Note: Any references that this story makes aside from the universe that this takes place in belongs to their respective owners and should be as such.

Warning: Language, Violence, Sexual Themes

Ch.21: Inner Epiphany part 2

"Are..you..SHITTING ME WHITE!"

"Yellow!"

"No, I apologize Blue but fuck that! You're telling me that from that day that our home rumbled and shook, in mere minutes that it split in half! That wasn't you but Pink?!"

You could be surprised how the formation wasn't broken even with the emotions that Yellow was displaying.

"Yellow ple-"

"Oh come off it Blue, you're just as angry as I am! All those years we thought it was White that had those destructive tempers that has been occurring, only to find it wasn't true? Like what, is the next thing you're going to say is that the Japanese cartoons Steven showed us a year ago are not historically accurate but made up fiction?"

Both Blue and White Diamond moved their eyes away, sweating profusely lile a guilty person. Yellow turned her head to White and then to Blue with shock written all over her face.

"Oh you motherfucker!!"

Yellow broke from the formation and tackled White to the ground, causing the dome to disperse into a shockwave that knocked Blue to the ground. Thanks to that Steven slowly rose up to his feet.

"Umm Yellow, White?"

Ehh right now White and Yellow were in the middle of a sand wrestling tussle. Thanks to the distraction Steven jumped high into the air and stopped in midair using his float ability, his entire eye turning black and the pupil flashed a white, rhombus shaped light.

"Say uncle, Baki killer!"

"Yellow, Blue? Steven is up!"

"Huh?"

Yellow stopped her painful scorpion she was inflicting onto her sister so they both could look up to where Blue is pointing at. The aura surrounding Steven exploded out of him without him doing anything. Some clicks and graveling from his throat occurred, indicating that his mind was no longer himself and changed to that of a beast.

"That does not look good."

"Can you get off now Yellow?!"

"Dark..ness."

The monster in the form of the once pacifistic human boy spoke in a low nasily, breathy tone. His head twitched painfully, Blue looked visibly afraid.

"Dark...ness...anguish...huuuuuu locked room...p-p-p-punishment. Rrgh gwaaah."

Steven grabbed both sides of his head, shaking it from side to side as if he was trying to force a pain in his head to go away. The pain only got worse along with his breathing.

"Steven...Steven what's wrong?!"

Blue Diamond tried to call out to Steven but to no avail as he started to pound himself on the left side of his head.

"Not enough..not enough...not enough..."

"What's wrong with our Steven...other than what looks like corruption?"

"Even Blue looks shaken. She felt something that made her like that. That's not normal. Blue, what's going on?!"

"I don't know...I feel this overwhelming surge of pain, anger, resentment. It's growing stronger and stronger."

As the three Diamonds were talking Steven's head were filled with voices from each of them over and over again. Flashes of memories appeared in the pov of Pink Diamond pleading and begging on different occasions. Some were of when she was in a dark room banging on the wall, another she was on her knees in front of Yellow Diamond's silhouette and then the same thing to Blue. Finally the voices were gone and was replaced by a bloodcurdling scream.

Steven shot his head up towards the sky, directly at the moon. After a few seconds he let his arms drop to his side, his breathing starting to become stable.

"Diamonds..."

Looking down below him Steven scanned each of the Diamonds who were still where they were. His eyes were wide open as if he realised something. Extended out his index finger Steven pointed to each of them.

"Yellow...Blue...White."

"(I don't like the way he's looking at us.)"

Though gems don't have saliva Yellow gulped. Then Steven looked straight ahead of him with the most demonic grin anyone would shutter at.

"Diamonds...I...am perfect...not you."

Before Yellow Diamond could even blink Blue was sent flying out towards the ocean at a high speed, causing a huge splash. She was dumbfounded, Steven was right there a second ago?

"What the? How did he move so fast? I didn't even blink."

"He moved so fast yet I was able to see his movements."

"(Of course you did...damnit.)"

If Yellow was on White's caliber (despite being a Diamond herself), she would've been able to see at that moment when Steven zipped in front of Blue Diamond and punched her square in the face. Then again White is the strongest or in this case the second strongest among the four Diamonds. The factor wouldn't be of authoritarian power but Pink was now pretty much revealed to out class all three of them in regards to strength, speed, even durability.

"What are going to do Yellow? Now that Steven has been released this whole planet will be doomed."

"...Not if we actually get off our asses and do something about it."

"Sorry but that's a literal impossibility. I have a disease in which I shatter if I even scratch a hair on Steven's body."

"Bullcrap! You just made it up, we don't get diseases!"

As expected of White, being the most overlydramatic "mother figure" of the group aside from Blue and as always Yellow would have to be the one to do the hard decision making around here.

"Sigh fine just sit there...as usual I'm going to handle this."

Yellow Diamond's body crackled with electricity, ready to fight...and hopefully not hurt Steven too bad.

"I can't blame you honestly...you were still basically a child if that makes sense?"

"Actually Steven it does make sense now when I look back at that day. That day was my trauma. To see the result of my anger, my rage...it terrified me to death. But I do have to thank it, for helping me have more control of my emotions."

Steven and Pink both let out a sigh of relief. They both made with their thoughts seperate hammocks right next to eachother. It really helped to get rid of some of tension that occured not too long ago. Honestly Steven was surprised that he was able to last against his own mother's titan-like strength.

"You know mom, I'm glad we had this talk. You don't have to lie anymore now that you let it all out of your system...I feel like...some weight was lifted off my shoulders although you were the one that needed to let it out."

"Hmhmhm yes I agree with you greatly. I thought that I was never good enough to be the Diamond like the others. Like I said before look at me, I didn't have half of the qualities that White, Blue, or Yellow had. I just a child who didn't even realise that she was way over her head until it was too late."

Pink turned her head towards Steven. How she looked at him sent some misread mixed messages that caused him to blush. Great, just for looking at the way she was sprawled out with those half litted eyes now he feels like a goddamn degenerate.

"Thank you Steven oh so much."

"Ehhheheh no prob bob."

They both shared a laugh as they looked back up to the floating gem of theirs. Though there was something that was bothering Pink so she looked back to her son.

"Steven?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want to know...what about you?"

Steven rose a brow, he didn't follow what Pink meant. Well technically he had a guess but he just thought of other possibilities of what she meant to say.

"I don't follow."

"What I mean is you felt the emotions in me that were a hindrance to our soul. But what about you? I felt that you had some guilt and self loathing even before you came here."

"...You did?"

"Yes I did and it's kinda painful when I felt the weighing pressure...Want to talk about it?"

There was going to be a point when Steven would have to do the same thing and he knew it. He knew that this whole shitty scenario was biting him in the ass metaphorically. From what Quantum said...he was right about him. This is all his fault.

"Steven?!"

Pink got worried when she saw Steven's tears roll down his face. He needed to sit up for a bit which he did while pinching the bridges of his eyes. She was going to reach out and comfort him but he put a hand up and slowly breathed in and out.

"Snnnfffff it's okay mom...it's okay I'll be fine."

The slight low crack in his voice was showing that he wasn't fine yet after a few seconds Steven regained his cool. Just thinking of the things that happened throughout this entire day has finally caught up to him.

"Quantum was right, this was all my fault."

"Steven, honey it's not you-"

"But it is!...I'm sorry for yelling mom. Unfortunately you're wrong, it was my fault. Pearl was so hard on me for the last two years cause she knew if someone like Spinel were to come and invade Earth all because of some shit that happened in the past and I'm not strong enough to stop them then why the fuck am I a Crystal Gem?"

Pink could barely say anything to that. What Steven said was true and he finally gets it it seems.

"She wanted me to get stronger yet I kept being fucking selfish in a bad way and turn away from my responsibilities. This whole day with the miasma that corrupted my friends and put others in harms way I kept seeing as a symbolic catastrophe of me shirking my duty and listening to my desires. Now look where we are?!"

Covering his face with his hands Steven softly weeped, prompting Pink's motherly instincts to kick in and pulled her child into a loving hug. He looked like he really needed one right now as he buried his face into her bosom with his body shaking, gritted teeth and the emotion flood gates breaking through.

"It's because of me that everyone has been massively mind controlled! It's because of me that the Diamonds were captured! It's thanks to me that Connie's dead! IT WOULD BE BETTER IF I WAS JUST REPROGRAMMED SO I WOULD DO MY FUCKING DUT-"

Steven's emotionally struck out sentence was cut off by the shock of himself he never expected to happen.

*SMACK!*

Getting knocked off of his made hammock Steven was open slapped across the face by his own mother. Now she was the one shaking not from rage, but from sadness. She stared daggers at him.

"DON'T EVER SAY THAT! DON'T EVER MISTAKE YOUR HUMANITY AS A WEAKNESS! YOU'RE NOT A GODDAMN GEM, YOU'RE A HUMAN, THE BEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME!"

"Mom."

"...You changing and adapting to the world is why you were so strong. You knew that change is never easy and every single person changes every single day. It was the strive to be better was why humans were so great in the first place?"

Steven rubbed his red, throbbing cheek, not concentrating on the pain but to his mother's smiling face.

"A fall from that strive shouldn't deter you to beat yourself up for something that is natural in all living creatures. You only went in the direction of your desires and that's okay! Just don't throw yourself away just because of this, please?"

...She was right, as always. This may be Steven's fault but that doesn't mean he should just run away from himself and the mistakes that are occurring right this minute. The moment he realised that a sudden explosive surge of his own aura took Steven by surprise.

The intense eruption of power blanketed his body and it wasn't just him. Pink also felt the same thing Steven was as if they were feeling this phenomenon in sync with eachother. Also the pink diamond gem that was floating over their heads enveloped itself in a white light.

"Wha aah, Mom! What's happening?!"

"I don't know!"

Their entire soul was shaking very intensely all around them. Steven and Pink were starting to lose their footing until the clouds they were standing on were blown away. At first they both thought they were going to fall down into the dark abyss so they closed their eyes. But after a few seconds they opened them to see that they were floating.

This kind of floating felt...different, waaaay different. There was no time to rationally think however since they saw that their bodies now were being turned into light. No sound came out from either of their mouths, the two light bodies instantly traveled up and into the circular once diamond light.

Meanwhile as this strange, alien process was going on someone below was watching in amazement.

"You finally understood, right Steven Universe?"

The person felt a painful tightening in their chest, it subsided slightly. He had to say, he didn't expect this kind of scenario to happen. The endgame was suppossed to be Steven causing Earth's devastation after shattering Emerald or Green Pearl to be technical but this?...This opened his eyes to a whole new possibility.

"You understood your faults and strengthened your resolve to finally come in terms with your weaknesses and decide to overcome it. To think that this Prince would see this miracle after hearing him suffer."

The spherical light slowly changed to a lightish pink color, pulsing that caused it grow in size and intensity. Even the great Shooting Star had to shield his eyes as the light them condensed itself before filling the entire plain of existence with its presence.

20 minutes went by and a white outline of Steven was floating down peacefully onto a field of flowers. When he touched the ground the light came off of him, completely reconstructed his body without any issue. He was sleeping soundly with a smile plastered on his face. Whatever he was dreaming of must be an obvious peaceful one. The warm snuggly feeling and the heat that was comfortable enough made Steven want to sleep forever.

"Ste...Steve..."

Yep, nothing could beat this kind of relaxation. Crazy enough the only time Steven was ever this relaxed was the before Spinel appeared part when he was laying on the grass with Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst.

"Steven, wake up!"

"Wha!...Huh? Where am I?"

Steven felt a bit dizzy yet also felt like his body was weightless. Looking around a hand was placed on his shoulder. He would've jumped naturally when someone surpises another without them noticing but he instantly knew who it was behind him.

"Mom...what is this?"

Getting up to his feet Steven turned around to face his mother. When he did his grogginess melted away due to his wide opened eyes to the view that was presented right in front of him.

"Steven? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uhhhhhhh."

Why aren't any words coming out of Steven's mouth? Jeez, he's embarrassing himself like this, his dumbfounded look just further puts him in the bottom line of degeneracy. Snap out of it you drooling idiot, she's waiting for a response!

"D-D-D-D-id you change your hair?"

"Excuse me?"

Nice cover, really deflected that bullet there...though the sins still runs down your fucking back. Anyway Pink found a reflective pool of sparkling clean water to look at herself since her son is looking at her the same way Greg has. When she knelt down she was shocked. Never in her life did she expect that her hair which remained the same had shiny, glossy curls.

From the reflection of the water her eyes were colored a lighter shade of pink. As mentioned her hair was the same except it looked silkier and vibrant that shone on some areas with some stylish curls on some ends. Not only was her eyes a lighter shade but her entire body as well, covered externally by a same colored body suit layered with a smooth, pink crystal like substance similiar to the Dia-harden power Steven has been using.

Slapping himself in the face Steven hardened himself (not in that way!) mentally so he can talk not a man and not a bumbling doofus.

"Wooow look at you. You look different...in a great way just so you know."

"What happened to me? Oh gosh Steven!"

"What? What, is there something on my face?!"

"Your hair became so...pink and poofy."

"Are you joking?"

Steven hastedly knelt next to Pink to look at himself...by god she wasn't wrong. His hair was slightly poofier and pink along with his eyes, The pupils in both eyes were shaped like a rhombus.

"This feels both weird and strangely me for some reason? Huh? Hey mom look."

Straight ahead of Steven were two circular holes construded from an empty space in the void. In simple terms...two mysterious spacial wormholes next to eachother. Steven went around the pond of sparkling water to investigate, maybe they're a way to get himself back in control over himself. But when he tried to step into one of the holes his body smacked against it. It was as if there was glass window.

Removing himself from it Steven tried the other side, same result happened. Taking the more thorough approach he knocked against the invisible glass, how curious was this?

"Welp there goes that plan...hmm?"

Steven this time decided to just look through the portal to see where it could possibly lead to? The other side he was looking out at was as clear as day and he couldn't believe it.

"Mom...How did we get on the moon?"

End of Ch.21

Happy (belated) New Year party people!...okay then