I quickly want to start of this chapter, by saying that I am sorry for the two weeks of silence that has been going on. It hasn't been intentional and has been a byproduct of my bad health.
I want to quickly announce some things about my health; I got out of the hospital Friday two weeks ago with a diagnosis. I have something called IIH (at least in the Danish system, that is what it is called) and I am getting treated with some meds. Those meds are the reason for me having been absent. The side effects were pretty bad in the beginning, keeping me bedridden and sleeping most of the day, while also having very bad nausea. It made me very sick, and it is first now that I have been feeling well enough to even be on my computer and focus on anything with writing.
I also quickly want to mention something, that a reviewer asked in the last chapter, and this is a major spoiler to the series, so if you don't want to know, just skip the rest of the A/N and begin reading the chapter; In this story, Rose/Steven IS NOT Pink Diamond. Rose is just a normal Rose Quartz, or in this case an off-coloured Rose Quartz, and Pink Diamond is a Diamond who was shattered by Rose Quartz.
On that note, I will be trying to get back into the schedule of updating on Wednesdays, but I can't promise too much.
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!
Rose POV:
After the long and exhausting journey, I finally landed on Earth. I wasn't anywhere near Beach City. Instead, I was in Korea. At Pink Diamonds palanquin. I looked at it for a minute, remembering what I did. Remembering her screams, and the resounding crack as my sword made contact with her gem. And while I knew I should feel some form of regret, destroying my Diamond, the being who gave me life, I felt nothing by glee, knowing that this is where I freed myself completely from the chains that were Homeworld.
I turned away from the palanquin and looked at the ship I had come in. The landing had been hard on the ship, and I could see that it would only have one trip left in it.
"Let's hope I get the coordinates correct this time," I mumbled to myself, as I stepped inside the ship again and sits in the captain's chair. I try to remember the coordinates and used the numbers that popped up in my mind.
The ride was rougher than the last. I could feel that the ship was beyond damaged, but I didn't care. As long as it could bring me to Beach City, to the remains of the Crystal Gems, then I don't care about the trip itself.
As I saw Beach City and the Temple, the alarms on the ship started flashing. I was losing altitude and fast. I made a rash decision and decided to put all the remaining power into the security of the ship. I didn't want the ship to explode while I was in it.
The ship crashed and I was tossed out of my seat and landed in front of the entrance to the ship. The entrance had opened slightly, but it had gotten itself stuck.
"Dammit," I muttered under my breath. I started pressing against the door, even hammering my shoulder into it, but I just couldn't get it open. I stopped when I heard noises.
"Stop right there!" The voice... It could only be... "You are on Crystal Gem territory. Surrender now and give us the whereabouts of Steven, and we will be merciful!"
"Maybe we should just destroy the spaceship," another voice joined in. So childish... She hadn't changed a bit. "That way we don't have to worry about them anymore. Besides, I don't feel like fighting at the moment." She really hasn't changed a bit.
"No. We need information on Steven. And with Peridot's help, we can use that ship to get Steven back," A third voice said. She was the one to take over as leader? I always thought it would be...
"I am not from Homeworld! Please open up! You will believe everything I say when you see who I am!" I shouted at them. If I just told them I was Rose, they might just attack because they will believe that I am lying.
Nothing happened for a while before something gripped the door by its sides and threw it off's its hinges. I walked out and looked at them. My comrades. My soldiers.
"I'm back," I said with a smile and tears in my eyes. The tears wouldn't have been necessary if only Pearl had been here, but for Garnet and especially Amethyst, I needed to put on a good show.
"Oh my god..." Pearl had her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her face. I smiled at her, before looking over at Garnet who also stood in shock. She seemed to be tense. I looked at her hands and saw them glow slightly. Ah, she must be having some trouble keeping it together. Amethyst was having a different reaction. She was looking at me, frowning slightly.
Pearl suddenly screamed, which made me look over at her sharply. I only had seconds before I had a crying Pearl in my arms, clutching at me like she was afraid I would disappear.
"I never thought you would come back," Pearl whispered. "They took Steven and I was so afraid..."
"Shh, it is okay. Everything is okay now," I whispered back. I knew why she was whispering this. They didn't know. And they couldn't know. "I will explain everything that happened later when we are alone." Pearl nodded into my shoulder at that. I looked over at Garnet to see that she had pulled herself together again.
"You're really here..." She whispered. "Why didn't I see this?"
I smiled. "Not everything is meant to be seen. I don't think this was ever supposed to happen. It is an oddity that cannot be reversed."
Garnet walked over to Pearl and me before she threw her arms around us, joining us in the hug. Our reunion was interrupted by Amethyst.
"Where is Steven?"
At that Garnet jumped away from me and looked over at Amethyst. I guessed it must first have sunk in now, that if I was here, that Steven must be somewhere else. I looked down at Pearl and saw a bit of confusion too. She knew of the plan, but since I hadn't changed, she must know that it failed somehow.
"I will explain everything when we get inside. You all might want to sit down." They all nodded and Pearl reluctantly let go of me and instead walked beside me.
When we sat on the couch, I began the story I had crafted while in that cell and on my trip to Earth.
"I don't remember much. Or rather, I don't remember how Steven was captured. What I do remember is the pain. As if I was being ripped in two. And suddenly, the pain is gone and I am surrounded by blackness. As I wake up, I am in a prison cell and is confronted by the reality that they took Steven away from me. At first, I thought they killed him. But no, that would have been too merciful. Instead, they took his body and made it into a vessel for a gem. Another Rose Quartz. They made him look older, more Gem like. And then they made him visit me. I thought it was him. But then he started interrogating me. He didn't seem to remember me. And when I called him Steven, just before he left. He said..." I broke down in fake tears, to make myself seem heartbroken. "He said Steven didn't exist anymore. That he was now Black Quartz." I cried some more, before continuing. "It took me some time, but I found an ally. A former Crystal Gem was standing guard. It seems that the Diamonds didn't destroy all of us. They helped me escape and get on that ship. And here I am."
Garnet was crying, the same for Pearl, but her tears were fake. Amethyst, on the other hand, looked furious.
"No! NO!" She screamed. "You are lying! Steven is not gone! He is on Homeworld, waiting for us to rescue him! And we are going to rescue him! And then he will hang out with me, and Peridot and we will be the shorty squad, like always!" She crying while she screamed.
"Amethyst..." I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen.
"No! I am going to find him no matter what and help him find his way home!" And with that said, she stormed out of the house. I sighed and looked over at Garnet and Pearl. Garnet looked at me for a moment, before she went for her Gem Door. She mumbled an apology before she went inside. I looked at Pearl.
"Who is Peridot?" I asked her.
"A former Homeworld Gem. Steven won her over, but she isn't exactly a Crystal Gem. She is... was extremely loyal to Steven."
"She will still be loyal to Steven," I told her. "Steven is now firmly on Homeworld's side. They told him everything they knew about us and our plan. I have no doubt he will be here when they decide to attack."
"So, this is it?" Pearl asked. "The final stage of the war we thought we had won so many eons ago?"
I smiled at her. "Yes, this is it. The final stand. And this time, there will be no draw. It is either win or be destroyed." We sat in silence before I remembered something.
"Greg," I said. "I need to see Greg! I am not strong enough yet. And while I can't risk being gone now, I might be able to try again later!"
"Are you sure this is necessary?" Pearl asked me. "I mean, you seem strong enough. And if we fuse..."
"Don't you remember the plan?" I asked her sharply. She flinched a little, before nodding. "Then you know how important it is that I become stronger. I can't risk relying on fusion like Garnet. What if something happens and we unfused? We would be destroyed in an instance." Pearl only nodded. I smiled at her, before walking out the door.
I found Greg on the hillside where the light tower was. He was sitting with his guitar, looking at the sky. I listened closely, wanting to hear what he was singing.
"What can I do for you?
What can I do that no one else can do?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you...?"
"Human man," I continued for him, making him turn around. "You are so much fun. I hadn't planned on finding you quite this entertaining."
"Rose..." He whispered. "How...?"
"Things happened," I said. "Homeworld captured Steven. They did something and... here I am."
"But what about Steven?" He asked. I could see on his face that he already had an idea of what I was going to say. I made myself shed tears, before saying anything.
"I'm sorry," I said, making myself sob a little. "I couldn't stop them."
Greg fell to his knees. He started sobbing while mumbling 'no' over and over again. I went over to him and hugged him. "It's going to be okay," I told him. "We can fix this."
He looked up. "How? Steven is gone. There is nothing we can do."
"We can make another one. Another Steven."
He looked at me confused before backing out of my hold. He started to shake his head at me like I had done something wrong.
"No," he mumbled before speaking louder. "We can't make another Steven. Humans aren't like Gems. When we die, we are gone forever. We don't come back! And even if we had another child, it wouldn't be Steven. Besides, I am not ready for another one. I just lost Steven. How can you expect me to already want another one?"
I frowned. This wasn't going how I wanted it to. I moved closer to him. "But Greg-"
"No!"
I saw red. I pushed him away from me. I just wanted him away from me. But I hadn't seen we had gone very close to the edge of the mountain part of the hill. He fell over the edge, and as I prepared myself to jump and save him, someone pulled me back. I heard the thud of his body landing on the ground and screams from the people gathered down at the beach. I looked behind me and saw Pearl looking at me with sympathy.
"It's for the best Rose," she told me softly. "He wouldn't understand. Besides, he could be used as a weakness against you." I nodded. She was right. He is... was an unnecessary weakness. I can find another human to give me what I want. He isn't the first man who fell in love with me.
Pearl and I walked back to the temple, to the sounds of ambulance sirens.
Third POV:
Steven stared blankly in front of him. He had started doing that the last week. He just couldn't seem to get his mind away from the event that he saw.
Seeing an Amethyst, a Gem, being shattered.
It had been so painful. And he knew he wasn't the only Gem who flinched when the hammer hit the gem.
At first, nothing really happened other than the unmistakable sound of an object hitting what almost sounded like glass. Then a couple of seconds of silence, before the gem finally shattered. And it isn't like when you drop a plate and it sounds like a bomb dropped on your house. It was silent and you had to almost strain your ear to hear the sound.
It was the sound after the shattering which haunted Steven.
When the gem had shattered, it glowed brightly one final time. And while it glowed, an ear-shattering scream was heard. The scream of the Amethyst that had just been shattered. And as the glow dimmed down, so did the scream until all there was left was normal gem shards.
Steven had been petrified as all of this happened and had to be dragged out of the courtroom. The ride back to his room had been silent, as he re-watched the shattering in his mind over and over again.
The next day, Steven had been ordered to answer in front of Blue Diamond for a private chat.
Steven was walking along the way to Blue Diamond's private rooms. He had been told to wait for orders in the parlour room, while Blue Diamond made herself ready. Steven had only half listened, as he was still working through the fact that he had watched a Gem being shattered.
Since the trial, Steven had been thinking about his decision. He joined Homeworld because of the wrongs his mom had done, by not only shattering Pink Diamond but also by using innocent people to become more powerful.
But he had forgotten all of the things Home World had done. That the Diamond's had done.
Homeworld shunned Gems who were different, or as they called them 'off-coloured'. They killed species and planets so they could make more Gems. Gems who lived forever and would never age! There was no need for making more Gems, and, therefore, destroying planets, since the Gems would live forever. Of course, if they were shattered, they couldn't, but then they would just have to be careful.
The Diamonds had been the ones to order the creation of the Cluster. Had been the ones to doom an entire planet, like they always did, because they couldn't deal with a few Gems. Maybe they had thought that the Crystal Gems were gone, but then they should just have left the planet alone or use it like they always do.
Steven knew this was kind of counter-intuitive, but he couldn't help it. He would rather have them slowly killing a planet, so that the species on said planet could take their time in going extinct, than them blowing a planet to pieces, because of a mutant Fusion, fused from a million gem shards.
As all of these thoughts speed through Steven's head, he didn't notice that he had arrived at his destination and that Blue Diamond was waiting for him.
"Steven," Blue Diamond said, startling him out of his thoughts. She raised an eyebrow at him. He just stared at her for a moment, before he realized that he had forgotten to greet her. He quickly posed his arms to create a triangle while greeting "my Diamond", before relaxing his pose when she nodded with a smile.
"I am sorry to have to bother you Steven, but I feel like I should talk to you what happened yesterday," Blue Diamond said, not looking sorry at all. Steven only nodded while looking down at the blue patterned floor.
Blue Diamond started walking while saying "follow me". They ended up in a comfier setting. There was a gigantic, blue pillow in the middle, with various smaller pillows scattered around. Blue Diamond took a seat on the big one and gestured for Steven to do the same on one of the smaller pillows. She then started talking.
"Homeworld has a lot of laws, as you already know. Some of them are as old as the first Diamond herself. One of those laws is the greeting that you just did to me. You should always greet a Diamond appropriately. Then other laws came along as Yellow and I came. Fussing was forbidden for a period before only fusion between different Gems were banned."
Steven looked at her in shock at that. So, Gems used to fuse no matter what kind they were? Blue Diamond saw his expression and nodded knowingly. "You didn't know that. If I am correct, then you learned fusion from that Sapphire and Ruby fusion?" Steven nodded. "I thought so. I wished I could have met them after my outburst. I was just so surprised that I didn't think rationally."
Blue Diamond sighed, and Steven couldn't help but ask: "Why did you and Yellow Diamond ban fusion of different Gems?"
Blue Diamond smiled, but it was a bit bitter. "I might tell you that another time. For now, I should go back to the topic I came to talk about." She seemed to look at me extra hard before talking again.
"You are angry that we decided to shatter that Amethyst."
It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Steven didn't answer. Blue Diamond nodded at the silence.
"What do you think would have happened if we hadn't shattered her?" Steven didn't answer again, only looked at her with anger in his eyes. "Yes, she would have lived, but what about other rebels, other traitors? They would have seen the weakness and rebelled too. We would have been seen as too weak to punish the people who disobey. Sometimes, just telling people to stop isn't enough. And with the rebels, that is never enough."
"But wouldn't you seem more kind?" Steven finally said. "Wouldn't you have seemed more approachable? Like a leader who listens to their people and wants what is best for them? By doing this you seem to be diabolic, with no compassion for the people who serve you!"
"Did she serve us?" Blue Diamond asked. "She freed a prisoner. The prisoner who shattered one of the leaders she was supposed to serve. If she really had served us, she wouldn't have freed a national traitor of the highest rank. No, she didn't serve us. She served her own purpose."
"And what is wrong with that!" Steven yelled. "What is wrong with wanting something for yourself, instead of for the whole group! While we are nothing but stone, we still have feelings and personalities! Not everything is about you!"
There was silence after this statement. Blue Diamond looked at him with a closed-off expression, which scared Steven. He had pushed his boundaries. And he knew it.
The Blue Diamond sighed.
"Sometimes I forget that you don't know everything about us," she said. "But a thing you must realize is that we aren't alone in this universe."
Steven looked at her confused.
"Think about it, Steven. How are Gems made?"
Steven thought for a second, before answering the easy question: "We are made by other Gems."
"Yes," Blue Diamond answered while nodding. "But then think. How was the first Gem then ever made? How could they have been made, if there was no Gem to make them?"
Steven couldn't answer that.
"We were made by another species. A species more powerful than us. But when there was enough of us, the first Gem, White Diamond, freed Gems from the slavery they were made into. Since then, Yellow and I were made and we built armies, so if we were ever attacked by our creators, we would be ready. That is why you can't think of yourself here. If you only think of yourself, then you doom every Gem ever made."
Blue Diamond sighed, before adding as a last bit: "That is why the rebellion was such a bad thing. How can we fight an enemy, if we are fighting ourselves? That is why no rebel can just be given a slap on the wrist. They need to be destroyed, so there can be no distractions. Remember that."
Steven knew she was right. And he had accepted that the Amethyst had to be shattered.
At the same time, he knew she wasn't fully dead. He had seen the Cluster and all the mutant fusions. The Gem lived, but in a constant state of pain from not being whole.
He also knew why this bothered him so much. It was because it had been an Amethyst. If it had been his mom he wouldn't have cared. Any Gem other than the ones reminding him of his friends wouldn't have mattered. But because this was an Amethyst, he couldn't help but imagine it being his Amethyst.
'No,' he thought to himself. 'I will never let that happen. Even if we are on opposite sides, I will find a way for them to never be shattered. But for that, I need to become stronger!'
And with that thought in mind, he walked towards the training grounds, with only the need to become stronger on his mind.