Author's Notes: Welp, here we are. Who knows how many years it's been since I opened this document I fully did not intend to abandon. But then renewed interest relit the spark and something I intended to just kinda end with some cliff notes and story outlines became a fully-fledged chapter, and then another one following in the works. Thank you all for your patience, and your dedication to the story. It inspired me to return, and I'm really happy I did. Updates will be slow, though I'm sure not as slow as they were before this chapter. Maybe one a month, hopefully not one once a year! XD

Trigger Warning for the following chapter. We will open on a flashback of sorts, and it is a full depiction of a day in the life of a victim of domestic abuse. There will be mention of physical assault, PTSD and non-consensual sexual relationships. If you don't want to subject yourselves to that on this fine day, you can skip the first section of this chapter and start at the first transition line!

Please comment and share what you think and thank you all again for your love and support!

White had a feeling this would be another good day.

"I don't share your confidence," Starlight huffed from her place perched on White's shoulder.

The reflective panels of her quarters were useful for preening, and White was doing just that. She had been fussing over the placement of her hair, simultaneously wearing the biggest smile she had indulged in for a long time. "You worry too much my little ocean gem," White tutted. "I don't think I have ever seen him so happy! I'm so proud of how hard he is trying."

In their reflection, Starlight gave her a very pointed look, "He's done this whole song and dance before. A lot, in fact. He always goes back to normal."

"This gentle Magnetar is his normal," White insisted. "Oh, my little star, you just weren't there when he promised to work on himself. I have never seen him so devastated and so determined all at once! Starlight, he was on his knees begging for forgiveness! Magnetar is such a proud man, for him to get on his knees is huge!"

"Why was he asking for forgiveness, White?" Starlight asked. She already knew, but the little Pearl was trying to make a point.

White's smile faded into a scowl. She had done all she could to forget that little inconvenient detail of her and Magnetar's relationship. Truly, when circumstances were good, and White was on her best behavior and Magnetar's conquests were fruitful, life was good. But when things were bad… They were very bad.

A little over a quarter of the stellar calendar ago, things had been that bad. She over stepped, she should have known better. She really should have known better, because she had this down to a science for goodness sake! She knew how to keep him happy and stretch the good days, assure they had more of them. She could defuse his temper most occasions, mostly by agreeing with everything, doing everything, and being everything he wanted her to be. But this time, nothing she did mattered. He was angrier than she had ever seen him… And the brutality and cruelty that followed was beyond words. She didn't want to think about it anymore.

She had broken down in front of him so many times she couldn't even attempt to count them all. Usually, when he was angry and she cried, it would aggravate him more. But this time, he must have known he had gone too far. He was almost on the verge of tears himself as he carried her to the ship's healing/rejuvenation center. He never stopped assuring her, promising this was it. The final time he would hurt her.

"Well… We fought, and things got a little out of hand." White said, side stepping most of the question all together.

"White, he almost killed you," Starlight reminded her with a hiss. "He said your Gem couldn't crack. He cracked it! That isn't something that you should be sweeping away!"

"I'm not sweeping anything away," White huffed. She blinked her lashes a few times, happy with the way she had shifted them to look that day. "I am just acknowledging, that this is the longest we have gone without a fight! That is cause for celebration."

Starlight was ready to argue, as she often did. She never saw Magnetar's good qualities. But White gasped when she recognized the heavy footfall in the hall and her stomach dropped on instinct. They both jumped into action, a well-rehearsed routine at this point. Magnetar didn't know Starlight existed. She intended to tell him… One day. She just didn't know how. She would give it more time, more time as their good days extended into good years and then she could break the news. She would have to really convince him, really pull out every stop to make him happy, but she knew she could do it, eventually.

But for now, she hurried Starlight into their secret tunnel behind a wall panel. "It will be fine, just trust me, dear little Starlight." White whispered with a smile. She knelt down to lay a gentle kiss on Starlight's pearl before sliding the panel back in place.

She hurried back over to her reflective panel, giving herself a final once over. Her Gem was polished, her eyes bright and lashes pronounced. She would change her appearance modifiers, but Magnetar didn't like her changing the appearance of her white dress much, so she kept it the way he liked it. She was perfect, but she was still nervous. Even if she did everything right, agreed with every ask, and was as perfect as he wanted her to be, sometimes he would step through her door and…

The door opened, and she was greeted with Magnetar's handsome smile. Relief hit her like a cosmic storm. She was right, it was a good day!

He opened his arms and she hurried into them, letting herself be embraced in his immense and powerful aura. "How was your day?" she asked.

He tilted her head up to look at him, and he placed a gentle kiss onto her Gem. "Productive as always. How are you, my beloved?"

She presented her most winning smile, "Perfect."

"I've almost forgot, I brought you something, my love," he announced, and she stepped back as he pulled out from his shifting armor a shimmering silver adornment. Closing the distance between them again he gently pushed some of her hair to the side so he could rest it on her ear. Placing both hands on her slim shoulders, he turned her around to admire her reflection in the wall panel. It was beautiful, made of twisting metal petals that spun into itself and shimmering along with the rest of White's dress. "It pales in comparison to your own brilliance," he whispered into the same ear his gift rested over, and her whole body shuttered in response to his deep hushed voice.

Before she could thank him for the gift White gasped when Magnetar snatched her up and started spinning them around the room in a moment of romantic spontaneity. She made herself relax and laugh along with him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He let her down but maintained a hold on her hand as he led her out of her room. "I want to show you my most recent discovery. This star system has an abundance of rare metals and the star at its galaxy's center is very promising for harvesting!"

They walked down the corridors of the massive ship, and she quickly realized they were not going to the observation center, but rather Magnetar was leading her to the hanger. White couldn't hide her amazement. He was bringing her off the ship! She hadn't set foot on a planetary body since she had snuck away to get the pearl she needed to create Starlight. She absolutely did not protest as he whisked her away to the large rocky planet below.

Even barren of life, it was gorgeous. It was a landscape of shifting colors and shimmering metals. He walked White along a river of molten rock, pointing a firm hand over the horizon and explaining how he intended to utilize every material to expand his Alloy army. She smiled and nodded along, hanging on his every word but didn't dare to interrupt. He loved speaking, and it made him happy when she listened. And this was important to him. She was happy to listen, resting her head against his bicep and grinning up at him.

It was more then a good day. Magnetar was beaming with joy, even dancing with her on the hills of the new Alloy camp they had established on the element rich world. She blushed every time he praised her or painted her with gentle kisses. He was right, it was all perfect. More than she could have ever imagined.

Too soon for her liking, they returned to the ship, but she didn't protest. She needed him to stay this happy always. She needed every day to be this good. She would see to it she did everything in her power to make that their shared reality.

They ended up back in her quarters, and she was relieved to see Starlight was still hidden. It was one of Starlight's many talents. But her dear little friend became a secondary concern the moment the door closed behind them and Magnetar had his arms around her. He whispered lustful sweet nothings in her ear, unfastening the shimmering patterns of light that made up her garments and coaxing her towards her elevated resting place.

She felt herself blush, but not exactly from shared excitement. There was no debate Magnetar was in a good mood. But whether he was excited to share in their intimate ritual or… use it to work out his frustrations, he tended to be a little rough.

But it would keep him happy, so she didn't voice her protest. She let him carry her up the steps and answered his gentle flattery with an anxious smile, as she normally did. No protest as he laid her down on her back and brought his lips to hers. She felt him touch her mind with his power, his essence filling every inch of her being. She could almost taste his want for her, his need to pull her closer, possess her completely. She surrendered to it all. Whatever made him happy.

She was tired by the end of their connection, as she always was. She let her eyes close, drifting her thoughts to every pleasant experience they had shared. He was so gentle, she loved when he was like this. She shuttered every time she felt his thumb caress her Gem until he left her with a parting kiss, off to carry on with his important work.

When White was rested enough to greet the new day, she almost leapt down from her pillows and hurried down the steps. Starlight was still unconvinced even as White gushed over her and Magnetar's perfect time spent together.

"It's like tiptoeing on glass," Starlight pointed out with a sorrowful expression. "He's happy, and it only costs you everything."

It was a small price to pay for peace.

White preened in the mirror as usual until she heard Magnetar's heavy boots in the hall. Nervousness seeded itself in her stomach, but she ignored it as always. She hid Starlight then hurried to the door and waited with a smile.

The door opened, and she was greeted with a pair of dark, ominous eyes that crashed her hopes into the floor. Rage boiling just under the surface, and a look that promised only the worst things to come. White tried not to tremble as Magnetar approached her, his intentions unknown.

It was going to be a bad day.

Steven shot up in bed with a gasp. Magnetar's ship was gone, the calming ocean waves outside the house proof he was home again. He wiped his face with his hands to get the sweat away from his eyes.

Connie groaned from her place in bed beside him. "You ok?" she mumbled with bleary eyes. His jolting awake must have woken her up.

"Um, I don't know to be honest… Sorry to wake you."

Connie yawned and sat up to stretch. "Was it a normal nightmare, or a Steven empathy power nightmare?"

Steven scratched his hair, "The second, unfortunately. I need to check on the Diamonds. White may have reformed by now. I need to talk to her and see how she's holding up."

Connie gently ran her fingernails up and down his back in a soothing fashion. "You still look tired. Please take it easy."

He took a deep breath, leaning into her for support and closing his eyes. "I'm fine. I just, need a quiet minute to think."

She gave him that, continuing to rub his back in silence as he quietly meditated, considering what he had seen in his disturbing dream and glimpse into the distant past. He didn't have long to contemplate much of anything however, as sandaled feet started up the wooden deck walkway to the front door at a frantic pace.

They were on the large pull-out bed-couch next to the stairs leading up into the house's proper bedroom. They had come back to Earth late in the night, and Steven knew his dad would have surrendered his bed the moment they walked in, so that's why he didn't wake him. But that choice unfortunately put them in the open living room next to the door, right in the path of whoever was storming up the walkway.

"Let them knock, they can come back later," Connie assured with a grumble. But nobody told their guest that as the flimsy screen door was suddenly kicked in, not a single knock given. The screen door's little latch lock didn't stand a chance against Ronaldo's big foot.

"SNEEPLE!" He said as the screen door swung hard into the wall. He also hesitated, sleep deprived eyes glued onto Connie and Steven in bed as if his announcement to the once quiet house needed no further explanation.

"Morning, Ronaldo," Steven said, because it wasn't like this was abnormal behavior for the guy. Connie didn't add anything to the morning greeting. She was too busy glaring at the disheveled man in the doorway.

Not catching the hint Connie was radiating his way, Ranaldo let himself in. He almost tripped on his sandals as he fumbled with the loose papers and electrical equipment all tangled in his arms. All that stuff was then deposited onto the sheets over Connie and Steven's legs in their bed. "I knew this whole thing sounded familiar! Look Steven! Look at this!" he shuffled through his pile, looking for the paper, "Remember when I told you about them?"

"The whole government knowing about Gem stuff and hiding it conspiracy?" Steven retorted from a distance memory they had as kids.

"Exactly!" Ronaldo said with a massive grin, "But I was wrong! It wasn't just Gem stuff we had to worry about. Gem stuff effected how human society advanced over the centuries, that's a given. But I think the same phenomenon happened to them with the Alloys! And then that info leaked down to us. Case in point, Sneeple!"

"It isn't too late to go back to bed, babe," Connie suggested to Steven.

Ronaldo snatched their blanket from the bed in one grab, letting his stuff litter over Connie and Steven's legs. So much for going back to bed. Ronaldo used the sheet as a place for his portable projector to begin flashing through pictures as he clumsily tacked it to the wall. Most of the pictures Steven had seen. Oddly shaped tree trunks Ronaldo had drawn arrows and question marks around or the symbols on their money. There was a picture of Amethyst turning into a purple snake and chasing Ronaldo into the ocean roughly six summers ago. Another picture of Amethyst, shifted into the then Mayor Dewey as she crowd surfed during a beach side concert… There were a concerning number of pictures that involved Amethyst running amuck around town. But ignoring those, there were pictures of Gem tech. Crystal spires and buildings which, to Steven's legitimate surprise, were in different locations around the world. Ronaldo had been traveling, it would seem.

"Take for instance, the Russian Islands! Where those tiny specks of land are now, there used to be a big land mass that was destroyed during the Gem War! Well, I have a friend that lives on one of the Islands. The biggest one, Lenin Ville. There are still remnants of Gem stuff littered all over that place and the stuff inscribed on the ruins. Well, here is some of it!"

More pictures of desiccated walls and old Gem tech, but this time it had symbols of things Steven didn't recognize. Odd depictions of alien beings, and many wore metal scales. Gems running from these scaled monsters into what looked like water. It looked maybe their equivalent of campfire stories they recorded when they were board. But now Steven saw Ronaldo was on to something. "When I heard about the Alloys, I couldn't help but think of these drawings. I asked Pearl, and she said, and I quote! 'Wait, what are you asking? Why me, what are these? They don't mean anything, they are your human equivalent of graffiti… I can't talk anymore could you please leave?' And that's when I knew! Just like we humans hold Gem stuff in our subconscious minds, GEMS hold Alloy stuff in their collective unconscious! Every Gem is originally from White Diamond, and SHE knew about Alloys even though she didn't remember them on the surface!"

Steven blinked, now totally blown away. Ronaldo's hands shook as he was already in the kitchen, making himself coffee. "Ronaldo, how did you get all this information?"

"Research! It's my art!" Ronaldo exclaimed.

Steven finally got out of bed and approached the projector slideshow on the bedsheet. Hidden between pictures of old Diamond propaganda or Gem 'curse words' were other symbols that stuck out. Monstrously tall creatures covered in scales, what looked like black holes pulling in screaming Gems, and finally, what looked like a ship eating a sun.

"White said she rejuvenated herself," Connie recalled, legs hanging off the side of the couch bed.

"But rejuvenation isn't always full proof," Steven added, rubbing his beard. "Spinel is enough evidence to the contrary… White tried to repress everything she knew about Magnetar, but her essence that ended up in Gems way down the line would maybe have small tidbits of info regarding him. The Gems making these wouldn't think much of them, other then scary stories they came up with. It's memories of the Alloys," He paused the pictures on one in particular, "Ronaldo, what does this one mean?"

The picture was of a scaled monster shouting up at the sky, standing over a planet that looked like Earth. Another colony world maybe? Then another, the same angered Alloy standing by it. Then another.

Then under it, a picture of a world that was barren, and the Alloy monster was eating Gems on the surface. "What do the worlds that angered the Alloys all have in common?" he wondered out loud.

Ronaldo snickered, pulling Steven's attention onto the sleep deprived man. He had pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, making his eyes hard to see through the white reflective light the motion produced… Steven had only ever seen that effect in Anime… had Ronaldo bought specific lenses just so they could produce that effect when he pushed them up his nose?

"To answer that question, my friend… One must only have to ask the one who faced off against these scaled monsters and survived."

Slowly, purposely, Ronaldo reached into his pocket, retrieved an item, then held up a single onion and smiled like an ace attorney who just nailed his closing statement. Steven pursed his lips, "Um…"

Ronaldo fumbled, "I mean, not this actual onion. Like, Onion the guy. I just asked him to come with me to make this reveal and he ran in the opposite direction. And he was wearing sneakers and I'm in flipflops so I couldn't catch up. But he was there when White Diamond was captured by the Alloys, and he managed to hurt the big guy! It's water, Steven! Salt water is even better! It gets under their scales and rusts them! That's why Gem's have been populating worlds with water sources most of all. It's the safest! True, they probably have the best pure gem-based elements for their uses, but hiding from Alloys is some of it too!"

"Well," Connie hummed. "We have plenty of salt water. And that is something Homeworld doesn't have."

"We can also ask the Pearl White gave us, she's bound to know even more about any weaknesses the Alloys have. Once we fix her, that is." Steven added. Back on Magnetar's ship as they were rescuing White, she had handed off the shards of a Pearl Magnetar had shattered many eons ago. Steven bubbled her and quickly sent the bubble back to Earth. They intended to restore her with White's help, considering the personal nature of the whole ordeal. But White hadn't reformed on their journey back, or the hours that followed. Steven was still hoping she had reformed while he was asleep, but if not, they needed to go ahead and fix the poor broken Gem without her. They needed all the help they could get right now.

"Alright," Steven said with new resolve. He also poured himself and Connie cups of coffee to nurse from while they would get ready. "Thanks for the info, Ronaldo. I'll catch Onion in town, and we'll go from there. But first I need to talk to the Diamonds."

Strangely enough, Ronaldo's excitement seemed to deflate. "But… I still have like, two hundred more slides to show you. What if one is important enough to win the fight?"

Even without a blanket, Connie just laid back down in bed and moaned under her pillow. Steven could really commiserate with that feeling as he slowly sat back down on the edge of the couch with his cup of coffee. Ronaldo brightened again and he switched to the next slide. Taken with a selfie stick of Ronaldo, gasping at new ruins he found. The next slide was the same scene but maybe three seconds later, as Amethyst burst through those exact ruins shaped like a T-Rex and readying to chase a now screaming Ronaldo.

The warmth of the dawning light touched Blue Diamond's face and further dried her lingering tears. The sun was rising on this side of the quaint little world. It was beautiful, reflecting on the dancing waves of the ocean. No wonder Pink loved it here… Blue Diamond hummed a sigh.

There was still no word from the collection of ships and Dimond loyal parties that allowed them to escape from, him. Eons of military and tactical experience suggested to Blue that was a very bad sign. She sighed again, trying hard to keep shattering from her mind. Steven was nearby, and he was sensitive to harsh emotions. And it wasn't like Alloy's shattered anyway.

She was sat in the shifting sands of Beach City's beach, White's Diamond gently wrapped in her hands. White still hadn't reformed yet. It hadn't exactly been that long, comparatively. Maybe a day and a half if she was going by Earth time. (She had to go by Earth time, Homeworld was still lost.) But it wasn't like they knew how long it would take for a Diamond to reform. None of them had poofed before. Well, that wasn't entirely true.

Blue had been discussing the matter with Pearl. That was, Pink's Pearl. Well, that wasn't true either. White's Pearl, who was gifted to Pink when Pink's Pearl was damaged. The Pearl who helped Pink with the rebellion against herself. That one. She said when they faked Pink's shattering, she didn't take long to reform when she poofed. An hour or two at most. That being said, she had been in on the plot, so it wasn't like she intended to change much about her outer light form.

Steven had said White was hurt on his ship. It would take some time. He also had not elaborated how exactly she had been hurt by him. It wasn't for him to say, it was up to White to share if she wanted too. White, who was yet to emerge from her Gem. That was not comforting to Blue and her imagination naturally wandered to every possible shatter worthy thing that foul metal creature could have done to her dear White.

Yellow couldn't stand idle, putting her anger to good use and helping President Zircon in Little Homeworld establish more defensive and attack formations. But someone had to stay with White… And Blue guessed, seeing White so vulnerable in her Gem made Yellow very uncomfortable.

She glanced down at the multi-faceted perfection of White's Gem. It caught every beam of Earth's sunlight. Beautiful as it was, it remained still. She ran a thumb over its surface. "Please White. Come out." She whispered.

Commotion from the shore brought her focus up again. She had been distracting herself with Spinel's antics for a while now. The noodle armed pink Gem had somehow gained an audience of ocean creatures Steven had once called seals. They all watched as she paced back and forth, trying hard to seem serious despite her naturally goofy face. "Ok soldiers! This is where pebbles become GEMS! We got a no good, nasty jerk brigade coming for us and we intend to fight down to the last shard! Are you with me?"

The seals, not at all grasping the concept of what she was saying, all started clapping and barking in delight. "That's right!" Spinel shouted to them with the beaming pride of an Emerald General. "Laugh in the face of our enemies! They will tremble before the might of a Gem populated Earth!"

Something small entered her personal space, snapping Blue away from the theatrics by the shore. She was used to small creatures skittering about her, but this one wasn't a Gem. The little Earthling sat a polite distance from her, but it was clear he was here to keep her company. He didn't speak, but his pale face radiated sorrow as he observed White's Gem in Blue's gentle clutches.

"Onion, right?" Blue guessed. She really should know his name better. This was one of the very active Earthlings in Gem business. But in her defense, there were so many Earthlings with so many different names…

Onion nodded at her, still straining to see White from his much lower vantage point. Blue gently placed White into the sand, as if she were 'sitting' between them. "You knew her a little better than you and I do, correct? You took on that horrid Alloy alongside White. That was very brave of someone so small."

Onion shrugged off the compliment as if it weren't a big deal. He scooted a little closer to White's Gem. It was basically as big as he was, even half seated in sand. He hesitated to close more distance between them. He was gaging Blue's reaction, seeing if he was overstepping. "It's fine." Blue assured him.

He gently placed a hand on White's Gem, squinting his eyes hard as if trying to locate her inside its reflective surface. He looked back up at Blue, mumbling something she didn't quite catch. But it sounded like a question.

"We don't know when she will reform," Blue explained. "We are waiting."

Onion Heaved a sigh. He shrugged off the big bag from his back and began weeding through it. He retrieved a glass vessel with a metal lid, the contents of which sloshed with murky water and particulates of sand. "Meh meh," he said confidently before he held it out for Blue to take. Now she was hesitant. On the jar was drawn a simplistic rendition of her own smiling face. As carefully as she could, she accepted the offering between two fingers. "Thank you?"

He pulled a metal keychain in the shape of a seashell from his bag and held it up to his forehead. He made an ugly scowling face and used his free hand to imitate claws. "MEH MEH!" he snarled in a purposefully low and evil voice. He walked over to a small puddle of water cut off from the ocean and stepped a bare foot into it. He jolted back as if it shocked him, snarling out in a pained "MEEEHHH!" Before falling over into the sand. With his performance over, he sat up and looked to Blue expectantly.

It clicked. "You're pretending to be him, aren't you?"

Onion nodded with vigor.

Blue looked back down at the small vessel. "Water hurt him?"

Onion pointed hard at the ocean, where Spinel was now being chased by an army of excitable seals. Blue blinked. "Salt water," she clarified. With that realization, Onion was rummaging around in his bag again. He retrieved two more jars. One had a laughable little rendition of a scowling Yellow, and the other was a beaming smiling White. He gently placed White's jar next to her Gem, and then repacked Yellow's away, probably intending to find her next. "It's to defend ourselves."

He again nodded. She matched his genuine smile. "Thank you. Truly. Your people have been nothing but welcoming to us, even after our kind's past attempts to destroy this world."

He waved off the comment and threw a hand over his shoulder. As if to say, 'it's behind us now, don't worry about it.'

"You want to protect us Diamonds… You wouldn't happen to have one of these for Steven, would you?" Blue asked.

Onion gave her a sly smile and retrieved a final jar. Steven's beaming face was plastered in the center of a bright yellow star on the side of the jar. He slipped it back into the bag and gave her a thumbs up. He jumped up, patted White's Gem and headed towards town, off on another mission.

Steven waded into the fountain in the center of Little Home World. The water changed colors often, as it had the essence of all four Diamonds in it. It had been a necessary construction for two reasons. If any Gem on Earth ever happened across the occasional corrupted Gem, they had set this location as one of the places bubbles would warp to so the corruption could be reversed. The second, and much more utilized aspect of the fountain was a healing spot for cracks. Beach City's semiprofessional volleyball team was made up of Amethysts, and they never did understand the meaning of the term 'careful.'

But the volleyball team weren't the ones in need this time. Blue and Yellow stood amongst the larger than average crowd, watching as Steven unbubbled the shattered remnants of White Diamonds' Pearl she managed to snatch away from Magnetar. They had considered waiting until White reformed to restore the Pearl, but Steven made the call for them not to delay any longer. White Diamond needed more time, and no being deserved to remain shattered for any longer then necessary.

He lowered it into the water, palm cupping the shattered pieces so none of it floated away. He could almost hear a pin drop in the crowd as they all waited. How long had this Pearl been shattered? Longer than Gem society had even existed, and that was a considerable amount of time. Had any Gem been gone for that long and been able to revive? The long stillness in his palm was disheartening.

Then the glow illuminated his face, and Steven risked a smile. The shards came back together, the glow intensifying in the water. He took a few steps back as the Pearl, now the shifting colors of a rainbow, floated out of the fountain and the cracks vanished. The tell tail white light of a reforming Gem came to be, the rainbow Pearl smaller than most average Gems of her same kind. Much like Steven's own dear Pearl, it was settled in the light being's forehead.

He didn't look away, even when he felt Connie's hands wrap around his forearm next to him. He held onto her in kind.

Color filled the form. Mother of pearl white skin contrasted on a prism of pastel colors making up a ballerina tutu, her upper torso covered in a decoration of seashells. The colorful being gasped as she fell down into the water, her re-formation completed. She was half the size of an average Pearl, and her face and body not quite as slim. If it weren't for her shimmering skin and, well, the Gem in her forehead, Steven could almost say she looked human. And the big light reforming. That was a dead giveaway she wasn't human either.

But different from her sisteren or not, the Pearl was now wide eyed and frozen in shock as she was awoken to a city's worth of colorful Gems all gawking at her sopping wet in a fountain. She blinked a few times, her expression suggesting she was trying to decide if she should ask questions of the many people or just start screaming.

Fear came first, and she stood fast in the water, looking upward as if expecting something from on high to snatch her.

"It's ok," Steven promised. He took a careful step towards her, but didn't risk more. He was now her focus, and a hint of confusion managed to shine through the fear. "Magnetar isn't here. You're safe."

The mention of that name made the rainbow Pearl straighten right away. But she was still calculating hard, scanning the sea of mismatched and colorful faces, and quickly noted the two massive yellow and blue one's hovering over the rest.

"Where, when am I?" she asked, though a gasp caught in her throat, "Where is White?"

Steven took another step and offered an assuring smile, "In order of your questions: You're on Earth, which is an organic world that is also home to many of Gem kind here in Little Homeworld. You are really far in the future, from the moment you were shattered on Magnetar's ship. I couldn't tell you exactly how much time, but assume it's been at least a few hundred thousand years. And as for White…" he turned, and she quickly looked where he pointed.

Blue Diamond settled down to her knees by the fountain and opened her hands. The rainbow Pearl gasped as she observed her reflection in White Diamond's Gem. Ever so gently, she reached out to touch the massive gem before her. Once her hands touched its surface, she finally smiled, understanding hitting her in that moment before she looked around them. "You did it, didn't you!" she whispered. She again took inventory of all the Gems surrounding her, and she seemed to be fighting back tears. "It's more beautiful than we ever thought it could be."

"What can we call you?" Yellow Diamond asked, her usual stern tone softened on purpose. "Rainbow Pearl, I suppose? Or perhaps, Prism Pearl, that sort of has a nice ring to it…"

"Starlight," the Pearl corrected. "That's the name White gave me."

"A Gem with a name that isn't their Gem," Connie noted with a raised brow. "I would say that's strange, but then again you kinda fit that description too," she nudged Steven playfully.

"Starlight," Steven began, though he was still snickering at what Connie said, "Nice to meet you. This is Blue and Yellow Diamond by the way," he motioned to both giantesses who nodded in kind. Starlight's mouth fell a bit as the implication of that hit her. Though he didn't want to overwhelm her, he lifted his shirt to reveal his own Gem, "And Pink Diamond, respectively, though you can call me Steven. And of course," he made a sweeping motion to the Gems surrounding them. "The homeworld and Earth Gems! Say hi everyone!"

Garnit smiled, stepping forward and shaking Starlight's little hand, "Garnit. Also, Ruby and Saphire. Nice to meet you."

"Amethyst here!" Amethyst said, splashing into the water next to them. "I'm rocking the off-color vibe, good to see you are too!"

"Pearl," Pearl said, then offered an awkward smile, "But, that may have been an easy guess for you."

Starlight blinked again, more voices chiming in. To everyone's credit, their friendly hellos and introductions weren't all assaulting. Starlight could only try and keep up as more Gems greeted her, one after the other.

"Spineeeeeel here! Rocking era three like a girl boss!"

"Zircon! First to be democratically elected!"

"Topaz! Both of us!"

"Peridot! I'm the go to authority on everything awesome!"

"Bismuth, nice to officially bismeet you."

"Lapis. I'm into water too."

And on and on it went. Steven could sense Starlight's feelings of welling emotion. Overwhelming, but in a good way. She did finally start crying despite her smile. "So, she made it out after all? It was so worth it…. But wow, no wonder she got so small." She noted, and gave the Diamond in Blue's hands a pat.

Steven helped her out of the fountain and sat her down on the edge. There was a lot to go over, so with the help of Yellow and Blue, they gave her the cliff notes version of the past few hundred thousand years.

White creating each Diamond and their supporting Gems, the means of making new colonies and Gems, Homeworld, Pink Diamond's creation at last, the war on Earth, the corruption, Steven's strange birth, White's change of heart and the beginning of Era three, what was supposed to be their time of peace. And finally… "Magnetar's return," Steven said coldly. "But she didn't know who he was, so we were at a major disadvantage. He's been capturing as many Gems as he can get his hands on. White gave herself up, trying to bring about peace, but…"

"But he's a liar," Starlight finished with a sharp, all to knowing inflection. "It was the rejuvenator we made that must have made her forget him. Just like we planned for it to happen… We thought if we would go far enough away, he wouldn't find us. I guess underestimating his obsessive tendencies was my mistake."

"Far from it, you were shattered by him after all." Yellow Diamond offered in her defense.

Starlight cradled her head in her hands, straining to remember more. "I don't… the last thing I remember was getting snatched up by that jerk. Poor White, she was trying so hard to get me back from him. Then everything just went dark…"

She was getting overwhelmed, so Steven suggested they get out of the hustle and bustle of the town square. They moved their conversation into Little Homeworld's great hall, a place where taller Diamonds could talk without crouching. Blue placed White's Gem on a collected pile of pillows many other Gem's gathered for her. Starlight remained by White's Gem, the sight of the sparkling and silent stone made her noticeably sad, but she wasn't exactly surprised. "She poofed when we found her in Magnetar's ship." Steven explained further, taking a seat on his own pillow and getting one for Connie next to him. Pillows took the place of chairs in this meeting place. It was easy for any Gems to find a place that way.

"We didn't even know it was possible for her to poof," Blue admitted, her head hung down as she leaned into Yellow's shoulder.

"Oh, she would all the time on Magnetar's ship," Starlight hissed. She pulled out a small silken scarf from her prism Gem and began to polish a smudge from White's Gem, as a fussing mother would wipe ice-cream from a young child. "Sometimes it was the things he would say, but mostly it was what he would do to her. She would take forever to reform… and that idiot would carry her Gem around until she did, whimpering about how sorry he was, and how she was safe with him. I never let my feelings for him go unheard. I could not stand him. He was so much stronger than her, he was supposed to protect her! But most of the time, he was what she needed protecting from! He was a bully and a coward, and I'm not surprised at all he hasn't changed in a little less then a million years. No reason could ever get through his thick metal head."

"That's a shame, because when he eventually tracks us down, I was hoping to change his mind," Steven said.

Starlight snorted a sarcastic laugh, "Good luck."

"We need to know everything about him and his kind," Yellow said to Starlight with folded arms and a serious frown. "Steven can talk anyone out of anything, but incase Magnetar is the one thickheaded exception to the rule, we need to be ready to fight him off. So far, we've lost Homeworld and have been getting whipped in every fight against his forces."

"That's because his 'forces' aren't separate entities that can be picked off and defeated," Starlight huffed. "They are ALL him. Every Alloy is Magnetar, but in whatever form he needed at the time of their creation. Unlike White, who made me to be my own person, and like she made all of you," she motioned to the many who had followed them into the large meeting room. "The Alloy's are empty. They don't have their own minds, because Magnetar didn't need people with their own opinions. He needed a bunch of little Magnetar's that will stroke his planet sized ego."

"That's why talking to Titanium was impossible," Connie noted to Steven with a grimace. "You weren't talking to a person. You were talking to a reflection."

Steven nodded, coming to understand it all. If anything was going to change Magnetar's mind, he had to talk to him face to face. The head honcho. That would be very difficult, and more then likely fatal.

"Wait, you faced off with Titanium?" Starlight gasped. "And you lived!?"

"We gave Magnetar the slip too," Connie assured her, "Right out of his bedroom. He was more then a little mad."

"Is it true, salt water can hurt him?" Blue interjected.

Starlight gazed upward, a little surprised by that tidbit. Blue retrieved from her flowing sleeves a small jar, and Steven recognized Onion's sketch work. "You too?" Yellow asked as she pulled out her own jar with her scowling face drawn on it. "The little thing mumbled at me and gave me this, made a bunch of crazy flailing motions then ran off. I assume it means something."

Steven also had his jar, packed away in Connie's purse to hang onto. He wondered where Onion was now?

"How did you know?" Starlight said.

Yellow blinked, sloshing her jar back and forth, "Really? That is actually true?"

Starlight nodded. "Yes. Liquid water, especially if it was high in sodium chloride was always corrosive to the Alloy's framework, and could even seep into their armor. It's why he avoided many organic worlds. I also suspect it's why he hated me so much." She added that last bit with a bit of a smirk. "It makes Alloys rust, and it also makes it hard for them to reform as strong as they were before exposure. I would sneak down on their rare expeditions and saw a few mishaps. An alloy in salt water for too long, they will totally rust away! But of course, worlds with large quantities of such elements, let alone both are so rare. I can't imagine what you did to procure two vessels of the stuff. We'll have to use it sparingly…"

There was a bit of a collective silence in the meeting room, only interrupted by Amethyst's immature snicker. "Oh no… What in the world will we do with no salt water?" she continued to chuckle, even when Pearl jabbed her with a bony elbow.

"Um, can I borrow you for a sec Starlight?" Steven asked and stood from the pillows. He led her to the back doors of the meeting hall where it would open to a balcony overlooking Little Homeworld, and-

"Is this enough to be a threat to Magnetar?" Steven asked as they stepped onto the balcony and into the salty air.

Starlight's mouth fully fell open as she took in the shimmering ocean below. "Um, yeah. I think that'll be plenty to work with."

"Then we have a plan of action!" Yellow announced with a victorious bellow, startling both Steven and Starlight. Yellow had to crouch down to smile in the doorway at them.

"But," Pearl spoke up, the first time since her introduction to Starlight in the square. "She stood on her toes, very apprehensive, "To use it against Magnetar, we would have to draw him here. To Earth. It will put the Gem's here, and of course the humans in danger."

"It won't matter," Garnit retorted. The room's occupants found her in the corner, reservation simmering behind her shades. "I see him finding us first, no matter what we do. Our best chance is staying here. Besides," she dropped her shades enough to glance them all with her three eyes, "It wouldn't be the first time Earth was a battlefield. And we might as well make our final stand with home team advantage."

"Mayor Nanefua will want to know what's going on," Connie suggested as she stood up from her own pillow. "Humans can help in the cause. And I already know the Beach City fire station will be useful with their water tankers. If a fight is coming here, we need to get ready."

Steven nodded to her, skittering over to give her a parting kiss before she rushed off to get that ball rolling. Yellow was now revigorated with vengeful intentions, chatting up Zircon and Lapis about implementing this new water-based strategy. Steven noticed Starlight once again next to White's Gem. She still hadn't reformed, and now Pearl was seated beside her, a comforting hand rested on her shoulder. He stepped over the many pillows and arrived before the Pearls, both pointed noses aiming up at him.

"I wanted to give White time to heal on her own, but I'm worried the wound's Magnetar inflicted may be too deep for her to face alone. You would know more about that then me I'm guessing?"

Starlight's mouth twisted downward, and she only could nod.

"If we could just talk to her…" Blue Diamond said sorrowfully. Spinel was by her side, petting her knee with an over extended hand.

"I've been talking to her a bunch. I assume she's heard it all!" Spinel assured her larger friend. "I told her all about the seal army, and how that one time me and Onion piloted Jasper's ship when she wasn't looking, and-"

"I know what you mean, Blue," Steven assured her. He hadn't meant to step on Spinel's words, but if this rant was like most others, it would have gone on for a while. "To talk to her in person would be helpful, but if she doesn't reform to do that, we are kind of stuck."

"There is a way around that." Starlight offered. She was a little hesitant, but glancing between White's still Gem and the others, she appeared determined to try anything too. "I would have to go in sometimes, when Magnetar was particularly cruel. And I could coax her out. But, I'm a stranger to her right now… I don't know how she'll react."

"Can you get me to her, without hurting her more?" Steven asked.

Starlight pursed her lips. "Only if she's ok with it."

Steven nodded. He gave his own Pearl a knowing look, and she understood right away. "We'll take care of things out here. Take as long as you need." Pearl promised.

Starlight reached out a hand to Steven and he took it. They both faced White's Gem in her nest of pillows, Blue looking on with worry, but now a glint of hope as well. Steven took a deep breath, then placed his free hand onto the surface of the Diamond. "White, can we talk?"

Starlight closed her eyes and mirrored his stance, her Gem's glow spreading to the fingers that touched the Diamond's surface. A moment of expectant silence passed, and then White's Gem gave a faint glow of approval. Steven closed his eyes and stepped forward alongside Starlight until the chatter of the meeting hall faded as they traversed inside White's gem and mind to find her.