Two figures fell from the sky, crashing into the shallows. I tore across the edge of the pond, skidding to a halt as I approached Mo. I knelt beside him, assessing the Gem on his shoulder for any damage. It was intact.

Lapis landed beside me, her display of power vanishing as the pond returned to a calm state. "I'm sorry if that was too much. I didn't know what else to do."

"You did the right thing," I reassured her. "Mo was going to get hurt and that was probably the best way to save him. At least they're apart. How's Condor?"

We looked over at the Agate a few yards away. She was face down in the water, her form still. "I think that fusion drained her," Lapis said. "After Malachite, I was out for a while. She should be down, especially since she was in control most of the time."

"That's good."

Mo groaned. Lapis kneeled beside me, watching as Mo slowly opened his eyes. He watched the sky for a bit, squinting as his eyes came into focus. He tentatively moved his gaze one way, then the other, landing on us. He blinked a few times until something seemed to click. He frowned. "Is it… over?"

I patted his shoulder and smiled with relief. "It's over. Lapis split you two up. You're free."

"Condor?" He mumbled.

Lapis took the turn to say "She's knocked out. Don't worry about her."

"And you two?"

"Fit as fiddles," I replied. "Everyone's okay."

"That's good." Mo sat up, grimacing as he moved. He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I really screwed up this time. I'm so sorry."

I started to speak but was cut off when Lapis placed her hands on his head, making him look her right in the eye. "You're okay. That's what's important. It's okay if Condor got to you as long as you realize that it was a mistake. We all make mistakes, and some people take advantage of that. You were weak and Condor used that against you. Neither of us blames you as long as you're safe. That's all that matters."

Mo stared at Lapis with wide eyes as the ocean Gem spoke. When she was done, Lapis withdrew her hands and Mo looked down. His body started shaking as he cried. "I'm sorry. Every time I see her, she makes me feel horrible. I feel useless. She says that she'll fix me and I want to believe her. I know it's wrong. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

We wrapped Mo in a hug, letting him rest his head against our shoulders as he let everything spill out. The sun finally started to climb higher in the sky, burning away the dawn that had been a rush of fighting and screams. Mo pulled away, his tears spent. I sat by him as Lapis walked away to secure Condor in water restraints. Mo's breathing was still shaky, but he seemed a lot better than before. I was finding the sudden calm a welcomed gift after that start to the day. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are you still mad?"

I opened my eyes and looked over at Mo. He had pulled in his knees again and kept his gaze on the pond's surface. "Mo, we aren't mad at you."

He shook his head. "Not at me. At your mom. Rose."

"Oh." I turned away, suddenly at a loss for words. "Why are you asking?"

"You said I had a right to be mad at her. That I should be mad at her." Mo's hand strayed to the ground, drawing a line absently in the mud. "You said everyone is mad at her. Was she… Do you believe she was a bad person?"

"It's complicated."

"I see."

The thought of my mom was already messing with my head, making me playback the past few years, and everything I learned about her. It made my chest ache. "I thought… at first, that she was a good person. The Gems and my dad loved her and said she was incredible. That she was loving and caring and the kindest person there ever was to walk the Earth. Then I found out she lied to everyone and bubbled Bismuth without telling anyone. She kept secrets. She hurt people. And she… lied about who she was. That she was-"

"Pink Diamond. I've known for a long time."

My tongue froze. Mo kept digging in the mud after he interrupted me. He already knew. "How did you…"

"I figured it out when I joined the Rebellion. I knew Pink pretty well."

I was going to ask how, but then the last few hours rewound in my head. I remembered how Garnet and I went to see White Diamond only a short while ago. About how she told us that my mom was curious about Mo and kept a close eye on him. That my mom would play games with Mo as she had with Spinel. "So you knew. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Rose asked me not to tell. I trusted her, so I didn't."

I guess that makes sense. "Okay. Well, Pearl was the one to tell us. It was… hard… for awhile. Garnet came undone and the Crystal Gems were split up with a bit. We sorted everything out in the end."

"Can I see?"

"See...what?"

Mo lifted his hand from the mud and pointed at his stomach. "Your gem. Can I see what happened? It'll be easier than you trying to explain."

"Oh. I guess you can." I scooted closer and lifted the bottom of my shirt. "Just be careful."

Smoke started to rise from Mo's hand as he brought it closer. The instant it touched my Gem, I was whisked away from my body. I was standing in my home, Garnet coming undone and Sapphire running away after the revelation. Amethyst and I sharing a pizza as we looked for Ruby. Ruby acting like a cowboy in the countryside. The proposal and the following wedding. The Diamonds invading. Flying off to Homeworld and coming face to face with White Diamond. My gem being pulled out and fusing with myself. Coming home to heal the corrupted gems. Spinel's attack and her song in the withered garden.

Then I was thrown off course. I was standing in a blistering hot room, my foot feeling like it was on fire. Bismuth was looming over me and face shocked. I looked down, seeing my hands holding my mom's sword stabbed through Bismuth's body.

"You should've shattered me back then. At least if I were in pieces I wouldn't have to know how little I mattered to you. You didn't even tell'em. You bubbled me away and didn't even tell your friends. My friends."

She was crying, any form of aggression from before was gone. It felt like my heart was breaking. I heard myself say "I'm going to tell them. I'm gonna tell them everything."

Bismuth's eyes grew wider, more surprised than before. Then, she laughed, low and painfully, before she said: "Then you really are better than her."

Her body poofed, exploding into a cloud that obscured my vision. I was pulled away again, the scene vanished around me. It was replaced by cliffs of red stone riddled with human-shaped holes. I saw Amethyst beside me, Peridot too.

"I only came back to finish you off."

There was a large crater in the ground. In the center was Jasper, hunched over as her skin seemed to squirm. A pale-blue patch pattern was spreading across her arm and reaching to the rest of her body. Small horns started to emerge. She was becoming corrupted. I wanted to help make her go back before it was too late. I said "Try not to move," like this was an everyday injury that could have become worse if she did.

Jasper stood and pointed a finger at me even as the blue and horns started to take over. "You can't manipulate me, Rose Quartz!"

I raised my hands, trying to show her I wasn't trying to hurt her. "I-I… I'm not manipulating. I'm trying to help."

"Help? HELP!" Jasper's voice was rising. The horns grew larger, threatening to swallow her whole. "I've been fighting from the second I broke free of the Earth's crust because of what you did to my Colony! Because of what you did to my planet!" She struck the ground, the impact rattling the stone under my feet. "Because of what you DID TO MY DIAMOND!"

I drew back, confused at what she was saying. What happened to her diamond? "I… Yellow Diamond?"

Jasper stuttered, her face more stunned than from anything else that had transpired. She screamed, a desperate fury fueling her voice. "MY DIAMOND! YOUR DIAMOND! PINK DIAMOND!"

The scene broke apart into a swirling cloud. It sped by faster, scenes and images from my past passing by in front of my eyes. Volleyball's crack spreads as she continues to say that she's fine. Yellow crying after singing to Blue, the second Diamond moving to comfort the usually stoic ruler while being surrounded by hundreds or thousands of bubbled Rose Quartz gems. Pearl yelling at Garnet and Amethyst and knocking Rose's picture off the wall. My dad telling me stories about her while I sit patiently and listen. Finding the tape in Lion's mane and watching it with Sadie. Finding the alternate tape that had been left for Nora. Staring up at her statue when we tried to heal Amethyst.

Then it became unfamiliar. Completely new scenes filled with other Gems that I didn't know. It went by so fast, blurring and merging into a stream of unknown memories. My head was splitting! I want this to stop! I don't want to look at this! Make it stop! Stop!

"STOP!"

The images disappeared. I was back in the field, next to the pond. Mo was next to me, his eyes wide and hand frozen in front of him. He was sitting differently than before. It took a moment to realize that I was staring down at him. I was standing, my hands in front of me. It was difficult to breathe. My skin was slick with sweat. Then, I understood.

I had pushed him.

Mo opened his mouth, made a noise, then closed it. He drew himself close again and dropped his gaze from me. "I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say. He made me relive all of that, memories I didn't want to look back on. I had to go through them like they were new. But he wasn't trying to hurt me. He was trying to understand. It got out of hand, an accident. Still, I felt the memories on me, pinning me down under their weight.

"Guys, are you alright?" Lapis was back. Condor was suspended above her, trapped inside a giant bubble of water.

I looked down at Mo again, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "Yeah. We're fine. Let's go."

Mo picked himself up and followed as we walked back to the Warp Pad. The silence was almost suffocating as we passed humongous strawberries. Lapis tried to get my attention, her concern clear as day, but I wasn't up for talking. It was a while until we were finally before the Warp Pad. I turned to Mo and said: "We'll wait for the others to get back. You can talk to them when they do."

"Thanks." He replied meekly. His eyes stayed down.

I sighed. "Let's just go."

We all gathered on the Warp Pad, the device activating and carrying us away. We landed back in the Temple, which was empty of anyone else. The dining table was in shambles and the door was buckled. The sliced off piece of the counter laid on the floor. Lapis stepped off first, saying "I'll put Condor somewhere safe until they get back." She walked up the stairs and disappeared from view. I heard the balcony door open and then close.

I was left alone with Mo. As I walked towards the fridge, he sat on the couch. I picked a can of grape soda, opened it, and took a long drink. As I set the can on the counter, Mo said: "I didn't mean to hurt you."

I took a breath before facing him. "I know. It was an accident."

"You're mad."

"Not mad. Just… upset."

"I wanted to know what happened. I didn't mean to dig that deep."

I scoffed. "Of course not."

"What?" Mo looked up for the first time since the incident.

"You didn't mean to? How about just not swimming around in my head like that? That was too far!"

"I didn't mean to." Mo kept himself small, limbs held close to himself. For some reason, the sight made me irritated. " It just happened. They were so strong that when I looked at one, the rest just came up. They were so vivid."

"That's because I remember them pretty well. And I didn't want to go through them a second time!" A pit of anger in my gut had unraveled, coiling up my throat and making my face grow hot. "I feel horrible just thinking about what happened! I hate that my mom hurt people because she was selfish! I'm so messed up because of her that I just want to forget that all happened! I have a therapist because she screwed up. You made me see it all again!"

Mo was shaking. He was hugging himself again as his hair became smoke. "Steven, I-"

"Quit acting like that!" I barked at him. He flinched. "You keep acting all frail and vulnerable. How many more times am I going to have to see you cry and make me feel bad for you? I've tried to help you but it just keeps getting worse! My family fights for days over you! I forgive you. You fight me and Amethyst. I forgive you. You fuse with Condor and attack me. I forgive you. How much longer is this going on where you make something bad happen, cry, and then I try to make you feel better?"

Mo was quiet. His gaze was locked on me, but his face was unreadable. The smoke around his hair stayed close around him.

"I just want to be done with all of this. I've dealt with Gems making my life difficult for years. I thought I was done. And now, my mom sends another my way that keeps making things harder! Why does it keep happening? Why couldn't you have just stayed away?"

The word left me in a raging rush. Once they were out, I realized what I had said. My anger died out, leaving me empty. Mo stared at me, his face a myriad of emotions that I couldn't begin to decipher. He dropped his gaze, his smoke wrapping around him. "I didn't mean to make it difficult, Steven." His voice was so quiet. It didn't hold any energy or emotion. It was empty, hollow. "I thought I could come back and fix things. I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

"Mo…" Guilt was already clawing at me. It made my inside grow cold. "I didn't mean that. I want to help you but it's not easy. I had to go through a lot of stuff in my life, and I wanted things to be quiet for once. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"But you're right. I keep doing this. I don't know what I'm supposed to do or what I'm supposed to say." Mo let smoke build in his hand, watching it spill over his fingers. "When things go wrong, it's overwhelming. I can't think. I can't talk right. I feel like I'm getting buried and everything I do adds more and more dirt on top. I feel like I'm about to break, and I don't know how to handle that. When that happened, Condor would retrieve me and I'd start over somewhere else. I don't know how to handle what's going on. And because of that, I'm hurting all of you. I don't want to hurt any of you."

There was nothing to say. I couldn't find any words to comfort him, but I didn't want to start yelling again. There was just… nothing. I turned away from Mo, took a seat at the counter, and took small sips from my soda. I could hear the tides crashing against the shore. Seagulls were crying out as they flew around the sky. And neither of us said anything. It may have been seconds, minutes, or hours, but it was quiet. And the silence was crushing.

Eventually, I heard footsteps. They were slow, quiet, barely there. A whir grew to life as a glow made the room light up. It stopped. I already knew what happened, but I dreaded turning around all the same. The couch was empty.

I turned back and set my elbows on the counters. I let my head fall into my hands, cursing as the silence grew even heavier.

I didn't want to raise my head. I didn't want to chase after him. I didn't want to do anything. I wanted to sit here and wish that this was simpler. I want this to be over already. I want my peaceful ending for once without another problem crashing in. I don't want to feel bad about that.

But I can't help replaying those words in my head, ones that I never would have said before. I felt horrible about yelling at Mo, but another part of me felt satisfied at my outburst. It doesn't make sense! What am I doing? Why doesn't this make sense?

"Steven, where's Mo?"

I had forgotten that Lapis was here. I didn't want to see her after that. I pressed my hands harder against my eyes.

"What's going on? Steven, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lapis."

"Then what happened?" I heard her footsteps descending the stairs and coming towards me. "Did Mo run off? Is everything alright?"

Her voice was grating against my ears. It bounced around with my thoughts, pounding against my skull until it felt like it would crack open. "Everything's fine," I forced out.

"It doesn't look alright. Steven, where's Mo?"

"I don't know."

What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The worry in Lapis's voice was growing, making me feel even worse than before. "What do you mean? Steven, why won't you look at me?"

"Just stop. Please." It was getting louder. Every sound around me felt like it was swelling beyond reason, a monstrous orchestra breaking me apart.

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"I CAN'T!" I slammed my fists on the counter, crushing a section to rubble. My fists were glowing pink.

"Steven…"

I closed my eyes, blocking out the sight of the glow. I took several deep breaths, letting the stress inside me start to lessen. With each exhale, a little bit more vanished until I opened my eyes to my regular hands. I glanced at the damage I had caused before looking at Lapis. She was watching me, her expression still. I lowered my hands, my body relaxing. "Sorry."

Lapis stared at the damage as she said: "Have your powers been going haywire again?"

"I've had a couple of incidents today. Nothing extreme."

"When was the last time you went to see your therapist?"

I thought about that, recalling how many days had passed since everything with Mo started. "I'm not for sure. I haven't been in after everything went nuts. I may have missed a couple of appointments."

"That's not good." Lapis turned her heads towards the window. She laid a hand on my shoulder and said: "Come sit with me." She pressed against the door, forcing open the warped wood. I stood up and followed her outside.

Lapis strode to the edge of the balcony and sat down, her sandaled feet dangling in the air. I sat beside her. The sun was still rising, much higher than it was during the encounter with Dolomite. The sky was tinged peach, slowly morphing into a clear blue. Waves reflected the sunlight in broken flashes, bright spots among the water. A breeze ghosted by and filled my lungs with fresh air. It was utterly calm.

"So tell me, what's going on?" Lapis said, still staring out at the ocean. "What happened to Mo?"

I've never been good at lying, and I'm almost equally bad at secrets. With the guilt eating at me, it was easy to let it spill out. "On the battlefield, Mo made me relive some memories of my mom and the people she hurt. By accident, he said. I got freaked and pushed him. He tried to apologize, but I got mad. He started crying again, and I got angrier. I yelled at him to stop being pathetic and that I wished he had stayed away. He left after that."

"Wow. Sounds like you screwed up badly," Lapis said bluntly.

"But I don't know why I blew up at him!" I threw my arms in the air. "It just came flooding out! I don't even know if I was angry at him! Just… seeing him like that after the accident made me… feel… horrible."

Lapis crossed her arms on the railing and rested her chin on top. "Steven, I know it's not my place to ask what you talk about with your therapist. That's your safe zone. It's none of my business. But I can ask one question?"

It was kind of an unspoken rule after I started my session. I dealt with my issue in private during my appointments and tried to use that to improve myself. The Gems never asked me to talk about what we discussed. It was my place and what I needed. My first instinct was to say no, but I know Lapis wouldn't be asking without a good reason. "What is it?"

"Did you ever discuss your mom?"

Just the mention of her sent a storm of emotions churning in my chest. "A bit. It's… still not easy."

"Okay. Then, I want to ask something else."

"...okay."

Lapis took a second of silence, her eyes on the shore, before she asked: "Does Mo remind you of your mom?"

"...I guess." I shrugged, pulling my jacket a little around me even though it wasn't very cold. "He makes me think about her. About everyone she hurt."

"Is that why you want to help? Because of her?" Lapis rotated her head, staring at me sideways from her makeshift pillow.

I drew out the seconds after the question. I wanted to make it an eternity before I had to answer. "I think so. Everyone she hurt is still hurting. Bismuth, Pearl, the Diamonds, Spinel, and everyone she was around. I've been cleaning up after her for so long that I just want it to be over already."

"But you've never lost your temper before. Why now?" Lapis asked gently.

"Because he's not mad. Mo's not mad!" I clenched my fists before I realized. I took another breath and relaxed them. "I don't understand. Everyone else has some sort of problem with my mom. Bismuth tried to kill me. Jasper had a whole life-dilemma after my mom faked her shattering. Both Pearl and Volleyball have issues after serving her. The Diamonds were monsters afterward! But Mo… Mo's not like that. When he was part of Dolomite, he told me he wasn't mad. He even asked me if I thought she was a bad person. Why isn't he mad or sad or at least something? Why am I-" I caught myself, feeling my heart hammering against my ribs.

"You're mad," Lapis finished.

I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the curls. "No. I don't know. It's so confusing! I don't even know what I'm supposed to believe about her! Why does Mo get to be alright when I can't even make up my mind?"

Lapis turned her gaze back to the sunset. She lifted her head and leaned back, holding herself up with her hands spread behind her. "Maybe he's like me."

That made me freeze. "Like you how?"

"Remember what he told us? About how he always had to change himself?" I nodded, not seeing where this was going. "I understand how he's feeling. When you freed me, I was so angry and messed up. I don't even want to tell you what it was like in that mirror, watching the sky change day after day but never being able to move. And when I was found, I was still stuck. I was mad at them. I hated the Gems who found me and didn't let me out. Frankly, I hated the Earth. I wanted to leave. Remember that?"

"Vaguely," I said jokingly. "I remember you stealing the ocean to build a giant tower."

"Right. That." Lapis chuckled weakly. "I was frustrated after being trapped that I took the first opportunity to lash out. I attacked you guys, and I almost killed you and her friend! I thought that was okay. I made myself think it was okay. Then, there was Malachite. I was trapped in there so that I could protect you. It was Jasper's fault. That was my excuse. Justifying the way I threw all my anger at Jasper, making her feel as horrible as I did. And even after I was free, I was inconsiderate and heartless to Peridot. I just wanted to make her feel bad because I felt bad. It felt good to make others hurt because I was hurting. After thousands of years of being hopelessly stuck, I felt liberated. But I was a horrible person."

"Lapis…"

"I hated myself. I hated that it felt good to make you guys hurt just to make myself feel better. I don't want to be that awful person. I didn't want to be the coward who ran away and left her friends or the person that kept lashing out selfishly. So… I chose to let it go." Lapis lifted her face to the sky, the sunlight flashing in her eyes and the breeze stirring her hair. "I left that person behind and made someone new. A good person who was able to move on. Someone who could smile and love her friends and not bottle up her pain. I wanted to be someone better, or at least someone trying to be better. And… I like that person.

"That's what I see in Mo. He just wants to change, to be better. He just doesn't know how to do that. Trust me, it took a long time to get started and I'm still not done. I can't tell you if I'm right, but maybe Mo's way is just to forgive. He wants to move on no matter what happened in the past. I understand that better than anyone."

I never knew. Lapis never talked so openly like this until recently, especially about herself. I never realized she had so much to say. "Lapis, I didn't know. I mean, I knew you were trying to be a better person, but I didn't know how much you wanted to change. And… I think the person you are now is incredible."

Lapis looked away from the sky to meet my eye. She smiled, her face a picture of ease. "Thanks, Steven. I'm not trying to tell you how to feel, but maybe Mo's way is just how he works. It's not for everyone, but I'm sure he is not over it completely. Not that easily."

"Yeah, I guess."

Lapis sighed. "I'm not great at this stuff. I just let my mouth spew stuff and hope I get it right."

"You sound like you know what you're talking about," I tell her.

"Maybe. It's a work in progress."

"Hey, Lapis?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think my mom was a bad person?"

Lapis thought it over before saying: "Not completely."

I straightened my back. I wasn't expecting that. "Why not?"

Lapis shrugged. "I don't know. Rose and Pink never really affected me as much as the rest of you. Something about her story just sits with me. As I said, I'm not for sure."

"I think… that my mom was a bad person."

Lapis placed a hand on my shoulder, the grip soft. "That's alright. It's your opinion after all. There's no right answer."

I shook my head. "Still, it doesn't feel right."

Lapis gave my shoulder a gentle pat. "Then you're with a bunch of other people in the same boat as you. You're not alone."

My posture loosened. The sunrise was officially over, the last of the warm tinged colors gone, replaced by sky blue. The storm inside me had died out. My thoughts were calm once more. I was me again.

"Lapis, thank you." I twisted my upper body and hugged her. "I needed that."

I could feel Lapis smile as she hugged me back. "No prob, Bob."

"It's Steven," I replied as we both started laughing, the last week rolling off my shoulders and burning away under the warm sunlight.