Chapter Two: Ruins
Steven stirred in his sleep, the morning light peeking through his eyelids. He smacked his lips together, his dry and parched mouth tasting uncomfortable. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and saw that Pearl was laying out a bowl and spoon on the table.
She must have heard him getting up, as she turned to look at him. She gave a quick bow. "Good morning, my Steven."
"Morning, Pearl. What's for breakfast?"
"Cereal this morning. If that is alright."
"Yeah, that's fine," Steven yawned as he walked over to the table and took his seat. The cereal was his favorite, the kind that crisped and popped when they got put in milk. And Pearl had even gone the extra step of putting banana slices into it. Steven smiled as he took his first bite. Pearl was always going the extra step. "So what's on the schedule for today, Pearl?"
"Well, after you finish eating and changing, I thought we would continue our Geography lesson on China," Pearl said. "And then you may pick which place we learn about next."
Over Steven's bed hung a map of the Earth, spotted all over with pins. Steven's home of Korea was marked with a blue pin, as was Dad's new home of Beach City. Everywhere else they'd studied so far had a pink pin. He studied the empty space of his map while he ate, considering.
"Ooh! Taiwan!" Steven said with a mouthful of cereal and milk. "When we went there, it was so pretty and awesome."
"Alright, Steven," Pearl said. "I will prepare the lesson when we finish our current subject."
"What's after lunch?"
"Then will be your Algebra lesson."
"Augh," Steven moaned. "But Algebra's boring. It's just formulas and numbers. Can't we skip to Trigonometry already?"
"Formulas and numbers are important."
"I guess," Steven said. He knew they were useful. You needed to know numbers so you had enough money to buy food and stuff. People used numbers to build inventions like cars and spaceships, to discover new things, to explore the universe. It was absolutely necessary.
But it wasn't really interesting. Steven was really glad he wasn't the son of a Peridot or a Morganite or something, because that would have been so dull.
"You needn't fret, my Steven," Pearl said. "You are very gifted with your Algebra lessons. With all your lessons, truly."
"I know," Steven sighed, swirling the remnants of his cereal in its bowl. "It's just so boring. I like learning about different places, and space stuff, and stuff."
The corners of Pearls mouth tightened, before she nodded at him. "I suppose we can push your Algebra lesson until tomorrow."
Steven leapt from his chair. "Yes! Thanks, Pearl!"
"But we will do it tomorrow."
"I know, I know," Steven said. "So what are we going to do instead?"
"Hm. Well, I suppose we could do your Astronomy lesson today." Steven's eyes widened in elation at the suggestion. "However… I may perhaps have something else in mind."
"Really? What is it?" Steven asked, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Your father mentioned that, the other day, the Crystal Gems explored the Lunar Sea Spire," Pearl said.
Steven's brow crinkled. "The Crystal Gems? What were they doing there?"
"I cannot say, beyond destroying more monsters," Pearl answered. "Greg did not specify."
"Then we have to go!" Steven declared. "If the rebels are planning something there, then we need to stop them!"
"Ah, my Steven—"
"No way, Pearl!" Steven interrupted. "Mom said that one day I'd be able to stop the rebels."
"She did," Pearl conceded. "But only when you have mastered your powers. Which you have not."
Steven crossed his arms, sulking, "I've gotten better with them…"
"Yes. But to try and take on a Crystal Gem now… That is beyond your skill level, I'm afraid."
Steven continued sulking, hunching his head into his shoulders and gazing intently at the ground. "But it's not fair…"
"Perhaps. However, if we bring the Scanner and do a thorough sweep of the Spire, then I believe it should be safe for us."
"Yeah! And maybe we can figure out why the Crystal Gems were there," Steven said. He grabbed his bowl of mostly milk and drank it. He laid the bowl back on the table. "Okay, Pearl! Let's go!"
"First you need to get dressed. Then your Geography lesson. Then lunch, then afternoon break. Then we'll go," Pearl said.
Steven sighed, but smiled at his caretaker. "Right. Okay, Pearl." He jogged to the dresser next to his bed and pulled out clothes to dress himself. He picked out one of his favorite shirts (black with a yellow star in the center), a pair of jeans, socks, and shoes. As he dressed and got ready, Steven heard Pearl behind him, placing the bowl and spoon in the wash basin for later, as well as readying a textbook and several sheets of paper.
Now out of his sleep clothes and dressed properly, there was only one last thing. Laying in the dresser was his blue hoodie. He grabbed it, taking a moment to press it against his face and feel the soft cotton against his skin.
Steven wore his hoodie most days. It had been a gift from Dad and Pearl, just before they moved out of the apartment and Dad went to Beach City and Steven and Pearl moved to the Palanquin. And while Steven did love living on the mountain in the Palanquin, when he was told two years ago that his father would be moving far away without him, it had upset Steven more than a little. So the night before his departure, Dad and Pearl gave Steven the hoodie. They said that when he wore it, especially with the hood up, he looked just like his mother. So all he would have to do is wear the hoodie and he could be big and brave like her.
He slipped the hoodie over his head, feeling instantly comforted by the snug pressure around his face. He dreaded the rising temperatures of the coming summer, when continuing to wear the jacket would become hugely uncomfortable, if not impossible.
"Alright, Pearl. I'm ready," Steven said as he turned around. However he saw that Pearl was still flipping through the Geography textbook.
"Forgive me, my Steven," she said, looking up from the book. "But our trip to Beach City left me a little… unprepared for your lesson today." She stood up straight, only to bow at him. "I'll need a little more time before I am ready."
"Okay, Pearl," Steven said. "I'm gonna wait outside until you're ready."
"Very well. But do not wander far. I will be done shortly."
"I won't," Steven assured as he walked past her and the table. "I just wanna see if maybe Nari is out and about. Ooh, or Tim! Maybe he finally found that stream he was looking for!"
Steven pushed past the Palanquin's curtain and stepped into the brisk mountain air. He inhaled deeply and took in the still rising sun in front of him. Dad had often said that he and Mom would lay on the mountain and watch the sunrise. Dad would play a song on the guitar and Mom would sing. They'd just lay there together and talk and enjoy each other's company.
Just thinking about it made Steven's cheeks shine bright red.
He began walking, nowhere in particular in mind, and whistled, high and sharp. He tried to call Nari, or to any bird who might know where she was… But he got no answers. Either no one knew or no one was around.
He continued going forward, past several hills of varying size, down slopes and up slopes, all while whistling for his friend. But still he received no response… Steven began to mentally go over spring food sources and the migrating seasons for the birds, when… he saw a tree.
It both was and wasn't an ordinary tree. It was ordinary in the sense that it did only what most trees did, convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and look rather lovely. It was unordinary, however in the sense of what it marked, what laid after it.
Steven couldn't see it , but he knew it was there, just past the tree and behind the hill, draped in foliage and painted in pink, her Palanquin.
He could begin to hear those familiar voices echoing in his mind:
"What are you doing here? I sent you off this planet."
"I know. But I still have a duty here."
Steven clamped his eyes shut and put his hands over his ears, though to no avail. "You're not real. This isn't happening now. It's not."
He heard the metallic edge of a sword being drawn from its scabbard, a cry, rapid running footsteps and—
"No!" Steven yelled as he stepped backwards. His voice echoed around him. And then, silence. Nothing but the gentle breeze and the rustling of the leaves in the tree. He opened his eyes and he was still on the mountain, still in today, the tree in front of him. With one last look, Steven turned and started back towards the Palanquin, first at a tr, then a jog, and finally a run.
He returned to the Palanquin, rushing past the curtain and nearly running into Pearl.
"Ah, my Steven. I was just about to call you." She paused and looked at him, tilting her head at him. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah. I'm fine, Pearl," Steven responded, trying to catch his breath
For a moment, it looked like Pearl was going to ask more questions, but instead she merely nodded at him and said, "Very well, my Steven. Come. Let's go to the study corner and begin your lesson."
"Alright, Pearl." Steven followed her to the pillowed location in the far corner of the Palanquin, doing his best to put the vision he'd had out of his mind and to focus on his upcoming lesson.
It was a bit of a walk from the Palanquin to the nearest warp pad, and a tricky one too, over uneven ground, through thick brambles, and at one point, dangerously close to the edge of a steep slope. When he'd been little, Pearl had always been super scared at that part, and insisted she carry him, but now he was big enough to do it all on his own.
Once Steven had asked why the warp pad was so far away, since it was so inconvenient. Pearl had explained it wasn't meant to be so isolated:, it'd had been intended to be in the centre foyer of a beautiful art gallery that had never gotten built. But it was also for safety, she'd said. It made sure none of their enemies could easily find them.
And the warp pad was really hard to find. Steven could, because he'd been to the place so many, many times, but it was really well hidden behind a bunch of bushes. Mom and Dad had planted them for that exact purpose, and they were super hard to get through unless you knew just the right angle. He could fit in really well, but Pearl could never get through without getting at least a few leaves or twigs stuck in her hair. Steven giggled while he helped her take them out.
"Thank you, my Steven," she said, leading him up to the warp pad and activating it.
Warping was super fun; the chance to just float and spin around was the most wonderful feeling in the galaxy.
It was over too quickly, as always, and Steven nearly fell on his face. But for once, he didn't really mind. They had arrived at what had the most beautiful of places.
They were standing on a rocky-outcropping near the bottom of an enormous, circular waterfall. Whereas in Korea the sky had been grey with overcast morning light, here it was the most brilliant of blue, the sunlight catching the endless stream of water and sending dazzling rainbows into the air. At the centre of a circle was a single, sheer tower, as perfect and pristine as if it had been built yesterday.
"Wow," Steven said, for lack of anything else to say.
"Indeed," agreed Pearl.
With a twirl of her hands and a flare of light from the gemstone on her chest, Pearl withdrew a small sphere. It was a Scanner, a highly advanced piece of technology for assessing nearby areas for threats- but Steven thought it kinda looked like a floating pink eye. The thing buzzed off to explore, and the two of them waited until it returned a few minutes later, beeping the all clear. Putting the Scanner away, Pearl nodded for Steven to go ahead.
There was a bridge leading over the water to the Spire, one without any walls or railings. Pearl warned him to be careful, but Steven couldn't resist. He stuck his hand out—
— and immediately felt it being sucked down.
He jumped back, heart pounding. He could've been pulled in!
"Be careful," Pearl repeated, voice mild as ever. Steven could still feel the quiet disapproval radiating from her, and drooped.
Still! It was cool! There had to be some kind of gravity sink at the bottom. Maybe to maintain the waterfall? But no, ordinary gravity would work just fine for that, so why would they have built something extra…?
Ah! It was a moat! A gravity moat! To keep enemies away!
So cool.
They came to the Spire itself, and started up the long spiralling stairwell towards its top. It was a long walk, long even for Steven, who was used to hiking through the mountains, but they took lots of stops to look at stuff. There were all sorts of murals and alcoves and fountains and stuff. Plus, there were gulls that flew in and out of the mist, and Steven paused again and again to squawk 'hi's at them, and find out what kind of things they ate and stuff. They had to be the most super strongest birds ever, to be able to fly through the gravity field. Steven told them that, and they were all very flattered.
Steven liked history books quite a bit— liked to snuggle up under his covers with them, liked the feeling of paper beneath his fingers, liked it when Pearl would read aloud in her soft, soothing voice— but this was so much better. Getting out into the world, seeing where history had happened. Here he could feel the weight of his mother's Empire, the things it stood for. This was his legacy. Gems, stretching across the universe, building beautiful places like this, sharing their greatness with the many worlds…
About half-way up the spire, they came across a circular room with a statue in the centre. Steven stopped to consider it. It was very pretty, carved out of a smooth, blue rock that shimmered faintly in the light, but… "Why does it have four arms?"
"It is a hybrid fusion."
Steven took a step back, stomach roiling with sudden nausea. Why would they have art of something like that here?
Pearl laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Even things which are vile or unpleasant deserve depiction," she said. "Perhaps even more so than those things which are beautiful and pleasing."
It was a strange thought to consider, and Steven's brow furrowed as he tried to understand. "You mean like… you need to show people what things are bad, so they'll know not to do it?"
Pearl nodded.
Steven relaxed, although he still regarded the statue with discomfort. This was firmer ground. He recalled a quote from one of his human history textbooks, and recited, "'Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. "
Again, Pearl nodded.
They stood there for a few moments longer, and then the two of them continued up the stairs.
By the time they arrived at the very top of the spire, Steven was huffing and puffing, and his legs ached, but it was worth it. The view was amazing. Water seemed to stretch on forever, in every direction. He ran from side to side, unable to contain himself.
Pearl simply stood in the spire's centre, twirling slowly as she took it all in. "I wish you could have seen how it used to be," she said, voice wistful. "It was an oasis for Gems on Earth. Fine cuts from all the Courts would come— to share our stories, to sing our songs, to show their dedication to our Diamonds—"
To illustrate, the gemstone at Pearl's breast grew bright, and from it bloomed a hologram. It superimposed itself in front of the world, a depiction of the same place, but how it had been thousands of years ago, Gems mingling among the fountains and art.
Steven stared at it, awestruck. And as he stared, the world shifted—
It was as though the projection had filled with colour and spread out to fill the entire world, encompassing him. Pearl had vanished, but there were so many other Gems instead, even other Pearls. He could see each of them in full detail: the vibrant colour of their clothes, their skin, their hair. He could hear them, too. Murmurs and laughter and a distant song…
Just as quickly as it came, it faded, and Steven was back in the present, staring at Pearl's pale holographic imitation. But his smile didn't fade.
"Pearl!" he cried. "I saw it, Pearl! So clearly!"
She placed a gentle hand on his head. "Excellent work, my Steven. Your Past Visions are coming along well."
Her hologram snapped off and the picture vanished, leaving the Spire empty once more.
Steven felt an an ache of emptiness in his chest too.
"It was so beautiful. And now there's no one left to see it. It isn't right." He asked, "Why?"
"The War," Pearl said, simply.
Steven shook his head. "Yeah, I know. But… why did there have to be a war? Why did the Crystal Gems have to ruin all of it?"
Pearl shook her head. She had no answers that could explain the rebels' treachery.
They stood their for a while, no sound but the roar of the waterfalls and the distant shrieks of gulls, desolate and abandoned.
Eventually, Pearl broke the silence. "We should return home, my Steven."
"No."
"Pardon?"
"No," Steven repeated. "I don't want to. If we leave, the Spire'll be lonely."
Pearl clasped her hands close to her chest. "The Spire is a building. It cannot be lonely."
The boy jutted out his chin. "Yes, it can."
"My Steven." There was the slightest undercurrent of annoyance to Pearl's voice. "You are not thinking sensibly. The Lunar Sea Spire will feel the same regardless if you are here or not. You, however, will get hungry."
Steven pulled the hood tighter around his head and stood straighter in an attempt to look more Diamondly. "We have food."
"Snacks," said Pearl. "If we return to the Palanquin I can prepare you a proper meal—"
"I don't want a proper meal, I wanna stay!"
"I highly recommend that we—"
"I WANT TO STAY!" Steven said, this time with such force that he felt lightning crackle across his skin, saw it sparking out of the corners of his eyes.
Pearl stepped backwards.
She didn't like the lightning; it hurt her and it scared her, and the knowledge of that was enough to make Steven calm down a bit. The blue energy that encased his body faded slightly. But he was not going to budge.
"We're staying," he ordered.
Pearl bowed her head. "As you wish, my Steven."
oOoOoOo
Authors' Note: Hey guys! Just want to say 'thank you' for all the kind comments and support people have been giving us. We're really excited to continue with this AU, and hope you're all enjoying the story.
