks for telling me…" he said.
While it was true that Pink Diamond… My Diamond was destroyed… I understood Rose's reasons. I had the right to be sad… but I had to be strong. Pink Diamond was willing to destroy all life on Earth… so she had to end hers before she ended the Earth.
The Gems being honest… The fights we fought… Through every twist and turn we still cared about one another… They still cared about me…
"You gonna be alright?" said Amethyst.
"I will be…" I said. "I have you guys…"
Amethyst grabbed my hand.
"Good to have you back…" said Amethyst.
"Good to be back…" I said.
Pearl and Garnet glanced over and smiled. Now that we were all finally back together and safe… we headed towards home…
…
If I could begin to be
Half of what you think of me
I could about anything
I could even learn how to love
When I see the way you act
Wondering when I'm coming back
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love
Like you...
Love...
Like you
I always thought I might be bad
Now I'm sure that it's true, 'cause
I think you're so good
And I'm nothing like you
Look at you go
I just adore you
I wish that I knew
What makes you think I'm so special
If I could begin to do
Something that does right by you
I would do about anything
I would even learn how to love...
When I see the way you look
Shaken by how long it took
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love
Like you...
Love
Like you...
Love me like you...
A/N: It's been about a year since I uploaded this story. To think, a year ago I was in high school and now I'm in college.
Also, I've already started planning a part two for this story. I thought about just adding it to this story, but I don't want this one to be longer than it already is. Hence, a separate part two story. I haven't decided a name yet, but several chapters have been planned out already. You can check out my profile for more information.
Anyway, if you're still reading, see you next week for the epilogue.
