Chapter 29: City Living
It was a cloudy day in Beach City that afternoon. Steven was currently in the main room on the first floor of the beach house, conversing with Connie and her mother. It was weird that he was doing a follow-up check-up considering how the last one went, but for some reason, Priyanka insisted. She did choose to make this appointment a house call considering the repairs that needed to be done to part of the hospital.
So far the appointment had been going well. His body seemed to be far more stable this time around. Sure there was the occasional 'spasm' that said body went through, but Steven opted to carefully let it happen, and luckily it wasn't as extreme as it might have been. He even managed to get a proper x-ray this time around!
However, during this time, he asked the two for their opinion on Red Diamond's views, specifically that of the good doctor's.
"I've seen something of hers pop up," Priyanka grumbled, "And it disgusts me. Claiming she's 'revolutionizing' by transforming beings into unrecognizable monstrosities. She can claim it's groundbreaking all she wants, but it should be ethical first and foremost."
"Like you even have to ask me?!" yelled Connie, "She's just SO full of it! She's no 'champion of the downtrodden!' She's a selfish nutcase who thinks she's smarter than everyone and doesn't care who she messed with to prove her point! If I could, I'd fly a rocket straight into her face!"
Priyanka was initially shocked at her daughter's exaggeration, but then silently nodded at her in agreement.
She then proceeded to examine her scan's of Steven's skeleton, "Hm… curious."
"What is it?" Steven asked, wearing a hospital gown she also brought.
"Well," she then took out some sheets of paper and handed them to Steven, "A few weeks back, I asked the Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to do X-rays on them as a sort of pet project of mine. As you can see, you can see in these examination reports, only their gems were actually there, as the rest of their bodies are simply solid light."
It's true, Steven looked at the scans and saw only the gemstones. And some kind of digestion tract in Amethyst…
"And here's your X-ray, Steven," she then showed him an image on a tablet screen of his own X-ray, showing his skeleton AND gemstone, "A normal human skeleton. More or less… but," she frowned, "What alarms me are these subtle cracks throughout your skeletal structure as if there were all from serious wounds that have long since healed up."
Steven then grew nervous upon hearing that, causing him to glow pink again, "Is it really that bad?"
"Steven, you said you never went to a hospital before your appointment with me. Either the Crystal Gems haven't told me about an extensive list of broken bones or something is inherently wrong with your body."
"Well… I have been on a lot of dangerous adventures… There was the time I was hit with a heavy rock in the head by Sugilite, almost splashed with acid from a Centipeedle… taken hostage by Jasper when she was still bad… the time I was separated from my gem… And… I was poofed recently so… there's that too…" he concluded with VERY nervous laughter.
The way he described these events greatly shocked Connie and her mother. And much to their horror, that was the literal tip of the iceberg. It took him almost half an hour to go through everything he could think of with Connie even chiming in to fill in gaps he missed. By the end of it all, Dr. Mahesweran was more stunned at Steven being alive than at him never seeing a doctor.
"Steven, you need more than a doctor," insisted Connie, "You need a shrink."
"Connie!" admonished her mother, even if she agreed with her.
"N-No it's fine!" Steven said, though the flashing of his body being pink left his statement less believable, "I'm used to all of this by now, it-"
"You shouldn't be," Connie said, "Steven, I worry about you sometimes…"
"It's apparent your mental state is affecting your body even on a less noticeable level. These fractures are symbolic of a much greater problem."
"Well, maybe…" said Steven, trying to stop his legs from shaking, "But…"
"Why don't you start with something smaller?" offered Connie, "Just try talking to the gems about this. I'm sure they'll understand!"
"Yeah… Maybe I should try that. I haven't even told any of them all this stuff."
"Wait what?" Connie said, "You haven't told them? Why!? I mean, this is all pretty important!"
"I just… Don't want them to worry, you know? They're really busy and-"
"And if they truly love you, which I'm certain they do, they'll listen to your concerns and be there for you!" said the doctor.
"I guess…"
"There's no guessing here, Steven," said Connie, "This is serious! We all care about you and we don't want your body going haywire again-"
"Yeah…" Steven looked at his glowing hands, then said, "I guess you DO have a good point…"
"Thank you. Now, do you want to bring this up with them or do you want me to?"
"Uh.. no! No, it's fine I'll... " he sighed in defeat, "I'll tell them the first chance I get, okay?"
Meanwhile, in an unknown location…
"Hm… I see," said Red Pearl. She was in a room similar to a medical clinic, only with more advanced and even sinister-looking equipment. She turned to look at the person who asked for her in the first place, "And this is why you came to us? To gain an upper hand against our enemies?"
"That's why you're reaching out to find human allies right?" the man said stepping forward. It was the Scarlet Sickle only now he was dressed in a dark red v-neck t-shirt, black cargo pants, and gray sneakers.
"True, but I'm quite surprised at your readiness. While My Diamond's operations are incredibly advanced, they are not without their drawbacks."
"I've studied everything your site showed and know of all the consequences. Your cause has inspired me like nothing has before! My own skills just weren't up to taking down Steven and one of the Crystal Gems."
"Will there be any… witnesses who will ask questions about what might happen to you?"
"No. I don't have anyone really… Except for Red Diamond now."
"Very well…" she then took out some of the equipment, including a futuristic syringe, "Let's get started…"
She placed the syringe into his neck and he felt a burning pain course through his body. As his eyes began to close, the last thing he felt was his body hitting the floor and Red Pearl picking him up and hauling him to the operating table...
Later that day…
Steven was currently talking with the nearest person about what he just discussed after his house call - his father. The now golden human was increasingly shocked and concerned as Steven continued to explain all of the things he's gone through…
"And… that's the gist of it," Steven said, finishing his explanation.
"Geez, kiddo. I knew some of the stuff, but I never knew it got to you so much…" He wrapped his arms around his son which Steven appreciated.
"You know, Dad, I never even thought about it much before. It all just seemed normal to me. I never questioned it but now… What do I tell the gems?"
"What you just told me: that it's really gotten to you."
"Yeah, if I take another break, remind me to never touch any kind of exercise equipment." The two then immediately shuddered at that reminder. Steven decided to change the subject, "Anyway, what's really worrying me is how there are now people who SUPPORT Red Diamond and what she's trying to do. I mean, don't these people know what kind of a person she is? I mean, she… well you know," he awkwardly looked at his father, "She maimed you and you nearly died…"
Greg gulped nervously at the fact that he was covering the full truth from his son, but then said, more honestly, "Yeah… I don't think I wanna go through that again anytime soon."
"I mean, what makes people do that?"
"Well, sport, there's a LOT of people in the world and all of them are different. The fact that Red's stretching the truth so far doesn't help but it's like I used to tell you about pork chops and hot dogs. Nobody's perfect and Red knows it."
"Grr… Why can't she just leave well enough alone?"
"Reminds me of Marty just a little bit. Always looking for bigger, shinier stuff no matter what he had."
"Ugh, don't remind me. Even Kevin managed to become a pretty decent guy once he stopped caring about his ego all the time."
"Heh, yeah… I hear he and Jamie have started to patch things up."
"Yeah, great for them. Jamie needs it," Steven then smiled at this statement, which made Greg smile in turn. The two then simply chatted for a bit until Steven finally decided it was time to face his problem. As the boy walked down the street, suddenly his feet felt frozen. He was about to turn back only to see his father was already behind.
"Need a hand with talking to the gems?"
"How did you-?"
"I've been a dad for a pretty long while. You get a sense for this sort of thing…"
"... Yeah.. maybe you can be there. For support. Thanks Dad."
It took a while with how many times he felt like turning around, but eventually, Steven made it back to the temple and had Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl in front of him. The three noticed how he was biting his lip and immediately worried that something terrible had happened. It was not helped by the first thing he said.
"Guys… There's something I need to tell you."
"You're quitting wrestling?!" yelled Amethyst, completely horrified, "You wanna headline the next match, man? Go ahead!"
"No, that's not it."
"Did Red send someone after you again?" thought Pearl.
"No!"
"...Girl troubles," siad Garnet.
"Actually, kind of, but no! It's about… me. I seriously need to get something off my chest with the three of you."
That took the three of them by surprise. Had they done something wrong? Amethyst was about to insist the wrestling point again, but Garnet clamped her mouth shut and told Steven that they were listening. Seeing that the floor was his, the teen took a deep breath and finally began.
"I actually went to see Dr. Maheswaran recently to figure out what's been going on with my body. It… did not go well."
"Wait a second," said Pearl, "That damaged corridor of the hospital-"
"Yeah… Whoops."
"Oh dear…"
"So, anyway, it turns out the problem is… Well… My life."
"Uh, say what now?" said Amethyst.
"I mean, all the adventures with you guys have kinda… messed me up?"
Now the three gems had varying reactions. Pearl looked concerned, Garnet looked the same as always and Amethyst looked shocked. Steven actually tried to walk away at this point, but Greg stood behind and encouraged him.
"Come on, Steven, don't hide this anymore."
"But they look so upset…" he whispered back.
"They're still listening. They want to know what's wrong…"
As difficult as it felt, Steven still managed to turn around and face the now very worried Crystal Gems. When he faced them again, it hurt him seeing the anguish clearly written on their faces but he pressed on.
"Connie and her mom have really made me think about everything differently… I realized… How many times I… almost died. How many times I was hurt, or in serious danger and it… Just… Doesn't stop."
His body turned pink as he said this, but the others realized nothing else was happening except for Steven getting more and more dejected as he spoke.
"I love you guys, but it feels like my whole life's been one huge problem… The stuff with Mom, fighting all the corrupted gems, the problems with Homeworld, and now all the stuff happening with Red… And that's when my body's not going crazy or having to solve everyone's problems…"
Suddenly the boy wobbled on his feet like he was dead tired even though it was the middle of the day.
"I feel like I've had to handle so much and I'm only a teen! Well, sort of… And it's the first time I've ever thought that. Don't most kids my age have way smaller problems? I know I'm half Diamond but… Can't I get one day where the world isn't at stake? Or I'm not going through some personal crisis? Please!?"
The three gems looked at him for a second. "Oh Steven…" Pearl stated.
Garnet then placed a hand on his shoulder saying, "I was always worried about things like this happening to you. That's why we were hesitant to have you go on missions with us back when you were little."
"Dude, why didn't you say something?" asked Amethyst.
"Because… I had to help you all too with your stuff…"
The three were all a bit confused until the answer hit them all like a train. Garnet with her arguments between Ruby and Sapphire, Pearl with her hangups over Rose Quartz and Amethyst with her general identity and self-confidence. They were part of the problem.
"Steven…" said Pearl shakily, "We… we never meant for you to feel like you had to be responsible for us."
"We're supposed to look after you, not the other way around," said Amethyst, "I mean, I know I'm kinda nuts, but not that bad…"
"You've done so much for us, Steven," said Garnet, "By just being yourself. I can't express how much happiness you've brought into our lives. The least we could do is be the adults here."
Steven looked at his three parental/mother figures, his face slowly turning into a wide smile. He then warmly embraced the three in a crushing hug, "I'm glad we're family…"
The three were happy for him, but were less happy with his hug seemingly having enough force to crush a literal diamond.
"Let him have it…" mumbled Garnet, "He needs this…"
Amethyst groaned while Pearl was just thankful she did not have any bones to break.
Steven felt like a new man once his head was clear, but now he was unsure what to do. Red Diamond was still on the back of his mind but Greg ended up sparking an idea: an actual vacation. The Crystal Gems, once the stinging from Steven's hug wore off, realized they had never had any sort of getaway before and thought it might be the perfect thing to do all together as a family. While money was no object with Greg Universe, the father admitted he had wanted to return to that swanky hotel from Empire City. Such a suggestion garnered a smirk from Pearl, considering what happened last time there. However, everyone agreed to this vacation idea.
And that leads to this wonderful moment, as the five were in Greg's van, cruising down the streets of Empire City, tinted by the glow of the setting sun. Steven smiled at the beautiful city skyline. "Heh, it's been almost a year since I've been here," he stated.
"Whoa," Amethyst said, "Pretty lights…"
"It's remarkable to think none of this was here a few hundred years ago…" marveled Pearl, actually wearing the tuxedo from her first trip.
"It's nice to actually appreciate it," agreed Garnet.
It was not long that Greg's trusty van made it to the opulent revolving door of Le Hotel and a valet came to greet them.
"Well I'll be!" said the employee amicably, "Mr. Greg's finally back!"
A few other employees actually stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the man who was now at the front desk.
"Heh, yeah," Greg said, "It's me! I'm actually just here for another short vacation."
"Yes. But of course sir. And I assume you'll be staying in one of our luxury sweets like last time?" Greg then nodded, prompting the man to proceed, "Splendid! Just follow me sir. And may I say, you seem to be much healthier than when you last stayed with us."
Greg chuckled at that. "Yeah, you know… Diet and exercise and all that…"
Thankfully the clerk did not want to elaborate and instead handed the father a keycard that allowed the elevator to take them to the top floor of the hotel where Amethyst and Garnet were stunned by the luxurious room. Whether it was the high-end furniture, grand piano, wraparound balcony that overlooked the Empire City skyline or the fact that there was not a speck of dirt on anything, they were suitably impressed.
"Whoa!" Amethyst stated, "Talk about fancy!"
Garnet, expressionless, simply walked to the wraparound balcony and leaned calmly against it, "... Nice view."
Steven smiled at how everyone was enjoying themselves. As nice as the room was, it was only a small part of the experience.
Soon after, the group were out, taking a cruise throughout the city seeing the sights. Eventually, the group came across something... interesting.
It was a city block that looked like a massive gathering of Red Diamond fanatics. Banners were draped over the buildings, everyone was decked out in clothes with Red Diamond's image, her slogans from the website or even carrying signs like the Scarlet Sickle's fans from the Beach City wrestling match. There had to be hundreds of people crowding the area and were handing out pamphlets and talking to any bystanders they came across.
"Aw man!" moaned Steven, "She's even got groupies here?!"
"Makes sense, unfortunately," lamented Pearl, "With millions of people in this city, she was bound to have someone notice that website of hers."
Steven then saw them with signs that basically insulted the Diamond Authority with phrases like "Four Flavors of Tyranny" and "Needs Red in the Rainbow." There were even some that said "Remember Pink Diamond? Neither do we."
This CLEARLY got to Steven as he immediately began to glow pink, "Grrr…."
"Ah Steven!" Pearl said in shock and concern.
"Hey buddy," said Greg, "Remember we're in public? We can't make a scene here!"
"I know but…" the boy gritted, "I just can't believe it! How can this many people fall for it?!"
"Most people can be dumb," Amethyst said.
"Hmph! You got that right," Steven said, clearly upset as his body still glowed pink. He looked at the group of supporters again and his angry look came back, his left eye twitching a bit.
This made Greg nervous for a bit. That is until he looked back at the street and saw that he was about to hit a ritzy-looking car that was passing by.
"Huh, what are the odds?" said Kevin from the driver's seat, "Hey Steven!"
The familiar voice brought Steven back down to Earth as he turned and saw his former rival turned friend.
"Kevin! What are you doing here?"
"Heh," he said smugly, "I thought I'd come to see the nightlife. Although…" He frowned in disgust at the sight of the Red Supporters, "I guess there are some freaks and weirdos here too…"
"Ugh, tell me about it."
Unfortunately, one of the crowd members then noticed them and noticed the stars on many of the groups' outfits. "Heh," he said sneering, "What, are you guys with the Crystal Gems or something? WEAK."
Steven glowed pink again, much to Jamie's shock. The feeling was shared by the whole group when Steven marched up to him.
"At least I'm not a liar! Red Diamond's just spouting stuff that makes her sound better than the mad scientist she is!"
"You know what's worse?" spoke up someone else from the crowd, "Dooming an entire civilization for nothing!"
"Those other Diamonds are the insane ones!" shouted another woman, "Especially Pink! All she did was run away from her problems like some stupid kid!"
Steven was about to say something, but Pearl beat him to it. "You have no idea what you're talking about, you mindless peon! That gem spent thousands of years saving you all from extinction and this is how you repay her?!"
"Yeah well, she didn't exactly do a good job now did she!?"
That nearly made Pearl froth at the mouth while Kevin himself just gave them a look, then said "Whatever" in a subtle, yet mocking tone.
"Who are you to talk?" scoffed the first supporter.
"I just think you're all acting like idiots. You're fighting about some alien stuff that doesn't even involve you."
"How about involving BILLIONS of innocent lifeforms?!" demanded the same woman from the crowd, "What?! You just don't care that they're all getting abused and dying?!"
"Homeworld isn't like that anymore!" pleaded Garnet, "They're doing their best to try to fix things!"
"Wait a minute, I know you!" said another crowd member, "You're that loser fusion whose supposed to be psychic! How'd you not see all of this coming?!"
"Nope, that's enough!" said Greg as he wrapped his arms around Garnet as she was about to march forward, "Guys, this is supposed to be a nice vacation! We should all just go back to our room and leave this stuff behind!"
Begrudgingly, they all left the scene with Kevin choosing to follow them only because that he was simply BORED, much to the Crystal Gem's confusion. As strange as it was, they appreciated the support and soon they left the crowd behind. They turned their focus back on enjoying the lights and sounds of Empire City until something else took their attention. As they passed by what appeared to be a museum, they saw a massive banner that read "The 4th Annual Global Genetic Research Symposium." The even more catching detail was a gem standing outside the building acting as security.
"Wait a sec, guys…" Steven said, pointing this detail out, "Is that…?"
"Aurum," said Garnet, "She's one of the gems Red had when she attacked the Human Zoo."
"Uh oh," moaned Amethyst, "What's one of her droogs doing at a nerd event?"
"Genetic research looks to be right up her alley," remarked Pearl, "But that worries me even more. It's one thing to prey on unsuspecting people on the Internet, but respected scientists?"
"Hm," Garnet said in an agreeing tone, "Steven, I know this is meant to be your time off but-"
"No, it's fine," Steven, "We should check this out."
"Not quite. Pearl, Amethyst and I will check it out while you go off with Greg and Kevin. All of us going in together will raise too much of a problem."
"What!?" Steven was shocked and upset at this.
"Steven, trust us," Pearl said, "We'll be fine, so please promise not to worry about us?"
"Yeah, we're big girl gems, remember? We've done way worse stuff than this," said Amethyst.
It took a few seconds, but eventually Steven relented. "... Okay. I promise…"
Later… The three were at a hot dog stand. It only felt right to sample the local cuisine being tourists. While Kevin said he already ate, Steven and Greg ate their hot dogs while discussing their newest issue.
Well, at least for Kevin anyway, "So… you went back to a classic look?"
Greg was in slight disbelief, "Really, you just noticed that Steven's face is different again."
"Ack, NO!" Keven said, "I just… thought that now would be a good time to ask!"
"Heh, trust me, it's fine," assured Steven, "I… just took a long look in the mirror. But that's not the big problem here."
"Look, sport," said Greg, "I get how weird it is that some kooky overlord managed to talk her way into a genuine science expo but who knows? Maybe she'll get laughed out of the place!"
"Yeah, I don't think turning gems into ferret monsters is what most researchers are looking for," remarked Steven.
Kevin then immediately shuddered upon hearing that, "Yeah, or ginormous, plant controlling monsters."
"Good point. I honestly don't think there's anything she wouldn't try…"
"All to prove what a big shot she is. Heh, kind of sounds a little too much like myself."
"Wait, what?" said Greg, "Kevin, I know you weren't the nicest person before, but isn't that overdoing it?"
"Maybe, but it's a little too close to home. All that showboating I did, the fancy car, the parties, it was all to prove how awesome I am but now… I don't do that anymore. I mean, yeah, that stuff's all nice, but now it's because I like it… Not because I need to prove anything."
"Well… I guess that's an improvement…" Greg said.
"Yeah, well your own kid here is pretty much way ahead of me here," said Kevin confidently, disregarding that he and Steven were less than five years apart in terms of age, "He just does what he wants and doesn't do it for the sake of image. Heh… and he seems to have a lot of fun doing it."
"Yeah…" admitted the other teen, "It's been pretty wild, but there's been a lot of fun."
"You ever need backup again, you know where to find me."
The two then bumped their fists, causing their bodies to coalesce into light before revealing Stevin. Said appearance shocked Greg, as there was an awkward pause for a bit.
"Okay…" Stevin said, "That just happened…"
The hybrid was surprised that he suddenly popped up. This prompted a look of concern from Greg. He then noticed something. Stevin's face was slightly different now. His cheekbones now had a slightly different structure and his jaw was more square. But aside from that, there was not that much of a difference in his appearance.
He then looked at Greg and merely stated, "Hey, it's okay. I'm way more stable now."
"Whatever floats your boat," shrugged Greg, knowing better than to judge.
"Well, I guess I might as well enjoy the place too. In fact, I think I might know a place you'd like."
Greg looked at him skeptically, both curious and nervous.
Later, the two were in a building that really drew Greg in. It was a bonafide music emporium that sold anything and everything related to rock music in all its variations. Inside, the place had black walls and a dark, wooden floor. The walls were adorned with posters, pictures, and other bits of rock memorabilia from every decade including pristine, vintage instruments everywhere! Several of said instruments on display were for sale although the prices were so high only someone with Greg's fortune could comfortably afford them. There were even vintage vinyl records of legendary rock songs everywhere too!
Needless to say, Greg was in his own personal Nirvana…
"Well? What do you think?" Stevin said, "Kevin has been here before, and Steven had been learning about this place on the internet."
"Guys, we have a serious problem. I don't think I can leave this place…"
Stevin laughed especially as Greg seemed to walk in a trance towards a particular display. It was a sterling white vintage guitar that literally had a price of $1,000,000 and was supposedly played by Mojo Denvix himself.
"Whoa… …" Greg was nearly speechless.
"Um… hello?" Stevin waved his hand slightly only for Greg to not react. "Um… Earth to Greg Universe?!" He said more loudly, which seemed to snap Greg out of it.
"This is like my dream come true! If I ever fully retire, I want my house to look exactly like this, except, you know, all of this stuff being mine…"
Stevin laughed at that statement, suddenly, he saw a familiar face from the balcony off the second floor of the emporium. A familiar looking blue gem who glared at him from across the room…
Suddenly Stevin felt tense. This feeling grew even worse as the curly-haired Lazuli suddenly smiled. It was a simple, yet creepy smile as she slowly walked away.
"Oh brother…" moaned Stevin as he began to head deeper into the place, happy that Greg was still gawking at everything around him. The fusion was sure he would be alright to have a few minutes along to take everything in. Eventually he ended up on a fire door leading to the rooftop where he saw the Lazuli was floating nearby.
"You know, can you guys just forgive and forget?" asked Stevin, "I was just trying to do something nice here…"
"Yeah right," snarked the gem, "It didn't work before and it's not gonna work now."
"Please Lapis, wait, that feels wrong… Mind if I call you Curly?"
"YES!"
"Sorry but I already know a Lapis Lazuli! It feels weird calling you that…"
"Whatever! Will you just shut up and go quietly already?!"
"Sorry, but no can do. The Crystal Gems would hate it if something bad happened to Steven. Plus, I'm pretty sure Greg really could tear up the city looking for his kid."
"Greg? That tub of lard?! What, is he gonna bore me to death?" Curly laughed at her own joke, not noticing that Stevin was clenching his fists and preparing to summon his skates.
"Okay, I tried the nice act…" he grumbled. He was about to make his first move, but his foe was one step ahead of him. Curly summoned her wings and flew right at him with boxing gloves made of water surrounding her hands. He was punched hard enough to be knocked off the rooftop!
Stevin, realizing what was about to happen, used Steven's powers to slow his descent to a crawl and safely landed on the next rooftop. He then almost immediately summoned his skates and wrist blades.
As Curly flew down to meet him on the rooftop, Stevin started skating towards her and started swinging his blades to stop her assault. Rather than back down, Curly morphed her gloves into blades of her own and soon the two were darting around trying to slash the other into oblivion.
Even if they were trying not to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves, the two kept swinging with all their might until Curly pulled an underhanded trick. As Stevin went to dodge under one of her attacks, she suddenly changed her blade into a water chain and then wrapped it around the fusion's foot. Once he was hooked, she grabbed onto it and started swinging him in a circle until letting him go and causing him to fly across the street and face-first into a brick wall.
The sheer force of the blow caused the fusion to separate in a poof of pink light back to his two halves. Kevin and Steven landing on another rooftop, strained but intact.
"Oww…" Kevin said, "Okay, I'm not gonna do that anytime soon…"
"Yeah…" Steven said, "She's… tough…"
The two looked and saw the rogue Lazuli heading towards the two. Kevin's pupils shrink at the sight of her waterblades. "Yikes!"
"Don't worry, I've got an idea," Steven assured as he summoned his shield. When Curly was a few feet away, he held up his shield with one arm. She crashed straight into him, but did not see him hiding his sword behind his back with the other hand. Once their attacks met, he quickly spun to the side and forced her to retreat or risk getting sliced.
"Hey! That was a dirty trick!" complained the Lazuli.
"Says the gem who randomly ambushed me!" retorted Steven.
"Heh! You were asking for it!" she said tauntingly, "I knew that when you saw me you just couldn't resist!"
Kevin just stood there, shocked and unsure of what to do when Steven asked, "What are you doing in Empire City!?"
"I see no reason to answer you! Besides, tonight is VERY important for Red Diamond, so I won't let you get in the way of that!"
Meanwhile…
The Crystal Gems were in front of the museum about to walk up to the main entrance. The same Aurum was still standing guard and had yet to notice them. As they watched more guests in tuxedos and ball gowns enter the lavish party, they decided it was only right to dress for the occasion. Pearl already had her tuxedo on hand while Garnet and Amethyst shapeshifted into more appropriate attire. Garnet went with the bridal dress/tuxedo from her wedding while Amethyst simply added a lavender tailcoat and matching top hat to her usual grungy outfit. This earned her a frown from Pearl, who then rolled her eyes. The two went up the steps to the front doors, only to be stopped by one of the guards at the door.
"This is a private event," said the guard, an ordinary yet gruff human, "Invitations only."
Pearl and Amethyst looked nervous, but Garnet stepped forward. "We happen to know one of the guests at this party. Her name is Red Diamond."
The guard looked confused before Aurum walked up and whispered something in his ear. He looked confused, but he went ahead and walked away leaving the golden gem to deal with the trio.
"What stunt are you trying to pull here?" Aurum asked pointedly, "This happens to be My Diamond's attempt to win over your populace to her cause and she will NOT appreciate you upstaging her."
"That's fine," Garnet said, "We'll behave. We're just curious."
"I mean, we are here on vacation after all," added Pearl, "Isn't it traditional to attend local festivities like this?"
"Mm-hm," remarked Aurum, "I don't buy it. What are the odds that the longest lasting members of Pink's cavalcade just so happened to be here?"
"Yeah, and your buddies being in Beach City is TOTALLY a coincidence too," snarked Amethyst, "I mean, it's only a tiny town of a few hundred people! It's not like this GIANT CITY with hundreds of thousands!"
The patrolling gem just grumbled at that as she briefly went inside the double doors to talk with someone else before coming back.
"Fine… You may enter…"
They all started moving but Aurum pointed right at them. "But if I get one word of you causing trouble, I'll have every other Aurum in this building send you all packing to Delmarva. Clear?"
"Crystal," replied Garnet.
And with that, the three Gems entered the main hall. They had to admit the event was impressive with a banquet table laid out to the left along with some dining tables set with fine china and crystal. The majority of the floor was taken up by people conversing with one other, most of it being scientific jargon that went over even Pearl's head while a small band played a classical piece that further lent to the upscale air of the soiree.
"Nice gathering," Garnet stated at the elegant decor, music, and the general atmosphere.
"Meh," Amethyst said, "It's alright. A bit too fancy for me though…"
"It does seem a tad… ostentatious," observed Pearl, "A shame they pushed aside most of the exhibits."
"We can be tourists again after we're done," said Garnet, "For now, we need to try to find what Red Diamond's doing here. Converse with anyone you can find and try to spot anything out of the ordinary."
And with that, the three began to look around the area, observing each of the guests. Garnet was on the second floor balcony while Pearl was more so in the crowd. Amethyst was in the corner trying to get her own vantage point since mingling up close with the hoity-toity rich and knowledgeable was far from her strong suit.
Soon, though, their mission would be completed for them as a man in a tuxedo walked up to another balcony with a microphone in his hand.
"Good evening, everybody!" he said cheerfully, "I am glad to see you all enjoying the festivities and sharing your information. Before we continue, though, we have a very unique guest of honor with us tonight. You may have noticed some of the unconventional staff about the museum tonight. They were provided by an immensely affluential newcomer to the scene of genetic research. You may have heard of her already: Red Diamond."
The crowd was immediately surprised by the name. Many recognized it from the recent viral phenomena and some even saw the gathering of her followers only a few miles away, but none guessed that she would be here.
"While this woman could not be here herself, she did send a representative to discuss her research with 'fellow experts' as she called it. I now turn the floor to her."
And then, much to the Crystal Gems' shock, Red Pearl herself took the mic and stepped into the limelight. She now wore a proper ball gown as opposed to her lab coat, but there was no mistaking her.
"First of all, I would like to extend my thanks to your symposium for allowing me to be here tonight. My patron has been eager to share her progress with gifted individuals such as yourselves who can truly appreciate her work. I am here to present her findings in her stead and allow you to ask any questions you may have about gems in general."
The three looked on in shock, there was Red Diamond's own personal Pearl. Right there! She then seemed to notice the three Crystal Gems, staring at each of them for a second as she continued her speech, "Is there anyone here who would like to start with a question?"
Several hands immediately went up. Rather than walk down to hand the questioner the microphone, Red Pearl leapt from the balcony and floated down much to the amazement of the audience. Once she reached the well-dressed scientist, she was almost too stunned to put words together.
"Ahem… I hope you don't take personal offense to this but… just what are you?"
"A fine enough question. You see, I am a gem. A rather artificially created alien lifeform who is part of a race of similarly constructed beings called Gems. As you can clearly see, I possess abilities beyond the vast majority of humans and do not physically age."
The crowd was amazed at the news, but Red Pearl was not done wowing them.
"Yes, my existence must be quite the revelation for you all but this is only the start. What if I told you that Red Diamond could grant you and every person on this planet these same abilities?"
Everyone's eyes went wide upon hearing this… More questions were soon thrown about and soon Red Pearl had the entire room silent as she went on about the miraculous workings of Red Diamond. Of how she was a scientific revolutionary thrown out by a corrupt society bent on keeping up millennia of planetary conquest and oppressing its civilians. Of how Red only now was able to escape her exile and bring her craft to Earth to share it all with anyone who was interested. What really upset each of the Crystal Gems was how truthful she was about the early days of the first 2 eras of Gem-kind. She did stop before she got to, as the Crystal Gems suspected, the part where Pink Diamond faked her own shattering, instead going with the ruse that a rebel had shattered her. Although, for some reason she did not identify this rebel as Rose Quartz.
"So… I take it you are all interested?" asked Red Pearl. She was met by the entire room applauding and cheering, all of them completely awestruck by this new figure and wanting to see all of the wondrous breakthroughs she could produce for humanity. The only ones not cheering were the Crystal Gems, all of them sweating at the sight of so many people being swung over to Red's cause that quickly.
"This is getting very complicated very fast," Pearl stated quietly, and with worry.
"Well, only one thing to do now!" said Amethyst, "We need to shut her up!"
"All we'd accomplish is making a scene," refuted Garnet, "Plus, I have no doubt she'd spin it into making us the bad guys again."
Almost as if to answer her, Red Pearl continued. "And to think, there are some who would vote AGAINST this type of progress… But not you all! I am immensely happy to see you all embracing these changes and I hope we make great strides for the benefit of all humanity!"
At that point, all three Gems were thoroughly disgusted. "Man…" Amethyst said, "I hope Steven's having a better time than us…"
Needless to say, Steven was not. Having told Kevin to run to safety, he was fighting Curly on his own, and needless to say, it was hard. The difficulty was not from fending off the gem, but from keeping his own abilities in check. Sure, he could easily overpower her but the amount of collateral it would make? Even his father's pockets had limits not to mention his own conscience.
This meant that Curly got quite a bit of joy forcing Steven to go on the defensive as she kept throwing more water projectiles at him. The two had gone from roof to roof and were now halfway across the city from the emporium where Greg was still dazed by all of the vintage memorabilia.
"What's the matter?" the Lazuli stated mockingly, "You need to cry to your friends now!? HAHAHA!"
"At least I have friends!"
"Oh yeah? That other Lazuli was my friend before you poofed her!" She proved her point by summoning a horde of aquatic needles that would have filled Steven with holes if he did not put a bubble around himself. As he did this, though, Steven thought of another way out of this. "So you want her back?"
"Of course, but like that's ever gonna happen!" She switched to an up-close attack and forced Steven to block with his arms as he tried to negotiate.
"It can! I know the room her bubble is in and I can get her for you!"
That actually made Curly stop and think. "What's the catch?"
"You don't bother me or my family as long as we're in Empire City."
"Yeah right!" shouted Curly as she formed all of the water into one giant fist and tried smashing Steven before deploying her wings. He managed to shield himself one last time as Curly flew away.
"You aren't going to talk your way out of this, you hear me?!" she screamed, "I'll get you some day and then Red Diamond will turn you into an even bigger monster!"
As she flew away, Steven, from his spot on the ground, looked on in concern. He then slowly got up and looked around. He then saw Kevin, cowering behind a garbage container, "Is she gone…?"
"Thankfully…" he sighed, "You alright?"
"Face is a little sore, but I'll live. You don't look too hot, though."
"I just… want to talk things out, you know? Is that so hard?"
"Steven… They have to be willing to listen first. I mean, how long was I a raging jerk before I got the right idea?"
Steven frowned for a moment, then after thinking, he said, "Yeah… I guess you have a point."
"Well duh," he said, "I've been there too."
Later, Steven was checking up on his father back in the music emporium. Greg was currently attempting to buy what seemed to be a cherry red, wooden acoustic guitar straight out of the 1950s but even he was finding the price tag too much to swallow.
"Oh man…" Greg said, looking at the detail AND autograph, "They don't even make guitars like these anymore…"
"Interested?" said Steven from behind him, making him jump in surprise.
"Sorry, didn't mean to do that!"
"Eh, pretty sure my heart's in better shape now than ever so no harm done!" Greg said reassuringly, patting his chest.
"Heh-heh, true," Steven said nervously.
"What's got you so bothered, sport?"
"How did you-?!"
"Call it a dad thing," he shrugged, "But you've never been one to keep secrets."
"Well…" Steven now felt he had no choice but to divulge everything with Curly to his father. Their conversation soon moved outside as the emporium announced it was closing for the night and before long Steven finished his confession as the two padded down the city sidewalks.
"Oof, that's rough," sympathized Greg, "At least that gem didn't do much damage but I wonder what she's here for?"
"I thought maybe she'd be back for you, but she just let Stevin follow her. It might be something to do with that protest we saw earlier."
"Hm…" Greg stated, "Well you got me there, sport. Maybe it's just a coincidence?"
"Could be… But I don't know when it comes to Red. She's got backup plans all over the place."
"Steven, don't worry yourself too much about that." Greg then turned his son around by the shoulders and looked him in the eye, "Whatever craziness happens, I'll be here to help you with it, okay?"
"Thanks, Dad. That's really good to hear."
The two embraced each other in a hug… then suddenly Steven's gem glowed, slowly engulfing the two in a bright light….
