The world was dark, and Steven knew he was dreaming. He tried to open his eyes, only to find that he could see all along. Bemused as he drifted in a soft abyss, he looked down and found his body missing. How funny, he thought with a smile. He looked around, spotting himself sleeping nearby, and yet infinitely far away.
"There you are!" he giggled, circling his slumbering form.
Steven pursed his imaginary lips in a frown. Something about this just wasn't quite right. He circled himself again, an apparition lost in dusky twilight.
"I know!" he laughed. He was much too pink. Silly Steven; why was he so pink? So monochrome? That wouldn't do at all.
The pink faded, changing hue and saturation. He smiled, but it wasn't long before another frown crept forth. Still not right! He looked at himself from different angles, poking and prodding as he changed aspects of his appearance. He giggled as he grew himself taller, then shorter, then taller again. How funny, to change himself so easily when it was so hard before.
Steven frowned again, brow furrowed as he tried to think. Before? Before when…? His thoughts drifted, echoing into dark silence. Oh well, whatever he was thinking about didn't matter, anyway. He should just focus on making himself look his best! He hummed as he worked, but eventually he got tired of just looking at himself sleeping. Shouldn't he wake up?
As if on cue, a light appeared. Steven immediately felt drawn towards it. It seemed much more appealing than floating here in the darkness, so he drifted up through the void…
Steven opened his eyes, finding himself in an empty, unfamiliar room with tall walls. Tall pink walls.
Steven gasped, stumbling back just in time to hear a soft swip. An immense, triangular door had shut, but as he frantically turned to and fro he found he was alone, the only thing of note beside the door being a pair of curtains, fluttering ever-so-gently in a breeze. The last thing he remembered was Blue- and Yellow… and his gem!
His hand latched to his navel, tracing the comforting, yet conflicting, facets of his gem. But his relief turned to dread as he found himself still, well, pink. It wasn't the glowing, eye-searing pink as before, but everything about him, right down to his shirt and sandals, was pink. He briefly wondered if he was dreaming, but then recalled that no, he had just been dreaming. He tried to remember… this was how he'd looked in the dream, wasn't it? The details were already starting to slip away, but Steven blinked in surprise as a thought occurred to him. Had he been poofed?
Steven had always wondered what would happen, of course, but he'd never thought- he'd never wanted to experience the state gems entered when repairing their forms. It had always seemed horrible to him, watching his friends disappear in a flash of light, not knowing when they'd return, but if that was truly what he'd experienced then maybe… maybe it wasn't that bad. Boring, yes, to be stuck looking at himself sleeping, but not terrible or painful like he'd imagined. In fact, if he hadn't held on to the still-fading image of his dream-self, he would've thought it just that: a dream.
He shook his head. What was he even thinking about? He needed to get out of here. Wherever… here was. He sighed anxiously, moving over to draw back one of the twin curtains. It turned sheer at his touch, automatically retracting to a position against the wall. Weird…
Steven turned to look out the window, leading out to a balcony he was just tall enough to lean over, a pit forming in his stomach as he gazed across an alien landscape. Strange, angular forms… buildings? rested in the distance, dotted with banded spires that reminded Steven of multi-flavored ice pops. A raised square-shaped area, divided into four, sat just below his perch, seeming to be some kind of courtyard, with a large square building positioned overlooking each point. He saw Blue and Yellow's armships on the rooves of two of the buildings, corresponding in color, but perched atop the last was a luminous white bust. It was positioned directly across from him, looming over everything else, brilliant and blinding. A sense of dread overtook Steven. He knew now where he was: Homeworld. He'd only seen the gem planet for a moment after his escape from the trial but there was no other place like it, and no other this could possibly be. He turned away from the window, dashing to the door as panic fluttered in his chest.
Yet, before he could make his grand, thoroughly-planned escape, a chime sounded, followed a moment later by the door sliding open. Steven found himself face-to-face (or face-to-ankle, really) with the two people he least wanted to see: the diamonds. Steven froze, not even daring to breathe. A memory of the beach came to him - how furious he'd been, how determined - but right now he really wanted to sink into the floor and disappear, preferably before he was stomped into oblivion. He contemplated making a break for it, but he definitely wasn't getting past the pair and the jump from the balcony would probably kill him… if he wasn't dead already.
"Pink!" Blue cried tenderly, kneeling down to look at him. She reached out a hand, clearly wanting to grab him and Steven flinched back, falling as he tripped over his own feet, scrambling to put distance between them. Unfortunately for him, the room wasn't very big to begin with, and certainly not big enough to put himself beyond Blue's grasp.
Blue's hand slowly retreated and Steven's gaze flicked to her face. She seemed almost… hurt. No, definitely hurt. Yellow, however, looked annoyed. Steven gulped, tensely getting back on his feet as tears began to stream down his face, courtesy of Blue's ever-constant crying spells. Everything seemed oddly-proportioned, his body feeling strange and foreign even as he moved it with ease. And he would've sworn the diamonds were taller the last time he'd seen them. Which, now that he thought about it, he had no idea when that even was, or what had befallen the gems back on Earth. He hoped they were okay.
"Um, hi?" Steven said tentatively, finding his voice. There was a moment of thick silence.
"Pink," Yellow greeted him tersely. His one relief was that at least she didn't try to touch him, instead choosing to remain standing behind Blue. "Would you care to explain yourself, or are you going to start breaking things, again?"
"W- what?" Steven asked fearfully. When had he broken something? Was Yellow angry at him? What were they going to do to him?
Yellow huffed in annoyance. She began to pace, gesticulating as she spoke, "How could you do this to us, Pink? Why did you let us think you were shattered? Why the strange disguise? Why are you putting on a voice? Why didn't you say something at the trial?"
"I-" Steven began, backing up another step, but Blue interrupted, seeming distinctly put out with Yellow.
"Yellow, can't you see that you're scaring her?" Blue chastised, though her voice remained soft.
Yellow let out a short, tense sigh. "It's not my fault that Pink insisted on this silly… charade!" She waved her hand in emphasis and Steven flinched again, remembering all-too-well how powerful Yellow's grip was.
"Yellow," Blue cautioned, disappointment in her tone, and Yellow crossed her arms, turning away.
"Fine, you ask her then, Blue. And would you please stop crying?" Yellow irritably swiped a few stray tears from her eyes, flicking them to the floor. "I can't see."
Blue sighed, but when she looked at Steven the tears had stopped and there was a fondness in her gaze.
"Oh Pink," She lavished, her hands tightly clasped in her lap, "I can't believe it's really you! Alive on Earth for all this time." A fresh batch of tears rolled down her face but Blue quickly swept them away.
Yellow cleared her throat, looking pointedly at Blue. The latter looked down for a moment, abashed.
"What happened, Pink?" Blue asked earnestly, cutting to the point, no doubt at Yellow's insistence. "Why didn't you come back to us?"
Well, it might be late, but they finally seemed to be listening to him. Better make the most of it.
"Uh, you see…" Steven began, but found himself at a loss. "Oh geez, how do I even start. Okay, so, I'm not Pink Diamond- I mean, I kinda am," he clarified at their incredulous faces, "at least… I have her gem, but I don't remember anything from her life." That was a terrible explanation and he knew it. From the looks on the diamonds' faces, they knew it too.
"Okay, let me try again. My mom- wait, you don't know what a mom is." He sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. The peace and safety of the galaxy is riding on this, Steven, he reminded himself. He decided to start over, again. "Pink Diamond took the form of Rose Quartz permanently after she faked her shattering. She never told anyone who she really was, and eventually she gave up that form to make a new life with my dad: me." He gestured to himself for emphasis. "I have her gem and some of her powers, but that's all. Like I said, I don't have any of Pink's or Rose's memories." He looked up, finding two very perplexed diamonds watching him. "I'm sorry," he finished, truthfully. However much they had hurt him and his friends, his family, his planet, not to mention the galaxy, they were still mourning the loss of Pink. They were still… family. He just had to make them see that what they were doing was wrong, and all this could be over. He could go back to Earth and everything else would just be a forgotten memory, a bad dream.
Yellow pursed her lips with a thoughtful hmm. "Well, I'm sure your memories are in there somewhere, Pink," she remarked.
"Uh, I go by Steven, actually," he added. The diamonds ignored him, sharing a calculated glance.
"How did you survive, Pink?" Blue asked quietly. "We blasted the planet; we obliterated every gem on its surface."
"They weren't exactly… obliterated," Steven admitted. "They were more… corrupted."
"Corrupted?" Blue questioned.
"Yeah, you know, they forgot who they were and their forms got all unstable: lots of horns, teeth, you get the picture." He shrugged uncomfortably, then had a sudden idea. "If we go back to Earth I could show-"
"Absolutely not," Yellow snapped. Steven flinched again, despite his best efforts to suppress it, and Blue gave him a worried look. "You've already spent far too much time on that wretched planet, Pink. Just look at what it's done to you." Yellow gestured to him and Steven looked down at himself, then back at Yellow. What was that supposed to mean?
"What Yellow means is," Blue said with caution, "we don't think that would be good for you, Pink. You're home now and that's all that matters." She smiled in an understanding way, but Steven's heart turned to lead at the diamonds' words.
"But-" Steven began, but Yellow spoke again.
"That's enough, Pink. I don't want to hear one more word about Earth from you. This mess is more than enough of a galactic embarrassment without you running off to make it even worse." A stressed crease formed between Yellow's brows as she closed her eyes, warding off such a disappointing possibility.
"Yellow," Blue admonished, "Pink has been punished enough, trapped in that awful place for so long with those… creatures." She shuddered, as if being stuck on Earth was the worst thing she could think of.
Yellow gave an exasperated sigh. Blue had started crying again. "Please, Blue," Yellow muttered, "contain yourself."
Blue sniffled, wiping away her tears with a soft, "Sorry."
A silence ensued as Blue composed herself once more, and Steven's nerves continued to fray. He couldn't get in a word edgewise without them talking over him. He needed to get back to Earth!
"My diamond?" a nasally voice inquired, preceding Yellow Pearl's appearance. She struck the classic diamond salute, somehow managing to keep an air of arrogance despite her subservient display.
"Let me guess," Yellow Diamond stated apathetically, "Production report on the citrines?" She sucked in a breath, replying to herself before the pearl had a chance. "Very well." Yellow looked Steven over with an unreadable expression; he fought not to shudder. "Pink," she stated, a farewell, "we'll finish this later."
Yellow turned, disappearing from view as her pearl rushed after her. Steven couldn't help but feel relieved, even as he was trapped in the gaze of the remaining diamond.
Blue smiled at him, eyes watery. "Oh Pink," she fawned, "everything will be alright. We were ever so worried when you took so much time reforming but now you're here, you're safe."
"How long did I take?" Steven asked before she could continue monologuing. How long had he been away from Earth? The last thing he remembered- he didn't want to think about that.
Blue's smile fell. "Twelve and three-quarter cycles." The smile returned, but it no longer reached her eyes. "I know how much you love toying with your appearance, Pink," her smile wavered once more as her eyes traveled up and down his body, "but it was so hard not to see you."
He thought about asking how long a 'cycle' was compared to an Earth day, but with Yellow's scathing anger at the barest mention of the planet he didn't want to risk it. Blue might be playing nice right now, but Steven had seen what she could do when she was angry. And the look she was giving him…
Blue slowly reached out her hand. Steven stiffened. Should he run? Fight? But caught in his frantic indecision her finger descended, then touched lightly upon his head. He clenched his eyes shut, not even daring to breathe as he felt her gently stroking his hair. He was completely at her mercy. Eventually Steven heard a sigh and, mercifully, Blue withdrew her arm. He opened his eyes warily. A few tears slipped from them as Blue turned away, wiping away tears of her own.
"I'm sure you're very tired, Pink," Blue said, standing up suddenly. Steven didn't move. What was she going to do? Had he angered her, not responding to her touch?
"I'll let you rest; we can talk when you're feeling better," Blue finished, and with a flurry of motion she was gone, pink door shutting behind her.
Blue's footsteps echoed into silence, tears trailing down Steven's cheeks for a long moment before they abruptly dried. She was gone. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, rubbing the tears from his face as he attempted to gather his scattered thoughts.
Steven groaned, leaning back against the wall opposite the door. His instincts told him to get out, to run, to find somewhere the diamonds would never find him, but he couldn't help but remember the aftermath of the trial. Hiding, being hunted… Lars. He shuddered, then took a deep, calming breath. Lars had gotten the off-colors out of Homeworld, undetectable by gem tech as a human. But Steven… He looked down at his too-pink hands. Steven was a gem. A full gem now, by the looks of it. An unbidden image of his own body, broken and bleeding on the sand, dashed into his mind. He pressed his palms into his eyes, warding off the horrible thoughts suddenly closing in around him, then pushed off the wall, towards the door. He needed to get out of here.
Steven inspected the tall, pink door, a smooth triangle seamlessly closed such that, if Steven hadn't seen it open earlier, he would've doubted it opened at all. Homeworld had a knack for simplistic beauty: smooth, clean, geometric, perfect. Or so it seemed from the surface. He looked around, up, down, but couldn't find a panel that controlled the door. How did it open? He searched the area with his hands, as far up as he could reach, but came up empty and frustrated.
"Stupid door!" Steven huffed, hands on his hips. At least the doors at the human zoo had control panels, even if he couldn't figure out how to use them. And it's not like he could pry the door open, with it flush to the wall like it was. He began to pace.
"Okay, this isn't so bad, Steven," he told himself. "Sure you're stuck on Homeworld, locked in Pink Diamond's room, and everyone thinks you're your mom, but you can definitely find a way out of this. You just have to talk some sense into the diamonds, get back to Earth, and get back to your life. Easy… So long as the Gems haven't been shattered into a million pieces… and Earth hasn't been destroyed. Hoh geez." This was not helping. If anything, the knot in his stomach had worsened.
Steven turned back to the door. Maybe if he… talked to it?
"Open!" Steven said. Nothing happened. "Uh… open sesame?" Nothing. He squinted at the diamond decorating the top of the door's triangle motif, high above him. There was one more thing he could try. He rubbed his palms together, then slapped them flat against the door, arms outstretched. "Diamond power… open!" he shouted. Still nothing. Guess even movies couldn't help him here.
Steven ran his hand through his hair, sighing, surprised when his hand met more than he was used to. Okay… so his hair had gotten longer. He pulled a handful of strands forward, more shocked than he should've been to find them a deep pink. Of course his hair was pink. Everything was pink. Steven flopped onto the floor with an exasperated huff, throwing his arm over his eyes. He didn't want to see any more of that stupid color, covering every surface, covering him. His throat felt tight; he resisted the urge to sniffle. Crying wouldn't get him out of here. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Connie, everyone was probably on their way to bust him out right now. There's no way they would just leave him here with the diamonds. His thoughts flashed back to the beach. The blood in the sand, Connie's tearstreaked face. Steven shivered. Had the diamonds shattered everyone before they took him? If they survived, did they even know he was alive? Would they- could they come for him?
He peeled his arm from his eyes, gazing up at the ceiling. Shimmering pink bubbles floated among an ornate inlay of stars and moons. How often had his mom looked up at this same ceiling? Steven turned his head, looking around the empty room. He knew gems didn't need beds and chairs since they didn't tire, but he would've thought there would at least be some furniture. What was he supposed to do in here, besides worry?
"I wish I had a bed," he mumbled, then leapt up with a gasp as the ground moved beneath him.
A rectangular slab rose from the floor, small beings rushing about in the darkness beneath it.
"Hello?" Steven called, confused. The little creatures made a collective assortment of surprised noises, hurrying away into the recesses of the floor, out of sight.
Steven frowned. So these little guys made the furniture? "I need… a place to sit," he said tentatively.
A smaller square slab rose from the floor, the creatures rushing around beneath it once more. He knelt down, peering into the gap. Tiny gems were busy hammering and adjusting, but scurried off with a chorus of "Oh!"s when they saw him looking.
"Hmmm," Steven mused. They seemed scared of him. How could he get these little guys to come out of hiding?
"I need a… shelf for my… face!"
He grinned as a small square on the wall folded down in a vision of his request. Steven stuck his head inside, catching the little gems scurrying about.
"Hey, who are you guys?" he asked, but they let out gasps of surprise and began to rush off again. Steven was disappointed, but not surprised. "Well… thank you," he said as they disappeared.
"Thank… you?" one of the gems said in shock, turning back to him. Slowly, the others poked out from behind the inner workings of the wall. "Is it…?" a gem queried, knocking down a bit of internal wall to look at him. Another gem dressed in pink said, "It is her!"
Suddenly, about a dozen tiny gems were rushing towards him, laughing happily. They climbed onto him eagerly, messing with his hair and diving into his pockets. He caught a few words: "She's back!" "Why does she look different?" "Our diamond!" "Pink!" They clearly thought he was his mom, but he couldn't help but laugh along with their enthusiasm.
"Alright, who are you guys?" Steven chuckled, repositioning one of the gems who kept trying to climb into his mouth.
"Very funny, Pink," a gem nestled in his hair said. A small tower rose from the floor next to him, just big enough to house a staircase for the little gems, a number of them happily clambering about.
"Always playing her games," a green-clothed gem laughed, "pretending she doesn't know us pebbles." So they were called pebbles… and they served his mom.
Steven sighed, sitting down on the pebble-provided seat. One of the little gems climbed down his arm, then hung, swinging, from his finger. He wanted to tell them he wasn't Pink, but they were so happy to have her back… could he really take that from them? A stab of guilt ran through his chest. Well, they were going to find out eventually.
"You guys- pebbles," they looked up at him expectantly, "I'm not Pink Diamond." A pause. "I'm serious!" he protested as they laughed, returning to their antics. "I know I have her gem, but I'm not her. I don't remember you guys. I'm sorry."
The pebbles giggled, praising his joke, completely ignoring his confession. Well, he had tried. Was there no one here who could see that he wasn't his mom? He sat in silence for a moment, watching the pebbles play, before a question came to mind.
"Hey, pebbles?" Steven asked, met with a choir of, "Yes my diamond?" "What is it, Pink?" "How can us pebbles help?"
"Is there a mirror in here somewhere?"
A flurry of motion met his question, several pebbles jumping into the floor as another tugged on his shirt. He looked down, only to look up again as a quick motion caught his attention. One of the walls was opening: a secret door he'd overlooked before. Inside was a twisting walkway, framed by spinning geometric pillars and hovering staircases. Steven got up to investigate, several pebbles coming along for the ride. The entire area was a deep pink, suspended over a high drop that he knew Pearl would deem a safety hazard, but definitely gave it a wow-factor.
Steven walked down the zig-zag path, eventually coming to a table and plush stool framed by large, glimmering crystal pillars. An enormous crystal screen stretched above the ensemble, bearing the same shape as the display of the diamond communicator Peridot had used to contact Yellow, but in pink and much more ornate (and permanent). Steven stood on his toes, just tall enough to see the table's contents, then climbed up onto the stool for a better view.
A large, shallow pot occupied most of the table, filled with large, smooth stones in varying shades of dull pink. A single flower stood against the edge, seeming to be made of crystal, with its green outer petals and leaves being one of the only things in the area that wasn't pink. A few gray rocks were scattered about, some broken into pieces to reveal small pink gems glimmering within. To the right of the pot a number of gems, extracted from the rocks, were laid out on a cloth, accompanied by an odd pair of pliers, while on the left lay something that looked like a tuning fork. A few tall pink crystals stood in clear, ornate cases, shimmering at the back edge of the table with a couple oddly-shaped pots on either side. All of the items were beautifully delicate, and yet simultaneously hard-edged and practical. All of them were his mom's.
Steven picked up one of the crystals from the cloth, turning it over in his hand. What was it for? How long had it been since his mom had sat here, holding this same stone? He studied it a moment, then put it back, bracing himself as he slowly brought his gaze up to the reflective screen. He knew he must look different now that he was dea- not human, but it was hard to bring himself to accept the reality of what had happened. It seemed such a short time ago that he had pronounced Garnet, well, Garnet, with everyone on Earth happy and dancing and seemingly carefree…
Steven clenched his eyes shut, then opened them again. He couldn't be afraid to even look at himself. He took a deep breath, let it out, and looked up.
"What the-!" Steven yelped, tumbling backwards off the stool. He landed on his back with a harsh oof.
Slowly, he got up, brushing off the pebbles' concerns, then peeked over the edge of the table. A pair of pink eyes and diamond pupils peered back at him from the midst of a deep fuchsia cloud, full of suspicion. Steven ducked back under the lip of the table, then sank heavily to the floor. Of all the things he had been expecting, it had not been that. He shuddered, tucking his knees into his chest. His eyes were just the same as the other diamonds' now. Just as cold, as inhuman.
A tear dripped down his cheek and he wiped it away, still curled into a ball. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to go home. He wanted his dad to strum his guitar and sing old songs and call him schtu-ball. He wanted Garnet to make her hands into a perfect heart and tell him, "I love you." He wanted Pearl to explain all the things he would never understand and Amethyst to sit around drinking motor oil and playing video games as she called out for a player two. He wanted to dance with Connie under the stars and look at meep morps in the barn with Peridot and Lapis, and he wanted to watch Lion sleeping, curled up in the sun with Cat Steven. But most of all, he wanted to be back on Earth, just as it was before the diamonds came. Back before all this happened and he was stuck here on Homeworld, alone. Back when he was still human. A second tear rolled down his face, and then another, and Steven buried his face in his knees, trying desperately not to sob. He didn't even feel sad, so why was he crying? He just wanted to go home.
It took Steven a long while to calm himself, but he eventually reeled his contradictory emotions back in check. He chastised himself: he wasn't fixing anything by hiding under a table, acting like a baby. He was a Crystal Gem, for stars' sake! Everyone on Earth was counting on him to fix things with the diamonds and he was just sitting here, sulking, wasting even more time than he already had. Steven steeled himself, climbing back onto the stool. He stood up, holding out his arms as he struggled to balance on the plush surface. Time to see what you look like, Steven. He looked up, ready for anything.
It took everything within him not to flinch, gazing into his own diamond eyes. He slowly lifted a hand, then gave himself a wave. He breathed in sharply and saw his eyes widen as reality set in. It really was him, the person in the mirror. It was so wrong… and yet it felt right, looking at this bizarre version of himself. His hair fell to his shoulders in soft curls, framing his face, so much like Pink Diamond's- his mom's, but with a dark hue that wouldn't be out of place in a sunset sky. He was dressed in his normal star t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops, though all had changed to varying shades of pink. He ran a hand over his shirt, fiddling with the hem. It all felt so… real. He could feel the soft fibers of his clothes, each individual stitch holding it together, but it was just an illusion, right? If he was really all-gem now, then his clothes must be made of light, as well as his body. He placed a hand on his chest. He breathed in, then out. Seconds passed as Steven waited for the familiar burn of oxygen deprivation, the starving need to breathe, but it never came. He slowly brought his hand up to his neck, hesitantly placing two fingers against the small, still cleft where his heartbeat once resided. An unpleasant shock rolled over him like a wave, a memory surfacing of the last time he'd felt the life-giving tempo within him: crushing pain, a silent scream, the taste of blood in his mouth-
Steven gasped like a fish out of water, palms splayed against the desk to steady his fall. The pebbles climbed up to him, asking questions and offering soft reassurances, but Steven couldn't acknowledge them. He couldn't be reminded of everything he wasn't. Not now. Breathe, Steven, he reminded himself. Focus. It might not be necessary for him to breathe anymore, but the long, slow breaths still worked wonders to calm him. He looked to the mirror, his reflection staring back at him: foreign, yet familiar.
Beneath his clothes, beneath the pink hue of his skin, reminding him so uncomfortably of Lars, his body had changed, too… He squinted at himself. Why was this familiar? He almost looked like… Steven breathed in suddenly, surprised. He looked so much like his dad, from the old band tape he showed him once! Was this what he was going to look like when he grew up? Or, well, now, he corrected himself. He squished his cheeks, then stuck out his tongue. He looked so dumb, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. Everything about him was so different… was he even still himself?
Steven remembered Pearl, asking him if he had any of mom's memories. Wondering if she saw through his eyes. The diamonds looked at him, but they looked right past him, only seeing Pink. If- when he saw the Gems again, would they see her instead of him, too?
Steven leaned back, studying the him in the mirror. His body might be different, but it was also a lot the same… just bigger. And pink. Steven turned this way and that, getting as good a look at himself as he could while balancing precariously on the stool. Strangely, the more he looked, the more comfortable he felt. He was different from his mom, but in a good way. He was a mix of his mom and dad, like any kid should be, should grow to be, and for the first time he could really see it. He'd gone so long without growing; he knew his dad and the gems were worried he might stay the same forever. Heck, he was worried. Everyone still treated him like a dumb little kid, even as he worked so hard to prove himself. So, even if it was weird and awful how it happened, at least now he knew he could still change. At least he knew that his mom wasn't trapped within him, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt, unable to speak or act but still an influence in everything he did. She was gone, and his gem was just… him. He took a breath in, then out, feeling a sort of peace descend upon him. He wasn't his mom. And yet… As he looked into his unearthly eyes, a shiver ran down his spine. And yet everyone still thought he was her.
Steven leaned in closer, reaching out to touch the magenta eyes reflected back at him, trying to understand, only to jump back as the screen flared to life. The reflection was gone, replaced with the warm pink glow of gem technology. Images materialized, shimmering into view; he recognized Blue and Yellow, along with someone else, taller than both. She was bright, her features hard to see, but her silhouette was familiar, a spitting image of the bust overlooking the plaza. There was only one explanation. She could only be the final member of the Diamond Authority, the only one he'd never seen: White Diamond.
Steven's finger hovered over the screen, about to swipe to the next picture when a chime rang out. He froze, swallowing thickly. The diamonds were back already? Maybe… maybe if he stayed here they would just leave him alone. It was too small for them to fit back here, right? He grimaced, stuck leaning over the table as every fiber of him quieted, listening.
A voice echoed softly down the hallway, not Yellow's or Blue's, too quiet for him to make out words. Steven strained his ears, but heard nothing- no, a delicate set of footsteps grew louder, nearer. He turned, both wanting to ignore the intruder and needing to see who it was.
The footsteps continued to draw closer, perfectly timed, no rush or misstep in their tempo, and the pebbles dashed away, disappearing into the floor. Then Blue Pearl turned the corner, coming into view at last. She was frowning; Steven couldn't help but wonder if she was sad. Did she resent serving Blue Diamond?
"Pink Diamond?" the pearl inquired in greeting, voice like moths' wings. She saluted him, a delicate motion of intertwining arms. "My Diamond has requested your presence."
"Oh… um," Steven stuttered, jumping down from the stool. Seeing Blue again was the last thing he wanted, but it's not like he could just refuse. "Okay," he said. The Gems were counting on him.
Blue Pearl turned, lending exquisite grace to such a simple act, and led the way out.