The sound of the warpad down the hall is completely missed by steven until he hears the sound of two sets of two people gasping in surprise at the sight of pink diamond sitting against the side of her cracked throne staring out over homeworld.
"My diamond." the pink agate announces herself saluting.
"I have brought you one of the peridots you have asked for, my diamond." she says gesturing over to a gem very similar to his friend when he first saw her with darker green skin, and no glasses, and a gem on her chest
"P...Pink diamond!" she yells out standing straight and saluting steven takes a breath standing.
"Pink agate, you can return to your duties. Ill summon you when i need you, that will be all." she salutes him.
"Yes my diamond." she says turning and walking back towards the warpad
"Peridot, im 5000 years behind on affairs of the gem empire in my absence, I want you to help me catch up." her eyes shine as she looks up at him.
"Yes my diamond, i would be honoured."
"That's good, peridot facet 2f5l cut 5xg has helped me a great deal, I trust you will do the same." he tells her and his eyes widen.
"She's not a traitor?" "Well.." he says grinning. "She did call yellow diamond a clod to her face."
"Sh..she did?" "Yep, and she joined a band of traitorous rebels consisting of a fusion of love a terrifying renegade pearl, a small amazing amythest, and peridot who lost her limb enhancors and discovered she has power over metal." Peridot stares at him. "Rebels like that exist?" "Yes, infact the crystal gems where founded by pink diamond herself disguised as a rose quartz and her pearl companion." Peridot looks at him, truly looks at him
"Your, your coloring is different, and you talk about pink diamond like you're not actually her."
"No im her son. A son is like a creation using yourself as the kindergarten, I got her gem, and now i have some of her memories but im not actually her." Peridot holds out her arm.
"May i?" steven nods curious. As a green light scans him twice and then her fingers turn into a screen.
"Your bodies so strange." she mutters.
"I'm one of a kind ,It's doubtful anyone but a diamond could manage the 9 months of shapeshifting required to grow a human hybrid."
"9 months? It took you only nine months to emerge,amazing?" she says typing something into her arm.
"It's not really the same thing, i did not form fully grown, actually i was still growing. Humans usually stop growing at 21, im 15."
"15! I'm only 300 and that's still considered young!" she exclaims. Before standing up straight and saluting him.
"I will serve you to the best of my ability my diamond, and i will keep your confidence on the matter of your new state. And I will do my utmost to help you take your place amongst the authority." he smiles softly
"Thank you peridot." he says and she smiles broadly.
"Will you be able to begin now?"
"Yes my diamond." "Upon you leaving for your first colony the second era of our empire began,and after her apparent false shattering an ere of depleted resource began, gems weren't coming out as strong as they once did and an era of technological advancement began to compensate for the loss of capability."
"That makes sense, so do your limb enhancers have the same capabilities as 5xgs? She was able to hold off 3 era 1 gems at once."
"Mostly, we tinker with them my diamond. Some capabilities may be different." she looks around the room eyes resting on the shattered throne. "Would you like me to call in bismuth's my diamond, you're throne needs repairs, and it may need to be upgraded the tech in it is 6000 years old, if it's not too forward i would suggest having it completely rebuilt to more modern standards.." he hmms
"yes, that sounds amazing peridot. I am going to be here for a long time and as a diamond i need a proper throne to rule over my court.`` Peridot nods.
"Normally a pearl would take care of this, but I can put in a request for a bismuth."
"Peridot why don't you and your sisters design it, i'm sure you can come up with something truly spectacular for me." she stares up at him stars in her eyes.
"Yes my diamond, it will be the most spectacular throne ever made." she stands there seemingly waiting for something.
"Oh that will be all, thank you peridot." he claps his hands.
"Come back tomorrow to continue our lessons if you would."
"of course my diamond." she says saluting again before turning and walking towards the warpad leaving him alone once more. "I like her" he says turning towards the old pink throne. "Pink diamonds throne, or I suppose my throne for now." he says finally sitting in it placing his hand in the non shattered screen and chokes. "2 million missed messages?" he asks groaning. "It's been a long time hasn't it?" he mutters 5000 years was a long time, especially for a 15 year old
Steven had read through a few dozen messages, luckily pink had given him complete comprehension of the gem language his throne was aperintly hooked into the dymonds networks and still received general updates and progress reports. Steven looks up as the warpad activates to see blue and yellow diamond walking in blue with her hands tucked into her sleeves.
"Pink." yellow says refusing to call him steven
"we have come to an understanding. Homeworld needs you here, it needs all of its rulers to return to its former glory." She says looking truly excited for the future.
"What do you think blue?" steven asks standing and blue steps forward kneeling to his level "I know you're not the same as you once were, and I am trying to understand but im so happy to have her back in any way." she pulls her hand from her sleeve holding a rounded pink gem.
"And i brought you a gift. If you are to rule over your court properly you will need a pearl. This is one of the newest, created around the time of your return." blue says grinning happily.
"Yes pink, since you're old pearl vanished we brought you a new one, a good pearl will help you get settled. And you having help might keep blue from moping around.."
"You're right, its like you said. 'What's the use of feeling blue right?" yellow looks at him.
"How do you know that phrase?"
"I was in the room with you at the zoo." he admits.
"Why didn't you tell us then?" she asks incredulously. "I didn't know ,this is all new to me, all my life i was told that i was the son of a rose quartz who rebelled, I only learned the truth a few days ago. So much has changed in my life so suddenly im as lost as you are." he sighs.
"I would like the emerald who brought me here, she will be able to help me retrieve my items.''
"How could a failure help you, she couldn't even catch a band of offcolors and a human." "Those 'off colors' and that human protected me from your drones" he counters.
"They served a purpose even if it wasn't the one they were made for. The rutile function as the perfect team, forced to move as one,the rhodonite has the battle prowess of a ruby complimented by the mind of a pearl, and the padparadscha sapphire receives visions of the past allowing them to have complete understanding of the situation they're in. and I couldn't fathom the knowledge a 6 gem fusion must possess." blue and yellow share a look of disgust at such a large fusion.
"What you say is wrong i consider different, not useless just possessing a different value."
"You can have your emerald, but you need to be mindful of what white could hear." she chides him
"And especially without your court."
"I've actually put some thought into that, I would like to retrieve the quartzes from the zoo and unbubble the rose quartz gems." She says earning a gasp from blue and a grin from yellow.
"But." blue starts only for yellow to cut her off.
"No she's right, the roses committed nothing wrong, and where bubbled for a false crime." Yellow turns to her pearl
"Send word that the quartzes from earth are to be recalled, and that the bubbled rose quartzes are to be brought here." she commands and yellow pearl activates here screens writing out her diamonds command and yellow kneels to stevens level looking him in the eye.
"You need to work with us, somethings changed in you and were ...worried for you. We thought we lost you." she says voice finally breaking. "It's so nice to have you back, things feel right for the first time in milnium." she tells him suddenly reaching out and pulling him into a hug.
"I'm so sorry pink, I never should have sent you to earth you weren't ready to go alone."
"You still don't get it" steven sighs.
"I was too optimistic of course you don't understand." yellow pushes him back. "Then explain it to me again pink, i was their when you emerged. Just because you don't have all of your memories doesn't mean I don't know you."
"Drastic measures." steven mutters digging his nails into his palms breaking the simulated skin.
"She's gone, her mind is being purged from the gem more and more over time and one day ill be all that's left of her. Pink diamond shaped shifted human reproductive organs and bred with a human male, the someone you took from earth blue and nine months later she disappeared and i came into existence half gem and half organic."
"That ash." blue says sounding horrified.
"Pink cared so much for you and i turned you to ash,she gave up her form for you and i enjoyed hurting you."
"I tried to warn you, take the time you need, these feelings are likely hard for immortal gems to comprehend. "
The diamonds had retreated from his presence, needing time. But they had left him their pearls to help with the messages.
"Did they poof her?" he asks staring at the pink pearl in his hand.
"All pearls are destabilized at emergence to allow for customization to their owners preferences." yellow pearl says as if it is a common fact as she sorts through message after message blue pearl standing by where the second screen would have been. The gem in his hand starts to glow a clamshell forming around it.
"Please state your name."
"Steven universe."
"And please state your customization preference."
"surprise me." he tells it. And the silhouette of a gem starts to form a dark pink skinned pearl landing in front of him. He takes in her appearance curly shoulder-length light pink hair, dark pink ballet shoes a sleeveless top with a high neck a pink diamond on the chest with a cut out for a navel gem ,and knee length pants with pink diamond like frills at the hip.
"How do you do my steven universe thank you for bringing me into the world." she sings
"I'll be at your eternal service welcome to your new pearl."
"Shorter than average." yellow pearl notes with disdain.
"Don't worry pearl, i think you're pearfect." and she smiles softly.
"Just like pink diamond." blue pearl says softly and steven grins at her a dark blue blush dusting her cheeks.
"Finally someone gets it."
Yellow and blue sit in yellows sauna. :
"I know you're sad blue, but you need to set an example now more than ever, you should return and put your court in order, possible start a new colony there are many ready planets." she says just too forcefully and blue takes a deep breath wiping her eyes.
"Yes, homeworld needs me. You've been right all along i need to be a proper leader, i'll lead the colonization from the planets moon, it will help me clear my head. Sort myself out."