Jasper was a Quartz soldier. She was supposed to be brave.

So how could she have acted so cowardly?

White Diamond's Pearl walked a good couple of feet ahead of Jasper, hovering several inches off the floor. An exaggerated smile stretched out across her bleach-white face. Deep cracks clustered themselves around the area where an eye should have been. In short, she made for an eerie sight, but Jasper followed her anyway. She had to. Disobeying her orders would have been tantamount to questioning White Diamond's authority. Something not even Jasper was brave enough to do.

A part of her screamed at her to turn around and search for Twoie, but Pearl's intense stares in her direction kept her walking. Jasper's steps slowed as they approached a transportation hub. It was a large room with dozens of warp pads squeezed in anywhere there was space available. Groups of soldiers, technicians, and terraforming gems all disappeared in flashes of light.

"You will be briefed on your next assignment by Amethyst Facet-4 Cut-7YN," Pearl spoke, her gaze drifting over to a group of a dozen or so Quartz soldiers waiting by a nearby warp pad.

Jasper gave a curt nod in response and waited for Pearl to leave, but she didn't. Instead Pearl hovered near the entrance, an ever present smile on her face as Jasper reluctantly moved to join the waiting group. Jasper mindlessly spewed out her facet and cut number and got into the appropriate formation.

The leader of her new squadron, an Amethyst with a gemstone in the place of her left eye, was barking out information on their next assignment. Jasper ignored her in favor of stealing glances back at Pearl. The second she was gone, Jasper would abandon her post and head back to Pink Diamond's room. Except, Pearl remained even as everyone received their individual orders and even as the warp pad engulfed Jasper in a bright light.

As the warp stream carted her off to some distant outpost, Jasper cursed herself for being a coward.


Steven clutched at the hem of his shirt, mindlessly twisting it in his hands, not caring if the fabric wrinkled. He sat alone on the living room couch. For several hours he hadn't taken his eyes off the diamond-shaped screen that floated above the coffee table.

For those same few hours, the pink screen had been blank.

Steven was a second away from shutting off the communicator and heading to bed when a face appeared. A one-eyed Pearl met his surprised gaze, a large grin plastered on her chalk-white face.

It was a minute before either of them spoke.

"I… um," Steven fumbled with his words, desperately trying to choke out something half intelligible before the Pearl lost her patience and hung up. "I want to talk to Twoie," he said, trying his best to sound confident. When the Pearl failed to respond he meekly added, "… please."

The Pearl blinked, her first action since the call began.

"Twoie," she repeated the name, a hint of amusement in her otherwise cold voice. "Is that what she was calling herself?"

"We couldn't both be Steven." He placed a hand on his shirt, over where his gemstone rested. "That would have been really confusing. Is Twoie there? I need to talk to him. It's super important."

"You're one of Pink's organic pets, I presume?"

"I'm not a pet," Steven said, frowning. "and I'm only half-human." He lifted his shirt up just enough for his gemstone to be visible.

Steven was too busy explaining his hybrid nature to see the Pearl's eye widen.

"Pink Diamond has requested your presence," the Pearl said, interrupting Steven's explanation.

"Really? That's great!" Steven said, relieved. Twoie couldn't have been in serious danger if he was asking for him. "Can you put him on?"

The Pearl stared at him for a full second before replying, "A ship is headed to your coordinates and will take you to Homeworld."

"I'm not allowed to leave the earth. I just need to talk to Twoie. He left without saying anything and now everybody is really worri—"

"Pink Diamond is currently occupied with other matters. If you wish to have an audience with her then you must arrive in person."

Steven bit his lip. He really wanted to see Twoie again, but the gems had pleaded with him to stay far away from Homeworld and the other Diamonds. What to do? Stay on earth like the gems had wanted, worried and alone or…

"I'll go," he eventually decided. "but only to talk to Twoie. I don't want any of the other Diamonds to know I'm coming."

The Pearl's already large smile grew even larger. "Of course," she said. "I've already taken the necessary precautions to ensure your arrival is kept… discreet."

Steven let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Soon, he would be reunited with Twoie. They would meet up with the gems and everything would go back to normal.


Ruby followed behind Sapphire as they passed by a large room. It was a teleportation hub, meaning it was packed full of gems who might see through their act. Beside her, Peridot tensed as she stole a glance at the crowded room. Peridot sped up and returned to tinkering with the timepiece.

"How much longer till we get there?" Amethyst asked once they were a safe enough distance from the room. She stood taller than both Pearl and Spinel and wore a Homeworld uniform. The three of them all trailed behind Lapis. "I don't know if I can keep this up for much longer."

"Pink Diamond's room should be just up ahead," Pearl said, her gaze darting to the colorful murals that lined the palace walls. "I never thought I'd be back here… "

"Tell me about it," Spinel agreed. "It's different from what I remember." She stopped to stare at a particular mural. "A lot different… "

Ruby frowned as she approached. The mural was of a battlefield. Gem shards were strewn amongst piles of weapons with Pink Diamond looming over it all. She sat in her Palanquin with a victorious grin painted on.

"One of hundreds of similar murals depicting Pink Diamond," Peridot said, still fiddling with the timepiece. "They were commissioned by Yellow Diamond during the war."

"It's creepy," Spinel said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Amethyst agreed. "Yellow Diamond needs to get better taste."

"Who cares," Lapis said. "Let's hurry up and find Twoie already. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can leave." She narrowed her eyes at the mural before walking ahead of the group.

"What's her problem?" Amethyst asked. "I thought she wanted to go to Homeworld?"

"Not as a traitor," Peridot said, not even glancing up from the timepiece. "If we're caught, the Diamonds will have us all shattered." She paused as if thinking and then very calmly added, "Or harvested, or experimented on, or—"

"Quiet," Sapphire said. "We need to hide."

Everybody was immediately on alert, searching for a suitable hiding spot, but the hallway was long and empty. Thinking fast, Ruby pressed herself against the nearest wall, pulling Peridot and Sapphire along with her. Lapis, Pearl, Amethyst, and Spinel followed her lead and pressed themselves against the wall across from her. Nobody dared move as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

A sea of red flooded the hall as dozens upon dozens of Rubies walked past them. They chatted loudly amongst themselves, playfully pushing and shoving. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice their presence. The hallway soon began to empty out as the Rubies headed to their destination, but a small group of three bickering Rubies lingered.

"That doesn't count," A Ruby with a gem on her right cheek said. "We were a fusion."

The Ruby she was talking to frowned. Her gem was on her shoulder. "Well, I still took out more than you," Shoulder Ruby said. "If it weren't for me we would've failed."

"Oh yeah," Cheek Ruby challenged. "Well, if it weren't for me you would've gotten lost. Right, 6FN?"

Ruby 6FN looked nervously between her fellow soldier gems. "Oh, um, well…"

The metal clicks of gears locking into place echoed in the large hallway. Ruby tried to take the time piece away from Peridot but she pulled it closer to herself and continued working on it.

"I'm nearly finished," Peridot whispered just loud enough for Ruby to hear.

"Finish later," Ruby harshly whispered back.

Peridot ignored her and continued to work on the timepiece. The noise she was making made one of the Rubies look up.

"We need to be quiet," Sapphire murmured after the Ruby returned to her ongoing conversation.

"That's not true at all," Shoulder Ruby said. "I wasn't lost, I was taking a shortcut. Tell her, 6FN."

Ruby was practically wrestling the timepiece away from Peridot, but the green gem was not giving it up. Some time during their fight Peridot yanked back the time piece, hard. Ruby, not expecting such a strong tug, let the timepiece go. It flew out of both their hands.

"I think," Ruby 6FN hesitated. "… you both did grea—huh?"

The time piece had landed onto Ruby 6FN's poofy head of hair.

Without thinking, Ruby rushed out into the open and swiped the time piece. She hid it behind her as the three Rubies stared at her with identical blank expressions. Ruby said nothing and smiled nervously.

"Hmn." Cheek Ruby eyed her suspiciously for a moment before shrugging. "Well, we should probably get going if we want to catch up with the others."

The rest of the group murmured in agreement and turned to leave. All except for Ruby 6FN who stood watching Ruby curiously. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"You guys go ahead," Ruby said, pretending to do some stretches. "I'll catch up."

Ruby 6FN stared at her for a second longer before grinning. "Alright, weirdo." She gave Ruby a playful shove. "don't take too long."

The push coupled with her strange stance made Ruby lose her balance. She stumbled and watched in horror as the time piece flew out of her hand.

"All my hard work!" Peridot shrieked as she lunged for the time piece.

"Peridot!" Amethyst cried, trying in vain to pull Peridot back into hiding.

They both stepped out into the open, faces frozen in fear.

"What's going on here?" Ruby 6FN asked, eyes widening as she took note of how short Amethyst and Peridot were. Ruby grimaced.

"Just guarding this mural." Amethyst quickly shifted back into her Homeworld disguise. She flashed the Ruby a nervous grin and leaned against the wall. "Y'know how it is, hard at work patrolling and… doing guard stuff."

Ruby 6FN took a step back. "You're an off color…"

Peridot clutched the timepiece close to her chest. "We're all goners."

Suddenly, a pair of rubbery arms sprung out from the shadows and wrapped themselves around Ruby 6FN. She squirmed and thrashed against her restraints, but all her attempts ended in failure. Still, her muffled shouts continued to spill out into the hall, growing louder and more frantic with each passing second. It would only be a matter of time before one of the other Rubies came to check up on them.

"Spinel," Pearl reprimanded, stepping away from the wall and over to the captured Ruby. "We were supposed to stay hidden."

Spinel shrugged. "I don't think that was working out for us."

"We have a prisoner now?" Lapis pinched the bride of her nose. "Are we just supposed to take her with us?"

"Hey, 6FN," Shoulder Ruby called. She was walking toward them with a small group of Rubies by her side. "What's taking you guys so lo—" She stopped and stared at the scene. Ruby 6FN flailed against her restraints.

"Great," Lapis muttered underneath her breath.

Ruby managed to reach Sapphire just as one of the Rubies shouted: "Defective gems!"


The kindergarten was a dark green. The color reminded Jasper of the grass on earth which in turn reminded her of Twoie. She clenched her jaw. He had never returned from his meeting. White Diamond's Pearl had arrived shortly after, claiming that Twoie had relieved Jasper of her duty. Now, she was stuck guarding a group of Peridots who hadn't even emerged yet.

"I spotted one!" the Amethyst she was paired with cried. She summoned her weapon, a sharp axe, and charged directly toward one of the empty holes in the kindergarten. Jasper sighed and moved to follow, but the Amethyst waved her back. "I got this!"

Jasper didn't bother answering and leaned against the rock wall behind her. A second later, the Amethyst was thrown against the ground as a large creature slammed right into her. It had sharp claws and even sharper teeth. It struck at its pinned prey who remained unfazed against the barrage of attacks. The Amethyst used her superior strength to throw the hairless beast off her. Using the new space she had, the Amethyst pulled back her axe and swung it at the lizard-like animal, slicing it clean in half.

Jasper frowned at the messy sight, watching as the two halves of the creature pulled together. Like magic, scaly green skin stitched itself closed leaving an enraged animal in its wake. It charged at the Amethyst and their fight began anew. Jasper resisted the urge to sigh, the organics on this planet were stubborn and difficult to kill. It would be a while before the creature admitted defeat and turned to leave

"No way!" a Ruby cried loud enough to catch Jasper's attention. Her gem was on her forehead and she was being flanked by two other Rubies. The group was most likely headed deeper into the kindergarten to act as back up for some of the other Quartzes. "That's impossible. She was shattered ages ago."

Were they talking about Pink Diamond? About Twoie? Jasper listened closely.

"It's true," Another Ruby, this one with a gem on her shoulder, said. She pointed to the third Ruby. "Ask 6FN, she was there."

Ruby 6FN nodded, but looked unsure. "Well, it was definitely a Pearl, but I don't know if it was the Renegade Pearl." She shrugged and nervously added, "The important thing is that she was captured, right?"

Jasper froze, eyes wide. What?

"Ha!" forehead Ruby cheered. She stopped and turned to shoulder Ruby. "See? I was right. It wasn't really her. It was probably just an old defective Pearl."

"I'm telling you," insisted shoulder Ruby, shooting 6FN a glare. "It was her. She even had a whole group of off-colors working for her."

Jasper plucked forehead Ruby off the ground, earning a surprised yelp from the smaller gem. Her two squad mates regarded her warily, but didn't attack. Jasper was a Quartz soldier, she outranked them.

"Who was with her?"

Forehead Ruby floundered. "W-what?"

"The renegade Pearl! Was a human with her?"

"I don't remember! There were a lot of them. A Peridot, an Amethyst, a fusio—"

Jasper dropped her onto the ground before she could finish. That sounded like the Crystal Gems to her, meaning they had gotten captured. Jasper ignored the confused questions of the Rubies, marched away from her post, and made her way over to the nearest warp pad. She would deal with the consequences of her actions later, right now she needed to save Steven.


The second Steven stepped out of the ship, he knew something was wrong. The two gems assigned to him, an Aquamarine and a Topaz, refused to leave his side. They stuck to him like glue while they escorted him through a military base and over to a warp pad. They were treating him more like a prisoner than a guest. A part of him hoped he was just being paranoid, that the stress from Twoie's abrupt disappearance was getting to him, but that hope was crushed the second the light from the warp pad faded.

Two giant women, one yellow and one blue, stood several feet away from the warp pad. They towered over everything and everyone in the room, their sheer size making him feel like an ant in comparison.

Steven froze, eyes wide. It had to be them—the Diamonds.

He couldn't stay here. His gaze fell to the polished crystal beneath his flip-flops. Using the warp pad wouldn't work. At best, it would only delay his capture since his two 'guards' were bound to follow after him. He doubted he could beat both Topaz and Aquamarine in a fight, at least not while the Diamonds were backing them up.

With no other options Steven turned on his heel and made a run for it, pushing past his two guards and bolting in the direction opposite of the Diamonds. His eyes darted to every corner of the vast room as he searched for an exit. He headed for a door located at the far end of the room, but didn't get far.

Aquamarine drew a blue ribbon from her hair. With a flick of her wrist the ribbon snapped into a sturdy wand. She pointed it at him, immobilizing him in a beam of blue energy, and reeling him back over to her.

Fear clawed at him like a wild animal, merciless and relentless. Even if he somehow managed to break free of his paralysis, he was still surrounded. One gem on either side of him with Yellow and Blue Diamond looming over him.

Yellow Diamond's eyes narrowed as she spoke, "What is the meaning of this?"

Blue Diamond remained silent, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

Steven only managed a slow blink in response, his eyes being the only part of his body he had any control over. Not that it mattered, Yellow Diamond wasn't even looking at him. No, her focus was entirely directed at Aquamarine and Topaz, the two gems who had brought him here in the first place.

"M-my Diamonds," Aquamarine stuttered out, arms forming a hasty salute. Topaz was quick to copy her.

Yellow Diamond's clenched fists crackled with energy. "Why wasn't I informed one of my ships was sent to earth? and why do you have Pink?"

Steven blinked. That was strange. It almost sounded like Yellow Diamond was mad at Aquamarine and Topaz, but that couldn't be right. Hadn't it been her who had wanted him captured? Isn't that why they had brought him here? Apparently not, if Yellow Diamond's rising temper was anything to go by. Her frown deepened every second she failed to get an answer.

Aquamarine hesitated before speaking, "We received orders t—"

"I never gave any orders to go to earth," Yellow Diamond's voice was low and threatening. What little patience she did have was quickly running out.

"The orders were from White Dia—"

Aquamarine never got the chance to finish. Bolts of energy shooting from Yellow Diamond's fingers struck her, causing her to disappear in a cloud of smoke, her gemstone clinking against the warp pad. With her gone Steven dropped from the air, free from his earlier paralysis. He scrambled backwards on the floor, watching in horror as Topaz was zapped back into her gem.

"Yellow." Blue Diamond placed a hand on Yellow Diamond's shoulder. "Control yourself."

Yellow Diamond shrugged off her hand, but did stop emanating wild energy. "We need to talk to White."

Steven's pulse raced, blood rushing in his ears. This was his chance to escape. He slowly crawled over to the warp pad, not wanting to remind the Diamonds of his presence.

"We will," Blue Diamond said. "but first we need to deal with Pink's situation."

She turned her attention over to him. Steven froze. She had seen him, they both had. Would they attack him now? Imprison him? Something worse?

Blue Diamond's eyes softened as she gently asked, "Are you alright, Pink?"

The concern in her voice was so genuine that it caught Steven off guard. "W-what?"

"What did White want with you?" Yellow Diamond asked.

"I… don't know." It was true. In fact, he didn't know much of anything at that moment. He was just supposed to talk with Twoie, convince him to return to earth. Except now he was face-to-face with not one, but two Diamonds who were strangely concerned about his well-being. He inched his way over to the warp pad.

Blue Diamond frowned. "What happened to your voice?"

"You've shrunk," Yellow Diamond observed, a note of displeasure in her voice. "This is White's doing, isn't it?"

He was now on the warp pad. He could leave if he wanted, but a part of him kept him from doing so. The Diamonds hadn't attacked him so far and were friendly enough that he risked asking a question, "Where's Twoie?"

The two Diamond shared a look before Blue Diamond answered, "Two… ie? I've never heard of a Twoie."

"Pink Diamond," he said, quickly adding, "The other one."

"Other one?" Yellow Diamond repeated. "Pink, what are you talking about?"

They must have him confused for Twoie, Steven realized. Had Twoie not explained the situation to them? Judging by their confusion, it looked like he hadn't.

"Right now there are two Pink Diamonds," Steven began. He pointed at himself. "Me and Twoie. Although, technically we're the same person. I'm going to grow up to be Twoie one day… I think. I'm not sure actually. Twoie did tell us he changed the past a lot… " Steven shook his head. "Anyway, what matters is that there's two of us right now. Does that make sense?"

The two Diamonds gave him blank stares in return.

Steven sighed. This was going to take a while.


For the first time since her emergence all those thousands of years ago, Jasper was afraid.

It was different from the trepidation she sometimes felt when going up against opponents who were stronger than her. At least in those situations she could outmaneuver or outsmart them, but the Diamonds weren't like her other opponents. They wouldn't be bested by some flashy moves or clever tactics. No, Jasper wouldn't last a second in a fight against them.

"Halt," the two Topaz guards said simultaneously. They crossed the length of their axes together to form an X, blocking her path to the large set of steel doors. "No one is allowed beyond this point."

If Jasper couldn't win in a fight against the Diamonds then her best course of action would've been to avoid their notice. After all, how could the Diamonds shatter her if they weren't even aware she existed? Except, she couldn't do that, not if she wanted to save Steven.

"I have orders to retrieve a group of gems," Jasper lied.

The two guards shared a look before asking, "From who?"

They didn't believe her, not surprising. Only the Diamonds had the authority to release detained gems, a task they delegated to their Agates. Moreover, only gems who had been granted a trial were allowed to be retrieved. Even then, Agates were expected to bring along a small security detail to prevent any escapes.

"Pink Diamond."

That got their attention.

Cracks of uncertainty spread across the impassive masks they wore. They must have heard the rumors by now, it was hard not to. News of Pink Diamonds return from the dead was spreading like wildfire.

"She was shattered thousands of years ago."

Jasper shrugged. "Well, she's back."

They shared another look, this one longer.

"I have orders to retrieve a group of gems," she repeated, adding a hint of irritation to her tone. It wouldn't do good to keep a Diamond waiting. The pair of Topaz guards hesitated. "Rebel gems," she added. "like the Renegade Pearl."

That did it. The guards lowered their weapons and opened the doors. It was completely possible that Jasper was lying to them, but they knew it wasn't worth the risk if they were wrong. Plus, rumors of Pink Diamonds return spreading on the same day the infamous Renegade Pearl gets captured? It was too big to just be a coincidence.

Jasper strolled passed the guards, idly noting that gems caught falsifying orders, especially those of the Diamonds, were shattered.


Pearl hugged her legs, pulling them close to her chest. The footfalls of soldier gems accompanied the quiet humming of her small cell.

"This sucks," Amethyst's voice echoed from somewhere further down the room. She must have finally reformed. Pearl didn't answer, but silently agreed. Their situation did indeed suck.

The Rubies had called for backup a short while after their cover had been blown. The hallway was soon crawling with guards, all aiming to capture them. Still, they fought with everything they had, desperately trying to find an escape route. They were quickly overwhelmed.

Pearl didn't know how long it had been since their loss. She had been poofed sometime during the fight, cut down by a Jasper who had overpowered her. As little as an hour, or as much as a week, could have passed. Not that it mattered, she was still a prisoner and it looked like that wasn't about to change anytime soon.

Pearl pressed herself into the corner of her cell as the sounds of footsteps grew louder. One of the guards must be coming to see her, they wouldn't be the first. A few of the other guards had come to gawk at the infamous Renegade Pearl. The footsteps stopped in front of her cell and Pearl made it a point to look away. She would ignore them until they got bored and left.

The clacking of keys made Pearl stiffen. Were they going to take her out of her cell? Would they put her on trial? The buzzing forcefield keeping her prisoner went silent.

A gruff voice but familiar voice spoke, "Let's go."

Pearl's head snapped up, eyes wide. It was Jasper, their Jasper.

"Don't say anything," Jasper whispered, glancing over her shoulder. She roughly yanked Pearl off the ground, restraining her arms in an uncomfortable position. Pearl opened her mouth to protest, but was caught off guard by the apologetic look on Jasper's face. "Play along," she said pushing her forward.

Pearl gave a nod in response and walked without complaint.

They had found Peridot and Lapis first, their gemstones had been carelessly tossed into the cells across from hers. Spinel, also in her gem, was a few cells ahead of them. Jasper added her to her growing collection of gemstones

Amethyst was the first one they ran into who had reformed. She was seated on the floor with her head resting against her knees. She didn't even look up when the forcefield went down.

"Get up, traitor," Jasper projected her voice, stealing another glance over her shoulder. A mix of soldier gems patrolled the halls, destabilizers hanging by their waist, ready to prevent any escapes.

Confusion and betrayal bloomed on Amethyst's face as she looked up at them. With Jasper still restraining Pearl and the cold tone in which she had been addressed, Amethyst must have assumed the worst. She scowled, eyes narrowing, and looked one second away from summoning her whip. Before she could, Pearl winked at her.

Amethyst's brows furrowed, her scowl disappearing.

Jasper shoved the gemstones into her arms. "Hold these and be quiet."

Amethyst looked like she was going to argue, but a single glare from Jasper kept her quiet. She shrugged and wordlessly followed them to the next two cells.

Ruby was easy to spot, it would be hard not to notice her with how much noise she was making. She charged at the forcefield of her cell, slamming her shoulder into it at full force. Her form glitched and she cried out in pain as she was sent hurling against the wall. She got right back up, brushing off the pain like it was nothing, and prepared herself for another escape attempt. Then, she stopped, finally taking notice of them.

Pearl was quick to send Ruby a small smile, reassuring her without words that Jasper could be trusted. Ruby didn't immediately start throwing insults at Jasper, but looked unsure about the whole situation. That all changed the second Jasper pressed the appropriate keys to let her out. Her face lit up and she immediately tried bolting over to the cell next to hers. Thankfully, Jasper caught her before she could blow their cover, holding the smaller gem up by the back of her shirt.

"Follow me and don't fuse." Jasper didn't put her down until Ruby nodded in agreement.

The only indication of surprise Sapphire gave at their arrival was a small, almost imperceptible tilting of her head. She seemed to quickly grasp their situation and wasted no time in joining them.

"Where is he?" Jasper asked, scanning the empty cells around her.

"We haven't been able to find Twoie," Pearl said. "We think he might be in Pink Diamo—"

"He's with White Diamond," Jasper said, scowling.

Pearl jerked back as if struck.

"What?" Ruby shrieked. A few of the guards turned to look their way. She fell silent, but Pearl could hear the sizzling of metal as Ruby's anger slowly melted the ground under her.

Sapphire had a similar reaction, parts of the floor became encased with a layer of ice.

Amethyst was the only who didn't seem to grasp the gravity of Jasper's statement. It made sense, she never showed much interest in Homeworld, preferring to explore the wonders of earth. She wouldn't know how terrible White Diamond truly was.

Jasper didn't elaborate any further on the subject and instead asked, "Where's Steven?"

"On earth," Pearl said. "We didn't want to put him in danger by bringing him here."

Jasper seemed to relax at her words, some of the tension leaving her body. "Let's get out of here."

Together, they all headed to the exit, tense and worried that someone would realize they were escaping. Pearl stared at the floor and did her best to look defeated when they passed by a group of guards. She remained silent even as they left the prison and only allowed herself to relax when they were standing in front of Pink Diamond's room.

Jasper finally released her hold on her, tapping a panel located on the wall next to the room. Any feelings of relief Pearl had died as the large pink doors slid open, revealing Yellow and Blue Diamond. She took a step back in preparation of a retreat, but a chipper voice stopped her dead in her tracks, "Hey, guys!"

Pearl was surprised she didn't poof on the spot. Gently cradled in Blue Diamond's palm was a grinning Steven.


Steven had been afraid of the Diamonds at first, but quickly found that they weren't all that bad. Sure, Yellow could be intimidating at times and Blue had a tendency to make everyone around her cry, but they never tried to hurt him. Quite the opposite, Blue dotted on him and Yellow had gone to great lengths to ensure his safety, ordering a small battalion of guards to follow them around.

A white orb charged at him and probably would have hit him if it weren't for Blue Diamond's quick reflexes. She pulled him close to her chest, using her free hand to hide him from view. He heard the orb zip pass them a few more times before it gave up and left.

"What was that?" he asked, once Blue Diamond had uncovered him.

"White's Pearl." Blue Diamond sighed. "Of course she knew about this, about you."

"She wants something from you," Yellow Diamond said. She dismissed her guards as they approached two large doors. "Did she tell you anything?"

Steven didn't reply immediately. The large doors slid open, revealing a pink room that gave him the strangest sense of deja vu. He felt like he had been here before even though he knew he hadn't.

"No," he eventually said. "The only thing she told me was that Twoie wanted to talk to me. It didn't feel like she was trying to get something from me."

"Hmm," Yellow Diamond looked pensive. "Have you been in contact with Pin—with Twoie," she corrected herself. "Blue and I haven't been able to contact him since our meeting."

He shook his head. "White's Peal told me he was busy. That's why I agreed to go to Homeworld, to talk to Twoie in person."

Before the conversation could continue any further, the doors to the room opened once more. Steven peered over the edge of Blue Diamond's hand, perking up at the sight of some familiar faces. Jasper along with Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst stood frozen in the doorway.

He beamed down at them, waving to catch their attention. "Hey, guys!"

A couple things happened next, Ruby and Sapphire fused into Garnet, Pearl and Jasper looked about ready to pass out, and Amethyst took a couple steps back. The Diamonds reactions weren't any better, Blue pulled him close, blocking him from view and Yellow glared at the uninvited group of gems.

Seeing the tension in the room, Steven rushed to get the situation under control. He turned to Blue Diamond and very calmly asked, "Can you put me down?" Blue glanced at the gems and then back at him, hesitating. "Please," he added. "You're all my family and I want to introduce you to each other."

Blue Diamond lowered her hand to the floor and Steven jumped off, moving to greet his family. Amethyst was the first to break out of her shock, nervously asking, "So, are the Diamonds cool now or what?"

Steven smiled. "They were surprisingly understanding once I explained everything to them. I think it's 'cause of Twoie, he talked to them first."

"Steven!" Pearl shouted, rushing over to him. She engulfed him in a hug which he gladly returned. "How did… You were on earth."

"It's kind of a long story," he said. "But I came in a spaceship."

"You still have your Pearl?" Yellow Diamond asked, sounding surprised.

"She doesn't belong to me," Steven said, pulling away from the hug to face her. "We're family."

"And the fusion?" Blue Diamond asked. She stared at Garnet, recognition flashing across her eyes. "She interrupted my court."

"That's Garnet." He walked up to her and began to tug her deeper into the room. Garnet was stiff and unsure, but trusted him enough to follow. "She's made of love."

Yellow Diamond raised an eyebrow.

"And being fused makes you… happy?" Blue Diamond asked.

Garnet gave her a stiff nod in response.

"Very well," Blue Diamond said. "You may stay fused. Twoie believed that we should focus more on making sure gem are happy."

"It's strange," Yellow Diamond admitted, nodding. "but it is ultimately harmless."

Garnet didn't reply, but her mouth fell slightly agape.

"This is Amethyst," Steven said, gesturing to the purple gem.

"Yo, what's up?" Amethyst greeted. She seemed much more at ease now that she had some time to adjust.

"Another off color," Blue Diamond noted. "I haven't seen you in the zoo before."

"This is her first time on Homeworld," Steven explained before moving on to Jasper. "Yellow, you've already met Jasper, right?"

"She belongs to my court, yes," Yellow Diamond said. "Though, I suppose since she was originally from Pink's court that she now belongs to you."

"She doesn't belong to anyone," he said, flashing Jasper a smile. She relaxed a bit and managed her own small smile. "She's her own gem."

Suddenly, A white orb shot out from the ground, zooming dangerously close to him. Garnet pulled him back before it could touch him. The orb didn't attempt to go back for him, taking to the air instead. When it was high enough that it was visible to everyone, the orb receded and revealed another Pearl. "White Diamond is throwing a ball in celebration of Pink Diamond's return," she said.

Yellow Diamond sighed, "We should start plan—"

"Preparations are already underway," White Pearl said. "The ball will begin shortly."

"What?" Blue Diamond frowned. "That's won't give us nearly enough time to ge—"

"The ball will begin shortly," she repeated. "White Diamond expects all Diamonds to attend." She was looking directly at him when she said that. Without another word, she was engulfed by a white sphere and promptly disappeared, ignoring Yellow Diamond's frustrated shouts for her to come back.

"If all Diamonds are expected to attend, does that mean Twoie will show up?" Steven asked.

Before anyone could answer, a bright light erupted from Amethysts hands. She stepped back and watched as three different colored gemstones floated in the air.


Steven's head snapped up as one of the doors opened. A small group of Sapphire's and their accompanying Ruby guards filed into the room.

Twoie wasn't among them.

He sighed and went back to staring at the sea of colors that stretched out before him. Hundreds of gems types, many of which he had never seen before, were rushing to form orderly groups in preparation of the Diamonds arrival. The party would be starting soon.

Steven spotted Amethyst, Jasper, and Lapis in the growing crowd. The three of them were the only ones 'officially' attending the party. Steven was only half-gem, Pearls weren't allowed to attend by themselves, Garnet had refused to separate, and Peridot had wanted to spend her time fixing the timepiece. Together, the four of them stood at the far end of the room, behind all of the crowds of gems and close to the doors leading in.

Four empty thrones were located in front of the spacious ballroom. Once all the gems had settled in, the Diamonds would be arriving one by one, each of them taking a seat on their assigned throne. At least, that's what was supposed to happen. There was still the chance Twoie wouldn't show up. That alone made Steven restless, his flip-flops continuously tapping against the polished marble floor as he waited for the Diamonds to appear.

"He'll show up," Garnet said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She stood next to him, her back leaned against the wall. Was his worry really that obvious? or had she simply seen him asking about Twoie with her future vision? "Don't worry."

He bit his lip. "How can you be sure? What if White Diamond was lying to us?

Garnet adjusted her visor. "Twoie attends the ball in all of the possible futures I can see. He'll show up."

Steven nodded, but didn't feel any better. He wouldn't feel better until he talked to Twoie himself.

"It's starting," Pearl said.

Steven glanced back out into the crowd, noting that nothing had changed. Before he could ask Pearl what she meant, a nasally voice rang out, breaking the silence.

"Everyone, behold!" Yellow Pearl announced, gesturing to the curtains held up by a group of Aquamarines behind her. "The daunting, beauty and elegance that is, Yellow Diamond!

The curtains parted and Yellow Diamond strolled in, exuding confidence and grace. Some of the gems closer to the front leaned forward in hopes of getting a better view. Yellow Diamond took her time walking across the room before taking a seat in her throne.

A short while after another voice rang out, this one softer, "Ahem," Blue Pearl began. "Everyone prepare yourselves emotionally for the overpowering elegance that is, Blue Diamond"

Blue Diamond entered with Spinel, who was waving at the admiring crowds of gems, perched on her shoulder. The Diamonds had really taken a liking to her. Steven flashed Spinel a half-hearted smile when she caught his gaze.

Silence reigned once more as Blue Diamond took her seat. The crowd of gems buzzed with excitement as they waited for the next Diamond to make an appearance. Seconds stretched out into minutes with still no sign of either of the remaining Diamonds. Steven, for his part, was starting to grow nervous. What if Twoie didn't show up?

Aa if hearing his thoughts a white sphere sprouted from the ground, floating up until it was hovering in the spacious doorway. The sphere disappeared, leaving a one-eyed Pearl in its place. It was the same Pearl from his call, the one who had invited him to Homeworld—White Diamond's Pearl. Then, It would be White Diamond who would be appearing next. While disappointed it wouldn't be Twoie, Steven couldn't help but wonder what she looked like. According to Pearl, White Diamond hadn't been seen in thousands of years.

"To those in attendance of the Era 3 ball," White Pearl said. "I am pleased to announce the return of Pink Diamond."

The curtains parted at the same time Steven's heart sank.

Standing in the doorway, dressed in all pink with a toothy grin plastered on was a pale Twoie. Except standing was the wrong word. Twoie hovered, his feet never touching the floor, as he gave stiff waves to the gems closest to him.

Pearl gasped, "Twoie…"

"Something's wrong," Garnet said, tensing beside him. She didn't elaborate, frantically adjusting her visor instead, searching for answers with her future vision.

Twoie's legs awkwardly emulated the motions of walking as he glided to the other side of the room. It looked wrong, unnatural. Before Steven could dwell on it for much longer, the room went dark. A pair of spotlights moved around sporadically before settling on a still floating White Pearl.

She only spoke two words, but they were enough to send chills down his spine, "White Diamond."

Peridot made a noise of surprise, looking up from the timepiece for the first time since they had arrived, "She actually came?"

Suddenly, the lights turned back on.

Or, at least, that's what it looked when White Diamond entered the room. She was as big as Yellow and Blue Diamond, bigger even, and almost blindingly bright. Just looking at her made his eyes hurt, and he was eventually forced to look away or risk permanently damaging his eyesight. It was like staring directly at the sun. Except, the sun didn't have thundering footsteps or an eerily cold voice, "Welcome to Era 3."

A strange almost chip tune like sound flowed into the room. All the gems began to dance, moving in sync with the music and each other. There was no passion or joy to their movements, only a blind obedience to do what was expected of them. It was like watching cogs move in a machine.

At some point the lights must have actually turned back on, because Steven could see again. He still couldn't stare directly at White Diamond, but he was able to catch glimpses of the other Diamonds, glimpses of Twoie. He sat on his pink throne, unmoving and barely blinking.

Steven stared, waved, and even tried jumping up and down to get Twoie's attention, but nothing worked. Twoie only had eyes for the throng of gems who were lining up to admire him. He thought he saw Amethyst amongst them, but couldn't be sure.

A sudden and horrible wave of dread washed over him, making his hair stand on end. He glanced up just in time to see White Diamond look away. She had dimmed to the point where Steven could see the irritation in her eyes. Was she upset because she hadn't been able to capture him? or was it something else?

The sounds of confused murmuring pulled his attention to the shifting sea of gems in front of him. A speck of purple navigated through the crowd, disrupting the dances taking place and accidentally causing some of the gems to mix. Amethyst popped out from the crowd, swaying in her limb enhancers as she tried to balance herself.

"Did you talk to Twoie? How did it go? What did he say?" Steven asked, before Amethyst could even say anything.

"Nothing."

Pearl frowned, gaze darting over to the Diamonds. "What do you mean nothing?"

"I mean, he didn't say a single word to me the whole time I was up there," Amethyst said. "I tried talking to him, but… I think something is seriously wrong with Twoie. He was all quiet and weird, only smiling and nodding. It creeped me out."

Steven snuck a glance at Twoie who wore a face-splitting grin. He nodded at a group of gems, his smile never wavering.

"Maybe he's just really happy to host a party?" Steven suggested, but even he didn't believe himself.

Amethyst sighed, "Somehow, I doubt that."

"We wait until the ball ends," Garnet said. "Then we go talk to him, together."

Steven nodded and took a seat on the floor, leaning his back against the wall in an attempt to get comfortable. He watched as the sea of gems continued to dance, stealing occasional glances over at Twoie, and willed himself to at least try and enjoy the party.


The party stretched out longer than he would have liked, but the hordes of gems eventually thinned out until there was nobody left but the Diamonds. Steven rose from the floor, not bothering to check if the others were following, and headed straight for Twoie.

Yellow and Blue were in the middle of a heated discussion with White Diamond when he arrived.

"… without telling us." Yellow Diamond said. "And this spur of the moment ball, completely unprecedented."

"You tried taking Steven from us," Blue Diamond said. "and if Yellow hadn't noticed one of her ships was unaccounted for, you would have succeeded."

White Diamond didn't respond to either of them. She looked annoyed and a bit bored at the accusations being flung her way. That changed when she noticed his arrival, her eyes lighting up in interest. "Pink, how great of you to finally join us," she said. "Did you enjoy the ball? I hadn't planned on attending, but I needed to speak with you."

"I—"

Steven was cut off as someone tackled him to the ground. He summoned his shield and prepared to defend himself, but stopped when he saw who it had been. Jasper held him close, placing herself in between him and the Diamonds. The spot where he had been standing moments ago was crackling with white electricity. Lapis and Peridot moved to stand beside him.

"White," Yellow Diamond nearly shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You could have hurt him," Blue Diamond reprimanded. "This is why we've been keeping him away from you."

Pearl screamed, drawing everyone's attention over to her. She had gotten on the pink throne at some point and was now quickly backing up from Twoie. She was saying something, frantically shaking her head in denial.

He tried running over to her, but Jasper's pulled him back. Amethyst and Garnet leapt over to Pearl, worry etched onto their features. Their worry quickly turned to horror as they got a closer look at Twoie. Even from where Steven stood, he was able to see Twoie's glazed over eyes and haunting smile. Twoie didn't blink and barely seemed to be breathing. Most worryingly of all, he didn't even appear aware of his surroundings. Amethyst shook him by his shoulders, trying to get a reaction from him, but it became increasingly apparent that Twoie wasn't all there.

"What have you done to him?" he asked.

"She did it to herself," White Diamond said. "All that time she wasted galavanting on earth, interacting with those far below her station." Her gaze flicked over to Garnet and the others for a second. "It damaged her. I simply removed all of her flaws and impurities, made her perfect again."

"Are you crazy?" Amethyst shouted. Her lips curled back into a snarl as she gestured to a comatose Twoie. "How is this perfect?"

"White, release him this instant," Yellow Diamond demanded, pounding on her armrest. "Taking control of your Pearl was one thing, but this…"

Blue Diamond was on the verge of tears. "Don't you see, White? This is why Pink left us."

White Diamond fell silent, the room thick with tension. She raised her arm up and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. Like a puppet with its strings cut off, Twoie toppled over, the white receding from his skin.

Steven rushed over to him, Jasper and the others following closely behind. He reached him just as Twoie was regaining consciousness. The rest of the gems crowded around Twoie. Pearl and Garnet were helping him sit up.

"Wha…" Twoie blinked, his confused eyes taking in his surroundings. Then, he convulsed. He pushed Pearl and Garnet away and thrashed, his entire body glitched in a way that shouldn't have been possible. It was a terrifying sight and Steven found himself taking a couple steps back. Before anyone could move to help him, a beam of energy collided with Twoie. He cried out and clawed at the white rapidly creeping up his arms and neck.

"See," Twoie said, in a voice that was not his own. His unnatural grin had returned. "I'm keeping Pink together. She would have fallen apart if it weren't for me."

"No, you're wrong!" Steven shouted, thoroughly disturbed at what he'd just witnessed. "You did something to him." He expected one of the gems to back him up, but they remained silent.

"Oh, Pink," White Diamond chided, shaking her head. Twoie mimicked her actions. "You did this to yourself when you fused with an organic." Her eyes grew a blinding white. "I only want to make things better."

One by one, the gems started to turn white. Jasper, who had been the closest to him, was the first to get zapped. Her pained expression quickly turned into a happy one, a wide grin stretching across her face. He moved out of the way at the same time she lunged for him, her arms ended up wrapping around nothing but air.

Lapis and Peridot had moved to defend him and were quickly defeated. Amethyst and Pearl were next, neither of them had come close to reaching him before they were struck down by a blast of white. Garnet managed to avoid a few of the blasts, but was caught off guard when a bleached Pearl attacked. The white slowly leaked out from her gemstones before eventually engulfing her entire body, turning her into another mindless puppet.

Spinel, apart from the other Diamonds, was the only gem left standing. She coiled her legs into springs which she used to jump towards him, scooping him off the ground and taking him back to Blue. He stood on Blue Diamond's shoulder, a good distance away from White Diamond.

"Release them, now," Yellow Diamond ordered. "I—" The words caught in her throat as splotches of white spread out from her gemstone. She looked at White Diamond with a mix of shock and betrayal. The white spread out until it covered her entire body, Yellow watching helplessly as she lost control over herself.

"White!" Blue Diamond shouted. "You need to stop, this is insanity!"

White Diamond's eyes were glowing, charging up for another attack, this one aimed at Blue Diamond. Thinking fast, Steven summoned his shield and flung it so it covered Blue Diamond's gemstone. The blast of white bounced off it, hitting a wall instead. White Diamond attacked again, but Steven wasn't fast enough and Blue Diamond was hit.

"You've confused them, Pink," White Diamond said. "Now, I'm forced to fix them, perfect them."

She charged up another attack, one aimed directly at him. Seeing what was about to happen, Spinel grabbed him and leapt away, landing somewhere on the ballroom floor.

"Please listen to me," he said. "I don't want to fight you."'

White Diamond ignored him and attacked. He raised his shield, protecting both Spinel and himself from the attack.

"Stop resisting, Pink. I only want what's best for you."

He pointed in the direction of one of the mindless Diamonds. "How is that what's best for me?"

White Diamond answered with another blast of light. When it failed to reach him, she began to use the gems she had taken control over to launch an attack. Garnet swung at him, her gauntlets slamming against his shield. More and more gems joined the fight, each trying to distract him long enough for White Diamond to land a hit on him.

"Watch out!" Spinel cried as she pushed him away from a beam of light that came dangerously close to hitting him. White Diamond growled in annoyance and sent the gems to attack her instead. Spinel stretched her body in strange ways, easily evading the attacks of the possessed gems. She was greatly outnumbered, but she was small and evasive, making her difficult to hit.

Even with the others focusing on Spinel, Steven was still greatly outmatched. How was he supposed to stop White Diamond when even the other Diamonds were unable to do so? He ran, avoiding her attacks, and tried to think of a way to end the situation peacefully.

"I don't want to fight!" White Diamond attacked again and Steven raised his shield to defend, but this time he angled it so that the attack would be redirected at her.

He stopped and faced her, saw her unhurt and furious, her eyes narrowing and nostrils flaring. He turned and continued running, thrusting his shield up every couple seconds to defend against her attacks. From the corner of his eye he saw Jasper charging at him, and he was only barely able to put a bubble up before she crashed into him at full force. The bubble went flying, bouncing against the walls before landing in the center of the room.

While in the safety of his bubble he searched for Spinel, heart sinking when he realized she had turned white. He was all alone. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm maintaining order. I'm ensuring that our empire remains perfect."

Perfect, there was that word again. White Diamond seemed obsessed with perfection, and Steven couldn't understand why. All of her actions were only making things worse, hurting those who she was supposedly trying to help, so why couldn't she see that?

Steven ran adjacent to the wall, using the hanging banners displaying the Diamond insignia as temporary cover. Amethyst's whip slashed at it, tossing it to the ground in shreds. He ran, and she chased after him, destroying countless more banners in her attempts to catch him.

White Diamond began to use her hands, throwing two beams of light at a time. He kept evading and raising his shield, easily avoiding her attacks. What proved more difficult was fighting against the possessed gems. He didn't want to risk hurting any of them, but at the same time he couldn't afford to ignore them. They attacked mercilessly. Some, like Pearl, stuck him with actual weapons while the others shot beams of light at him from a safer distance. When he could, he redirected the blasts to the ground or to the walls, damaging them.

Spinel, Lapis, and Garnet attacked him all at once, hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. It probably would have worked too, if Lapis didn't stop mid strike. It was only a moment, but he saw it, White Diamond's control had slipped, some blue seeping back into Lapis. Was there a limit to how many gems she could control?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Pearl's spear whizzing past him. He continued to run, only stopping to deflect White Diamond's never ending attacks. He summoned a bubble to protect himself as he stopped to collect his breath. The banners were all gone now, the walls were signed black with damage taken from White Diamond's attacks, the marble floor was scratched up from his fights with the gems. In short, the room was a mess.

He gestured to the disaster surrounding him, a disaster that White Diamond had caused. "Is this your idea of perfect?" he asked.

White Diamond paused, her mask of indifference was beginning to crack. Only half of the bleached gems were attacking his bubble, the rest stood off to the side as color seeped out from their gem.

"You don't understand Pink. This is what I have to do. I'm supposed to set an example. I'm supposed to know better, I'm supposed to be better, I'm supposed to make everything better!"

"And you can, but this…" he gestured to the gems struggling to regain control of themselves, their faces contorting in discomfort. "Isn't the way to do it. Set everybody free and we can talk this out."

White Diamond shook her head, but she didn't attack. She looked tired now, and the gems she was controlling reflected that. Their attacks had mostly stopped and any time they did strike it was half-hearted, lacking any real malice. "They're flawed, off color," she said as if that were enough explanation.

"Nobody's perfect, but if you just wipe away everything you see as flawed, you lose all the things that make you happy."

The gems stopped attacking. Steven cautiously lowered his bubble and walked over to White Diamond.

"I can't have a flaw," she insisted, looking down at her palms. "I'm supposed to be flawless. If I'm not perfect, then... who am I?"

When he spoke it was soft and gentle, "You know, if you just let everyone be whoever they are, maybe you could let yourself be whoever you are too."

White Diamond's face crumbled, exhaustion giving way to despair. She fell to her knees, her control over everyone disappearing.


Pain. Even the slightest twitch resulted in searing agony.

Darkness, that's all Twoie could see. Sometime in between shallow breaths, he realized his eyes were closed. He didn't even try opening them, it would be too painful. He focused on his breathing instead, slowly filling his oxygen-starved lungs with air. That was a mistake. His body seized up, bucking and convulsing.

Someone gasped. "What's happening to him? I healed him. He shou—"

"Peridot, the timepiece. We need to send him back."

"Send him back? like this?"

"He can't stay here any longer. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous? What are you talking abo—"

Someone was screaming, drowning out everything else. It took him a while to realize the pained noise was coming from him. Everything hurt. It felt like someone had poured hot magma into his veins. He didn't know how long he lay there writhing on the floor, but when unconsciousness finally came, he was glad.

He had trouble keeping track of time as he drifted in and out of consciousness, but time did pass. He knew because he was always somewhere else when he awoke. He still couldn't muster up the strength to open his eyes, but he could feel the changes. One moment he was sprawled on the cold floor, only to be cradled in someone's arms the next.

When he finally did wake, it was to find that he was cocooned by soft blankets and pillows. Sleep should have made him feel better, more energized, but he somehow managed to feel even more tired. He couldn't even remember what had happened to make him feel this awful. He had been fighting someone, running away from them maybe? There had been a flash of white and then…

"This is for the best, Starlight."

His eyes shot open.

Everything was blurry. He didn't give much thought as to whether he was staring up at a ceiling, sky, or something else entirely. All he knew is that he needed to run, and fast. With shaky arms, he began to try and push himself up.

"Try not to move." His vision cleared. Pearl was leaned over him, her brow wrinkled.

He shot up, ignoring the waves of pain the action brought him. He was in Pink Diamond's old room, resting on a bed with no signs of immediate danger. His heart raced anyway.

"White Diamond," he said, eyes darting around the room. "Wher—"

"You're safe." Pearl placed a hand on his chest and forced him to lay back down. "She isn't going to hurt you anymore."

Anymore. So, that hadn't just been a dream. White Diamond really had taken control of him. He had broken free somehow, but how? Pearl probably knew the answer, but he was almost afraid to ask her. She was staring at him, her worried eyes shiny with unshed tears. He didn't want to risk saying anything that would make her cry.

Something like a shudder ran through his body. Except, it lasted longer and was a hundred times more unpleasant. He squeezed his eyes shut, allowing the pain to wash over him and ignoring the slight tremble of his body. He counted the seconds.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

The pain stopped and his body stabilized. He opened his eyes, feeling even weaker than he had before, if that were even possible. Pearl rested a hand on his shoulder, possibly to steady him. He winced, his body tender. She pulled away immediately.

"I'm fine," he answered reflexively before she could even ask. Even his voice sounded weak.

Pearl nodded, but he could tell that she didn't believe him. Hell, he didn't even believe himself. He was dying and they both knew it, only neither of them was willing to say it out loud.

"Peridot is working on the timepiece," Pearl said. "She has help now, more resources. When she's finished you'll be able to go home."

"More resources?" he questioned, avoiding the topic of the timepiece. Small tremors ran through his body, he ignored them.

"The Diamonds are helping in any way they can."

"Even…"

"Yes," Pearl answered before he could finish. "All the Diamonds."

"How?" The question left his mouth before he could stop it. With how angry White Diamond had been the last time he talked to her, he couldn't imagine her willingly helping anybody. Had the other Diamonds convinced her somehow?

"Steven was able t—"

"He's here?" A thousand scenarios unfolded before him in an instant, none of them good. Had White Diamond pulled Steven's gem out? Done something worse?

She must have seen the terror on his face because she rushed to reassure him, "Steven's safe. He's with Jasper."

"And White Diamond?" She hesitated. That was answer enough. "She's with Steven, isn't she?"

"Nobody forced him, he wanted to talk to White Diamond."

Isn't that how it had started with him? He had wanted to talk to the Diamonds at one point too, wanted to make things better, to bring peace to the galaxy. Before he knew it he wasn't just talking to them. He was attending balls, filing reports, doing everything he could to keep them happy—keep them peaceful. Is that what Steven was doing now?

"He shouldn't want that." He stared down at his gloved hands. He was still in Pink Diamond's outfit. "You shouldn't let him."

"I know," she said, sounding remorseful. "I had a talk with Amethyst and Garnet, and we all agreed that Steven would only have limited contact with the Diamonds. We don't want him taking on too many responsibilities. It's best if he focused on being a kid."

"Being a kid is good," he agreed, yawning. His eyes were drooping and he found himself fighting sleep.

"Try and get some rest," Pearl said. "Peridot will be finished soon."

He hummed in agreement and allowed his eyes to close.

The next time he woke it was to the sight of someone looming over him. His heart leapt to his throat, only to calm when he realized it was Jasper. She was leaning against the wall near his bed watching him.

"You're awake."

"Yeah," he said, yawning. He was still a bit drowsy. "I am."

Jasper nodded. "Good."

"She was real worried about you." He blinked at the unexpected voice. Spinel was seated on a couch on the other side of the room. She stood and made her way over to him. "I practically had to peel her off of you."

Jasper averted his gaze and almost looked embarrassed.

Without warning, he began to tremble and shake, jolts up pain running through his body. Five, it had lasted five seconds this time. Spinel's smile had fallen and Jasper turned her worried gaze onto him.

"How's Steven?" he asked, before they could ask him about his well-being. "Pearl told me he was with White Diamond."

"And Yellow and Blue Diamond," Spinel said. "They're talking about some really important stuff. I didn't understand a lot of it, something about dismantling the Diamond Authority." She shrugged.

That caught him off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless. It had taken him years to get the Diamonds to agree to that, and Steven had done it in what couldn't have been more than a few hours? He would have felt jealous if he weren't so relieved.

"That's… amazing," he said, a genuine smile on his face. He wanted to talk to them more, ask them how they were handling everything, but his eyes close without him wanting them to.

Lapis was the only person in the room when he woke up the next time. She was oddly quiet, only sneaking glances at him.

"Are you going to stay here?" he asked, breaking the silence. She was finally back on Homeworld, but she looked even more miserable than she had while on earth.

"No," she said. "I don't think so. It's funny, for the longest time all I could think about is coming back here. I thought if I could make it to Homeworld then everything would work itself out, but now that I'm here…" She sighed. "I don't know."

"It doesn't feel right."

She nodded. "Everything's changed so much. I think I might stay on earth for a while, clear my head."

"I'm sure Steven would be glad to show you around."

She smiled. "That would be… nice."

The door slid open and Lapis went over to sit on the couch. Peridot walked in, clutching something to her chest. She made her way over to him and placed something in his hands. "Here."

"You fixed it," he said, staring at the timepiece. A part of him hadn't actually expected her to fix it in time. "What would happen if I used it?"

"I… don't know," Peridot admitted.

"Thank you," he said after a beat of silence. It was a nice gesture even if it wasn't guaranteed to send him home. He carefully placed it on his lap. He wouldn't use it yet. "You should watch Camp Pining Hearts."

She blinked. "What?"

"A TV show," he explained. It dawned on him that he'd never introduced her to the show. It would feel wrong to not tell her about it. It was one of the things they first bonded over. "I think you'd like it."

"I don't get it," she said, giving her head a small shake. "You're nothing like a Diamond."

He smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"I never listened to you," she continued. "I called you a clod, undermined your authority. You could have ordered me to help, but you didn't. You were… nice. Why?"

He almost laughed. Is this what had been bothering Peridot? Was she afraid that he had some ulterior motive for being nice to her?

"You're my friend," he said. "I care about you, Peridot."

"Oh," she seemed at a loss for words. Then more quietly she added, "Thank you. I think… I care about you too."


The next person to visit Twoie was Amethyst.

"How are you feeling, dude?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed.

"I'm fi—"

"And don't say you're fine."

He opened his mouth, only to close it again. How was he feeling? Even with the fixed timepiece securely in his possession, he couldn't shake the feeling of fear that loomed over him. Some deep part of him felt certain that he would die, but he didn't want to say that. Instead he shrugged and said, "Tired." It was true enough. "How is everyone?"

"They're fine," Amethyst said. "You don't need to worry about them. Focus on yourself for once."

His body spasmed before he could form a reply. He had been in too much pain to count the seconds that time.

"Are you okay?" Amethyst asked.

He flashed her strained smile that came out more like a grimace. "I'm fin—"

"Stop saying that!" She was taking deep breaths as if to calm herself. It was strange considering gems didn't need to breathe.

"Amethyst?"

"You keep saying you're fine, acting like nothing's wrong when…" She rubbed at her eyes furiously as a few stray tears leaked out.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, tugging at a fistful of her hair. "Argh! Now I'm doing it."

He blinked. "Doing… what?"

"Dumping my issues on you," she said, voice soft. "You're the one who should be upset, not me. I should be comforting you."

His heart warmed and for a fleeting moment it felt like he was talking to his Amethyst, the one he'd left behind in the future. When he smiled this time, it wasn't forced. "You really are the most mature Crystal Gem."

Amethyst eyes widened. She barked out a laugh. She went quiet before she spoke again, "I'll make sure Steven has the best childhood ever. We're going to break all the rules."

He chuckled. He could almost imagine it, Pearl squawking in the background while he and Amethyst made a mess of the house. Staying up all night playing video, eating junk food, and zero responsibilities. It sounded like a dream come true.

They talked for a bit longer. Thankfully, Amethyst avoided any heavy topics like the Diamonds or the timepiece. It was nice and for a while he could pretend everything really was fine. Amethyst left some time after, promising to send someone else to watch over him.

Twoie stared at the timepiece, turning it around in his hands a few times before putting it down. He could stay in the past if he wanted. He wouldn't last very long and it would be painful, but he could do it. If he stayed, he would be able to help with the Diamonds, the cluster, the construction of Little Homeworld, healing the corrupted gems. He could also choose to go home. That is, if there even was a home for him to go back to. Would his choice even matter? or would he die no matter what he did?

"I'm sorry."

Twoie looked up, startled from his thoughts. He hadn't even noticed Garnet walking in. She sat down at the edge of the bed, her gaze fixed on some random spot of the floor. He did his best to smile even though she wasn't looking. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't protect you."

He shook his head, wincing slightly as the action aggravated his head ache. "I was the one who ran off to Homeworld without telling anyone. If anything I should be apologizing to you. I didn't mean to cause you guys so much trouble."

He hoped his words would calm her, but they seemed to have the opposite effect. Garnet clenched her jaw and took a moment to collect herself before speaking, "That's not what I meant." She looked at him, her gaze managing to be intense even through her visor. "You were forced to sacrifice so much, even now my future vision is telling me there's a possibility you will choose to stay in the past." He flushed at the truth in her words and averted his gaze. "We should have… I should have protected you more. You were only a child. You shouldn't have gone through any of that."

"Oh," he said softly. "that."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

Twoie sighed, exhaustion seeping into his bones. "I'm not going to lie, it sucked. Growing up I was always trying to live up to mom's memory, prove that I was worthy of being a Crystal Gem. I helped stop the cluster, changed the Diamonds for the better, healed the corrupted gems. There was always something." He shrugged. "I kind of got used to it." He saw Garnet flinch at his words. "I don't really blame you for what happened, not anymore. You did the best you could even if you didn't always know how to raise a kid." A part of him wanted to say more, explain in detail just how awful his life had been at times, but he felt too tired and chose to keep silent instead.

"I could have done more."

"Maybe," he conceded. "but that doesn't matter anymore, not for me at least."

"You can still go home."

"Can I? Would it even work?"

Garnet didn't say anything after that. Either she didn't know the answer or she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Wordlessly, she got up and left.

A short while after, the doors unlocked and slid open, bringing in a flood of gems. Lapis, Peridot, Spinel, Jasper, and the rest of the Crystal Gems walked in. A mop of black hair caught his attention. Whatever meeting he had with the Diamonds must have finally ended, because Steven was here. A part of him was relieved to see that he was dressed in his iconic red shirt and jeans. Despite the others reassurances that Steven wasn't being forced to entertain the Diamonds, he still feared that he would show up dressed as Pink Diamond.

Steven pushed past the crowd until he was standing right in front of him.

"Is it true?" he asked, his face etched with worry.

He could only give him a quizzical look in response.

"Garnet told me that you didn't want to leave even if…"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I could stay, if I wanted. We could hang out and I could hel—"

"No!" he shouted, then realizing how it sounded rushed to explain himself, "I mean, you should go home. If you stay here too long then… then you'll…"

He felt a sharp stab of guilt at the sight of his teary face. The faces of the rest of his loved ones were hopeful, pleading. He turned the timepiece around in his hands and sighed. It wouldn't be right to stay in the past and force them to watch him disappear, watch him die. He gripped the timepiece, he had made up his mind.

"I'm going home," he announced loud enough for everyone to hear. Steven tackled him into a hug. It hurt, but he smiled through the pain. "I'm going home," he repeated even though he didn't quite believe himself.

Amethyst joined in on the hug, quickly followed by Pearl and Garnet. Soon, everybody was embracing him. Lapis, Peridot, Spinel, even Jasper had joined in on the hug. It was only when his body started to glitch that they let go. Well, everybody except for Steven. He clung to him like his life depended on it.

"Steven," he said gently. "You have to let go."

"Oh, right," he said.

He didn't let go.

He allowed the hug to go on for a bit longer before gently prying Steven off of him. Pearl pulled Steven back before he could latch onto him again. Her face was teary, most of their faces were. He contemplated whether he should say something, give some grand speech maybe, but he found that his throat had closed up. No, even if he could speak there was nothing he could say that would make this easier. So, instead he gave them the most heartfelt smile he could muster, hoping that would convey all his feelings. It still didn't quite feel like enough, but it was all he could do.

He willed the timepiece to send him back home. Light slowly engulfed his entire body. He couldn't feel any of his limbs anymore, but he wasn't scared. He felt almost peaceful, the aches and pains that had been plaguing him for so long finally disappearing.

Then, in a flash of light, he was gone.