Marco sat in a chair, welcoming those inside of the decrepit looking house. "Choices … we take them for granted … the ability to decide things and change our fate." He told the audience. "We are all gifted with it, but when the time comes it's so hard to use that ability." The boy explained. "So, let's make some of our own choices, and see the results of-"
"What are we even ripping off anyway?" Star asked, interrupting the moment.
Marco Groaned. "Man of Medan, we're running out of materials and I figured we'd try an anthology game."
"And 616mcu wants to hold ripping off marvel's what if series for when we eventually expand the au terrain for other shows." Kelly mentioned.
"How many universes are we going to deal with?" Steven asked.
"Probably nine." Glossaryck floated in. "Hazard Overflow is a fan of Ben 10 omniverse and liked the concept of 10 universes as a baseline. Not too clustered, but plenty of room for story."
"And 616mcu is contemplating making a full SU/Owl house story because he has a thing for the found family trope in crossover stories." Garnet cleared up
"Wouldn't that level of focus create an endless number of Pink Steven's for the Guardian to pick as-" Amity was stopped by her girlfriend.
"Don't run down that rabbit hole, your brain would melt, like Hazzard plans for Steven." Luz waved off.
"My skull is full of cracks, isn't that enough?" Steven asked out loud.
"Hey, be lucky you're not going to get the full Steven Universe Future levels of trauma due to growing up with a more stable family structure in this universe." Marco went on.
"True … I'm not going Kaiju, am I?" Steven asked a wall, which turned red. "Nice."
"Plus you still have your powers … so yeah." Star rolled her eyes. "Let's get on with this so we can fix the story."
"Right right." Marco waved off. "So … make your choice, or else you may find yourself-"
"It's a story, they don't have a choice." Kelly deadpanned. "This isn't a choose your own adventure book where you can make your own path."
"I'm doing the best I can here, alright!" Marco defended. "Sorry if the mediums don't exactly mix and mash that well with each other!"
"We managed to do goosebumps, why can't everything be that easy?" Steven rhetorically asked.
"Steven, you know by now that's the last thing the authors want." Star sighed.
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Star walked down the alleys of Beach Creek, making sure to keep constant vigilance. "No sign of Rose Quartz." Her brother had been moody ever since dad got super strict on his stay at the castle. Sure, it was justified when an immortal rock lady wanted to cut off his head, but that didn't mean you had to strain his social life to dust.
"Finally, I hate having to hide myself like this on Mewni as it is." Rhinestone ducked out from behind the dumpster behind the big donut. "Spinel, you don't have to eat out of the trash, I can get you a fresh donut from inside."
"Nah, it's cool, I still haven't quite mastered taste buds, so everything tastes either like soda pop, star's magic, or venomous snakes." The gem in question waved off.
"Wait, how would you know what my magic-questions for later." Star waved it off. "So are we actually going to do something here or keep playing the longest game of hide and seek?"
"Don't get snappy just because you're in a rush to see your donut-eared boyfriend." Rhinestone rolled his eyes.
"Lars is not my boyfriend, he's just one of the few people I know that calls out bs insanity as it is." Star whacked her brother's head with her tail.
"I still don't quite get that bit of talking either." Spinel said with confusion. "Isn't Steven already our boyfriend?"
"Okay, no. First off, we never use my earth name. Greg Universe is dead to me." Fair point, she wanted to slice the bastard's lazy throat for his careless lifestyle alone. "Second, boyfriend is more of a … romantic term. You know, like Mother and Father."
"Ah … so if we'd kiss, we'd be romantic?"
"No, no." Star patted the gem's back. "Steven already has Connie as his girlfriend."
"Shut up." He responded by punching her in the stomach.
"So he can't have more than one?" Spinel was like a Carnival ride, simple, but always entertaining.
"He can barely handle one girl in his life. His ex is still sending spiders to stalk him." Star snickered as she pointed to a spiderweb that had a camera in the middle of it.
"Feel free to step on or eat any of those." Steven rolled his eyes. "Now, if we move around we can-"
"Excuse me." They all turned to a … small blue gem? It had a British accent, fancy looking clothes, and a teardrop for its stone. "I'm looking for Yellow Diamond. Do you know where I can find her?" Well this went from a confusion three to a dangerous ten real quick.
"Oh, you mean you're looking for.." Spinel in her innocent confusion almost spilled the beans, but Star quickly covered her mouth with her tail.
"Nope, never heard of anyone with that name before." Star answered.
"The only thing yellow here is the sun." Rhinestone whistled.
"You mean besides your eyes, which have pupils that are distinctly diamond shaped?" The little gem questioned as she stepped forward. Despite her size, the three of them couldn't help but get a distinct feeling of fear from her.
"Ah…birth defect?" Rhinestone answered. "I mean, humans are supposed to have round pupils, so clearly something's just wrong with me?"
"Humans also don't hang around Spinel's, which are a rare commodity on Homeworld." The gem kept asking.
"She's a …" Star remembered the Crystal Gems. "A traitor?" Wait, did she just make this worse by turning it into a fight?
"Ah…suppose that makes sense…carry on then." The gem turned to walk away. "The planet's doomed anyway, I don't have time to deal with a few off colors."
They breathed all the more easily, as the gem was leaving. "Oh, that was close." Rhinestone whispered in a huff. "I could've sworn she was close to realizing.."
"YELLOW DIAMOND! I know you're here!" Rose Quartz jumped into the alley with her sword aimed right at her brother. "I know you brought your forces here, and I'm going to stop whatever you have planned!"
There was a beat of silence. "Rose." Star gave a light bow, gesturing to the short gem. "Meet the gem alsohunting Yellow Diamond. Random gem hunting Yellow Diamond, meet the traitorous Rose Quartz, leader of the crystal gems." The two of them were now solely focused on each other with genuine surprise.
"I know you two have a lot to talk about, so we'll just be going-" They almost had it, until they both hit something hard, slowly looking behind them to see a giant yellow gem standing over the group imposingly. "Ah … son of a-"
"When Blue Diamond said Yellow had been severely weakened, this wasn't what I expected. Magic is much more devious than I anticipated." The tiny gem grew little water wings and formed a wand from the ribbon on her head. "Well the mission comes first. Topaz, take care of the dirty work, I'll bring Yellow back to the ship."
"Oh no you don't!" Star began charging up her wand. "Cloudy Thunder Blast Storm!" She shot out a wild and untamed cloud of electricity that attacked Aquamarine, Rose, and Topaz. "RUN!" She grabbed Rhinestone and began to book it.
"Damn that Rose Quartz!" Spinel turned herself into a spring as they all ran across the building, increasing the distance between them. "Why doesn't she learn to just leave well enough alone!?"
"Because she's a sad old woman that doesn't know what she's fighting for." Rhinestone grumbled. "It's too dangerous to be here right now. We need to get far enough to open a portal and-" They were all stopped by a blue light, unable to move an inch … it felt so … draining to exist in.
"My my, it seems you do have a problem if you aren't WANTING to get off this wretched rock." The tiny blue gem spoke, floating up to them. "Don't worry, my Diamond, we'll get you back to your home."
"This is…his home…you baby blue….brat…." Star weakly called out.
"The name is Aquamarine, you oversized gutter lizard." The now named Aquamarine smirked. "And I don't think you fully comprehend the large scale of crimes you're currently committing by condemning my Diamond to this planet. In fact…" She let go of her brother but kept her and Spinel in the beam. "I've always been curious how far my reach can extend. To the ends of the atmosphere and into space? To the depths of the oceans? Why don't we test that right now…"
"Don't you dare..!"Steven growled as his body lit up, yelled and encased in electricity all over.
"Of course, my Diamond." She bowed with a strange square like salute, making him pause. "I will spare them if you wish, but I still have my orders from Blue Diamond however, and will take you back by any means necessary." Aquamarine flew to him face to face. "And if by any means I fail, then Homeworld will just keep coming and coming with bigger numbers and more resources to rip this world apart, because you are THAT beloved and important to us."
Rhinestone stared at her with a glare. "Fine, but if you hurt anyone else today, I will personally grab your stone out from your light based body and crush it with my bare hands, do I make myself clear?"
"Oh my, there's that ferocious threat." She smiled. "Of course, I will not harm anyone that doesn't actively impede our progress."
"YELLOW DIAMOND!" The most annoying voice in the world shouted. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
"...If you're going to harm anybody, let it be Rose Quartz." Rhinestone groaned in defeat.
"Oh goody, we get to bring back the traitor to Homeworld that shattered Pink as well, two for one." She gave a blinding smile as she let her and Spinel go. "I may even get my own Pearl for this."
"Rhinestone, don't-" Star tried to plead with her brother.
"You heard her, I'm not going to let Earth get wrecked just because I don't want to be captured." He sighed as he stared down at his chestplate, before ripping a hole in it that let his gem stick out. "Everyone keeps seeing Yellow Diamond, so they're going to get Yellow Diamond."
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Bismuth could feel the amount of tension in the room. Sure, they hated Rose with a passion, but if it wasn't for that fact she was sure even someone as sturdy as her would fall to the pressure. "So, here's what we know." She watched as Steven pulled out some papers. "White Diamond is immune to all forms of magic barring Dark Magic."
"Isn't she the lucky one?" The Lizard asked rhetorically as he rolled his eyes.
"She has a giant head ship that can withstand a lot of damage and channel her energy for large-scale applications."
"Sturdiest piece of work Homeworld has." Bismuth muttered bitterly. "Because why step outside and do work yourself when you can hide in a big metal shell?"
"And if any gems come in contact with her laser attack, she'll be able to put them under her complete control."
"So then why are Rose and Rainbow head coming with us?" A thin girl with a helmet asked, glaring at the former with a hatred that made Bismuth think they could be great friends.
"Personally, I'm the only one with the training for this." She pulled out her masterpiece. "The Breaking Point. It takes a second to build pressure and needs point blank accuracy, but it should be able to destroy her gem instantly, even if she is as hard as a Diamond."
"And my shield is capable of blocking her attacks completely." Rose nodded.
"Not only that, she's going to serve as amazing bait." Star snorted as she used her six hands to pat Steven on the back.
"Oh, you're a riot Star." Bismuth laughed.
"Yes yes, the majority of us despise one another." Some lady with green hair and a black dress stated. "The main problem, however, is dealing with White herself. From what I've seen from Blue back in the day, Diamonds have enough stamina to never need rest, and even a castle falling on them wouldn't cause a scratch."
"Which is where my particular skill set comes in." The lizard man continued. "I've perfected my regenerative abilities and pushed them to their peak. No matter how relentless or brutal an attack will be, I can guarantee to push past any obstacle in my way."
"An unstoppable force meets an immovable object." Steven noted. "So Rose, Toffee, and Eclipsa will be our main attackers, the latter will use the spell with no name to destroy the ship if we can keep it still."
"You completed the total annihilation spell!?" The thin woman shouted. "Imagine what we could do with-"
"Focus." Star cut her off. "Monster problems later, you need to focus on keeping the pressure up against White Diamond's guards and other gems since your Solarian powers won't work against her directly."
"As they keep the bot and soldiers occupied, we're going to have to contend with one main obstacle before reaching White…Yellow Diamond." Steven gripped his hands. "I'm not certain I can convince her to join us, but I can distract and lead her away from Star, Omni, and Bismuth as they complete the final stage of the plan."
"For as much as I despise it, Eclipsa has coated me and Star in a sort of 'shell' of Dark Magic, so we won't feel too much damage if White's power manages to touch us." The star guy with a skull head nodded. "Even with the close proximity of White's Power, I should be able to bend space enough to allow Bismuth the time to get her shot in."
"It feels tingly and cool like a fan." Star noted as she poked herself. "And I can bind White to keep her from interrupting you two." The Mewman nodded. "Any questions?" The group gave a couple of nods. "Alright, let's get to work then … tomorrow's the day."
The entire group dispersed into their own little groups, leaving her and Rose alone in the room. "So you've finally gotten the guts to do what is necessary?"
"It wasn't my choice." Her former leader looked away.
"Pink was your choice, wasn't she?" Bismuth smirked at the pink girl's downtrodden expression.
"And that led to the corruption…"
"Only because you didn't want to get your hands dirty and commit." Bismuth accused. "You were playing games with all of our lives. The only reason why you're upset is because you finally realized for the first time that you could lose."
"You have no idea how hard it was-"
"Then tell me." The gem accused. "Because you sure didn't say anything to me from when Star finally got me out of that little prison. At least she understood what needs to be done."
"No, she's a little girl, desperate to do everything to protect who she loves…"
"Then I guess you weren't desperate enough or you really don't give a damn about who you used back then." Bismuth rolled her eyes and made her way out. "At least when this is all over, I never, EVER have to see your lying mug ever again." She'd finally be the gem that could build what she wanted to build.
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Jana panted with exhaustion. "Why was it … so hard … to get in your head?" Jana asked, wiping off nonexistent sweat.
"I dunno, it only seemed like a bit of a push to me." Meteora said, as if it wasn't some herculean task.
"Well, there could be a multitude of reasons for this, my best guess being that the Gemstone making up the majority of Steven's brain fortifies his mental state from outside sources significantly." Eclipsa looked tired as well.
"Apparently Apathy really does push others away." Steven muttered, gazing at the black watery void. "At least you guys managed to get in here."
"So this is the dream?" Meteora asked. "Some dark ocean?"
"It always starts like that … then I get the message-" A screen popped up. "File corrupted, please restart …"
"You never touched it right?" Jana asked with concern. "As someone who knows about technology, that's not a good idea."
"I…vaguely recall getting close to it, but I always wake up before it comes to that." Steven explained. "That, or Star pops up and slashes it apart before attacking me."
"We really need to do something about that cold hearted killer." Meteora grumbled before turning to it. "So what? Do we press it?"
"Normally, I would let curiosity get the better of me, but the words 'restart' are what concern me greatly." Eclipsa hesitantly approached. "For all we know, that could mean my boy loses all his memories."
"Well it's just the start, after that I notice the light …" Steven glanced to the side, as they all saw some white water. "And it leads to a reflection where … 'she' is."
"She being the lady you talked … about …" Jana could see it now, the white vestige inside of the reflection that led to a tall lady with white blinding all of her features, other than some spikey hair and two diamond like eyes.
"Hello again, my little Twilight." She greeted so condescending yet caring that Jana could feel something 'off' about it, something utterly alien.
"She's talked before…but never this directly to me before…the nickname is new too." Steven cautiously took a step back. "Uh…hi?"
"Steven, don't just wave to the creepy lady that's inside your head." Meteroa said worriedly. "Marco says that's a sign of many issues, and I just got him to stop talking about psychology."
"So." Eclipsa kept a steady gaze that reminded Jana she was the queen of Darkness for a reason. "You're living within the gem?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." The white vestige responded with a grin. " I was beginning to think that my light would've been snuffed out in the process, but I'm pleased to find that I can still fulfill my role, and not a moment too soon. That 'family' of yours is a truly deplorable influence."
"Well fuck you too, you giant white bitch." Meteora spoke with a huff.
"So you are White Diamond?" Steven asked. "This gem…it's yours?"
"What's that earth expression that you people say, what's mine is yours and yours is…well, truth be told, I rather not be attached to the little trinkets you own, but I must admit you have a decent taste in fashion, much more than my starlight ever did."
"Thank you, I really try my hardest to look my best, but everyone always says I spend too long in the shower." Her boyfriend glanced at his sister.
"You don't need to stay in the bathroom to comb your hair, that alone takes fifteen minutes with how much it sticks out." Meteroa rolled her eyes..
"Hey, a great volume like this doesn't come easily. It's hard to make gray hair look this good." He had a point, but they were getting off topic.
"I think you two are getting sidetracked from the giant lady living in your head." She interrupted. "Like, is she planning on taking over or …"
" Don't fret now, my little twilight." The eerie vestige attempted to sound comforting to her boyfriend only for it to sound all the more creepy. "A mother only ever wants what's best for her child."
"Oh, so Steven isn't some reborn version of you." Jana looked back to the both of them. "I mean, I probably would've been into it, but I would've been just a little confused all the same."
"Well that's a bit of a relief." Steven sighed happily. "For a second I thought you would try and control me to take up your role and destroy all life."
"No … I want to convince you to take up my role and destroy all life." Of course the evil parent had to rear its ugly head. "And destroying all life sounds just so crude…think of it as cutting the roots of a bad plant and replacing it with something better."
"I prefer to not do that, thank you very much." He argued. "Life is beautiful."
"Like Star Butterfly?" White made the two Butterfly siblings pause. " You consider her life to be so good and pure, when she's turned her entire homeland into a bloody stain of the face of the universe?"
"I … she's different." Steven argued.
"And last I checked, weren't there a few Monsters you've met that seek to harm you over and over, like Ludo?" She asked, her formless figure giving a sort of thinking pose.
"He's…He's just desperate to make a home for his family." Meteora turned to the side.
"It's a cycle, one that your so-called 'mother' can attest to." White turned to Eclipsa. "Life seeks to destroy itself, no matter how few of the seeds are good."
"Maybe...but I've detached myself from the concerns of the many." Eclipsa defended. "As long as my family and their loved ones are safe, I'm happy with my life."
"A life of constantly hiding your true selves, always running and always fearing those that consider you different and off colored?" White smirk along with their silence only serve to make them feel more defeated.
"Well, if you hate everything that's different so much, why have a human kid to begin with?" Jana asked accusedly.
"Half because of curiosity, what deranged and horrid thing did Pink see that would cause her to attach herself to this rock." They admitted. "So I blended in as a Moissanite, observed human culture. Most of it was crude and deformed, especially 'meme culture'."
"Yep, I give up on humanity everytime I see a screaming goat." Meteora raised her hand.
"But then I heard a small song on a record." They paused. "A song of a man searching for the stars and freedom. And I spoke with it's maker, and we had quite the interesting conversation." White Diamond smirked. "I brought him on a journey through the stars, it was quite the time … and then we had our moments before … I realized that life isn't horrible when in small doses."
"So you learned to appreciate the little things?" Steven raised an eyebrow
"You could say that, yes. I still desire to expand the perfection of Homeworld but … I wanted to try it myself. So I had a child with Mr Universe and … here you are."
"Wait, that traumatized car wash guy is his dad?" Meteora blinked.
"You dated Pink Diamond's boyfriend!?" Steven shouted out.
"We dated long before they ever did…and I like to think I made a better impression."
"He blocked out your entire time together." Eclipsa deadpanned.
" An experience too grand for mortal minds to fully comprehend…that and the ship crashing probably didn't help."
"What is with your family and attracting head damage?" Jana asked.
"Hey, everyone keeps trying to headbutt, and they end up with concussions, that's all on them." Steven defended. "You said half before. What's the other reason?"
"Well, being organic means your powers can affect other living organisms, something I've never been able to do before. Your dream walking capabilities are just one aspect of it." White smiled. " With just a little training, you can achieve so much more than even I ever could."
"I'm not trying to use my powers." He said. "I don't want to control people like you did with Earl."
"Even stop enemies from destroying your body?" She asked. "How many times have you wanted to resolve a situation peacefully, but everyone else refused?"
"A lot.." Steven rubbed his arms. "Jasper came around eventually…when she stopped head butting me over and over and constantly poofing."
"And now she basically worships you as her Diamond, as she should." White smirked. "Think about it, all those lives suffering on Mewni, all of them could be spared if you just embraced your Diamond heritage. All of Homeworld's resources and numbers at your beck and call. Everyone will listen and obey your without issue…"
"Shut it lady!" Meteora shouted out. "I don't care if you gave me Steven or not, stop putting stupid ideas in his head! We don't need a kingdom, we have a barn, and we don't need an army, we have each other!"
"And what about your poor sister?" White kept going on like she didn't hear anyone else. " Rejected from her homeland, her people crucified daily, even her father, locked away in the deepest darkest hole. So many in agony because you refuse to truly make a difference.."
"If you were truly a mother, you wouldn't be putting all this on a child." Eclipsa spoke, dark magic gathering. "Leave my son to his own devices."
" Fine, fine, I've said all that I needed to anyways." White shrugged as the vestige shrank. "Goodbye little Twilight, just remember I'll ALWAYS be here for you."
With that ominous message, the dream faded into the inky blackness, as the group woke up. She looked to Steven, who was hugging himself into a ball. "Hey, you still have a say in who you are, don't let some ghost in your head change that." Jana scooted next to him.
"Yeah…I'll try.." Steven muttered as the rest of his family gathered around him, holding the traumatized boy tightly.
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Jasper glared at the Peridot she took hostage. "Are you sure we're in working condition?" While she trusted her own skill when it came to combat, taking the entire Zoo as your vessel was a bit much for a non tech savy gem.
"I'm as sure as the gem destabilizer that you have pressed threateningly into my backside." The green gem grumbled. "As clunky as the mechanics are, I've been able to modify it into a functional vessel for travel."
"Good, keep it that way." Jasper threatened. "And don't think about sending any distress signals or beacons revealing our location, or you'll be dealing with her." She pointed to the Spinel, causally twirling around a rejuvenater like it was a toy.
"Yes mam." They spoke a little more fearfully, just how Jasper preferred it. "I can't believe this, four thousand years of service, and I end up a traitor."
"Don't think of it as treachery." Jasper said as she went off to the zoo resting quarters. "Think of it as realigning your loyalty to something different."
"That's the base definition of what treachery is!" Guess there were just some gems who wouldn't understand no matter how much you dumbed it down for them.
Ignoring the grating voice of the Peridot, Jasper walked into the zoo, surrounded and occupied by her fellow earth made Quartz's, Jaspers, Amethysts, and Rose Quartz's alike. They were a bit too rambunctious and unorderly for her taste, but they were the only ones she could count on to follow through on this task.
"Keep guard, make sure to take down any intruders." Once they nodded, Jasper went inside, checking on the process of her Diamond, who seemed to be in the midst of awakening.
"Too much sugar … what the …" They glanced around in confusion. "I'm at … the zoo?"
"Yes, my Diamond. You've spent the last two days knocked unconscious during your … excursion at the ball." Jasper clarified.
"Is … is everyone-"
"Your Pearl is fine right there." She gestured to the silent gem. "It's been guarding you and the Mewman's slumber. And your Spinel is making sure the Peridot we've captured is keeping us on course."
"Keep who cap-never mind, I'll dwell on that later." Her Diamond shook their head. "Is Star alright?"
"The Mewman has been in and out of slumber since we've departed. Occasionally there's a sparkling light that leaks out of her hands." Jasper noted. "Whatever your…fusion…did…it awakened something inside of her."
"Oh right … that moment." He noted. "It felt so … intense." Her Diamond stared at their hands.
"It's because of that the Diamonds were unable to intercept us as we escaped from Homeoworld." She responded. Jasper chastised herself for having the thought that this smaller Diamond wouldn't have the original's strength, but she was glad to have been proven wrong. "We've gathered as much as your court as possible and fled aboard the Zoo."
"You guys stole the Zoo?" He asked her curiously.
"Not really stealing when it already belongs to you." Jasper justified.
"Thank you." Her Diamond cut her off with a blinding smile. "We've rarely said a word with each other before the ball but you've gone through all this trouble for me …"
"It's no trouble…I'm just making sure to fulfill my promise to my Diamond." Jasper answered as she sat down next to him. "When she changed…before your…mom disappeared.." It was hard to remember to say those words, or even comprehend the concept at all. "...I was there. There were few that were allowed and trusted to watch over our Diamond at her weakest state. I was fortunate to be one of them."
"So you knew her then." They noted. "It's nice to meet you personally. I'm Steven." They extended their hand out as if they were equals.
"No, I'm not…I shouldn't…" She tried to back away. "You're my Diamond, I'm your Quartz, I shouldn't be talking this casually with…."
"It doesn't matter." Her Diamond spoke. "We're leaving Homeworld, the concept of status and castes won't matter, I never cared for them anyway."
"...I admit, there were several times where I wish I would've slapped Yellow in her high and mighty face." Seeing as how they weren't a part of homeworld anymore, and her Diamond felt free to criticize it, there was definitely an opportunity here that few would be able to experience.
"Oh yeah, a real workaholic, but it definitely wasn't as bad as White." They groaned with a grin. "I mean seriously, why do the whole nickname thing if they never bother to see me personally? Super hypocritical." The silent Pearl seemed to mimic laughing. "And then you have Blue, who when she's not criticizing me, is smothering me constantly and making me cry all day. Out of all of them, she was probably the closest to crushing me to death, and she's still somehow the nicer one."
"I always did believe it would be kindness that shattered a gem." Jasper muttered.
"Meh, give it a chance with genuine people." Her Diamond smiled. "Trust me, I think you'll enjoy it."
"That remains to be seen, my Diamond." Jasper looked away to hide the small smirk on her face. It wasn't the life she expected, but as long as her Diamond was pleased, it was one she could get us to."
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Connie liked to think there were many things she wanted. Nora to live a little, Star to stop paying for food with sea shells, and to see more supernatural things she rarely experienced … These were two of those things and they weren't what she expected.
"Okay, we can do this. We can do this, we can do this." Nora spoke, a small bit of frost covering her arms. "We just need to stop a shapeshifter, stop everyone from being eaten, and have something nice on the list happen. We just need to go in when it's not expected, that sounds fine right?" They asked a bit hecticly.
"That sounds less thought out than your usual plans." Connie mentioned. "Plus, you usually take about a minute to think it through. Usually when you do, you adjust your hair and twitch your fingers."
"I know, but it's your time, I figure you can try a plan and we can go through with it and try to have some fun instead of something going wrong." Nora said with a shiver. "Like the ride breaking down, or the fry shop being closed, or this …"
"Nora, what's wrong?" Connie asked. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" She felt open enough to say what she wanted to say.
"Maybe let's deal with this after the monster stops flinging flaming bricks at everyone." Nora pointed out.
"No, that's just your brother missing the target." Connie corrected pointing at the young looking boy trying to strangle the monster along with Meteora.
"Come at me you chimeric looking freak!"
"How about I show you your worst nightmare, let's see you try to hit your moth-!" The monster was met with a fiery gauntlet to the face the moment it turned into a pale looking demon with red hair
"Jokes on you, I hit her all the time!" They shouted out with a laugh.
"I'm glad Mom's not here, she would place him in an asylum if she heard half the thing's he shouts out." Connie noted. "Anyways, Dante and his girlfriend…"
"WE'RE NOT DATING!" Meteora corrected as they bit into the shapeshifter's arm
"Have got this." She said without missing a beat. "So come on, be honest." She begged. "You're strong, you're smart, you know everything-"
"I KNOW NOTHING!" The entire room was flash frozen in an instant, Connie being the only exception. "I … I …" Nora began to cry. "I had Star make a spell, I turned off my future vision for the day, even had Dante follow us around to keep it unpredictable."
"Oh …" Connie blinked in confusion, adjusting the frost on her glasses as she could hear the boy in question slowly melting out of his prison of ice. "I … why would you do that?"
"Because I wanted to be normal for a change." She admitted. "Star and everyone else says it sucks the fun out of everything, the emotions and surprise, so I wanted it to work out and be nice because you hate it when I spoil the moment. But I don't know anything and it's all closing in-" The room grew colder and colder by the second. "Everything keeps catching us off guard and hurting us and I'm scared."
"Yeah..I can understand that, all too well really." Connie admitted as she scooted closer to the girl. "That's basically how I feel all the time when it comes to life. There's so little I do know and want to learn, and trying to figure out how to put everything in perspective often makes my head spin and stomach churn."
"I was supposed to keep everyone safe but I can't do that, and nobody likes me when I take the emotion out of-"
"I care!" Connie shouted. "Why do you think I stuck with you for so long? You're amazing, you don't need to change yourself for me or anyone else. If you want to change it should be for you …" She gently hugged her girlfriend. "When you're ready for it."
"...You're so amazing beyond words." The ice melted almost instantly upon those words being said. "I still wish I didn't rely on future vision so much though."
"Let's try to ease you into it next time. Like maybe not using to choose what flavor of ice cream we're gonna get once we're out of danger." Connie smirked.
"You can never stop me!" The shifter shouted. "I regrow any-" They were cut off by a stream of ice, being frozen into a solid block.
"Pfft, now you do something, after we did all the hard work." Meteroa rolled her eyes
"Sorry, I was … working through something."
"Yeah, yeah, you're scared to live in the moment, who hasn't been there?" Dante shrugged. "Next time, have your emotional breakdown at home and not during my rare days off."
"Oh like you aren't going to go beating up thugs at the next random bar we run into the Neverzone." Meteroa laughed as she shot out his fist. "All shall fear the Fire and the Fury!" The two connected fists as Meteroa's clovers and Dante's gem started to glow.
"… Like I said, definitely start slow." Connie deadpanned. "When you have crazies like these as family."
"I was dealing with crazy the moment Star started blasting frozen rainbows." Nora said in her usual monotone voice. "With Dante around, I like to think my tolerance to it has gone up just ever so…" A bright flash emanated right before them where Meteroa and Dante were.
In their place was a tall figure, resembling Meteora greatly, except varying shades of red in all the places where purple was, spikeir fur, more curvy horns and a spaded tail, not to mention the additional height. "Wow…this is new." The figure looked over. "Not bad. Dante always thought Meteroa could pass for a sexy devil."
"You two…fused." Nora spoke with shock and maybe a little horror.
"Yeah, we did." The apparent fusion noted. "Didn't even know Meteora's powers could do that."
"No … it's a Gem power, it's what Garnet, our Mom, was." Nora shook her head and explained. "When you're emotionally and mentally in sync with someone, it allows you to merge with them in a form that's supposed to amplify their best qualities."
"Huh…neat." The fusion nodded, looking at their tail. "Huh, gonna need a name for this … Meteora … Dante … huh … you know, I'm partial to Morningstar, like the devil."
"Wouldn't that be for Star's fusion?" Connie asked. "Then again it is a good ship name."
"Good point….hm…how about…oh, BloodStone!" She almost forgot this was the fusion of two children. "Yeah, BloodStone! The Imp-ishly fierce fusion of the Neverzone!"
"Hey, if they can do that … does that mean we can?" Connie asked. Her only response was Nora's entire face blushing, before her head froze over.
"Don't worry, I got this." Bloodstone smirked as they fired a purple orb of light from their tail to unfree their sister/friend. "...Plasma bolts! I can shoot plasma bolts from my tail! Hah! I didn't even know that was possible!"
"I guess fusions have crazy powers they didn't have before." Connie shrugged. "Now come on, let's all finish this double date right." Watching the sunset and cuddling.
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Sighing, she walked inside of the cell, looking at the purple boy who glared at her intently. "Pink Diamond, right?" He asked with hate. The last thing she expected, or wanted was to come back to the planet and see Steven hating her.
"That's what every gem calls me, yes." Pink responded with shame. "I suppose you don't know too much about the Diamonds in general…"
"Only that the name was basically like bringing up the antichrist whenever I tried to talk to the Crystal Gems about Homeworld." Steven scoffed. "I know you colonize planets and leave them for dead, and I know it's because of you bastards that earth became half of every dystopian novel ever made." He turned away from her. "And I know that it's because of YOU that I was just reminded there's no reprieve from this hell I'm forced to live through."
"It doesn't … it wasn't …" She took a breath. "I tried my best to save the Earth."
"No you didn't." He argued. "You didn't because other than the Crystal Gems, I haven't met a single gem that cared about life, even Lapis was hard to connect with. You made the cluster to kill earth, and when it didn't work, you tried to blow it up manually." Steven told her. "Did you know that we connected with it, convinced the Cluster to find peace?"
"You..what?" That was a piece of information new to her. "It…It shouldn't…it's just a mangled mess of gems…"
"You know what, it is…it's a mangled mess...with a mangled mind and mangled emotions." Steven carried on. "It's made up of all those gems YOU made to suffer, and in spite of them being just…pieces of different people with different interests, they just wanted some company, some companionship, because when the world is turned to shit, that's the only thing you can hope for."
"I never knew …" Was her latest attempt just another failure? Like every other time she tried to help?
"But you can't even comprehend that, can you?" The child asked. "Because as a 'Diamond above others', you can't even comprehend what it means to care about someone."
"I care….I care so much Steven." She responded weakly.
"...How do you know my name?" The boy paused, looking at her skeptically. "Yellow Diamond just called me an 'overcooked runt' like every other gem….why aren't you?"
There was no point in keeping the secret, so taking in a deep breath, she glowed as her form got smaller and her gemstone shifted in place. Even if she preferred this form, it no longer provided the comfort or freedom she once felt. "This isn't how I wanted you to learn..."
"Rose…." Steven's eyes widened in shock, before quickly devolving back into scorn and hate. "You left me behind…you left all of us behind!" Steven jumped at the cell bars and tried to grab her, futilely reaching out his arms.
"I'm sorry … when the Cluster detonated I was out of options and …" She began tearing up. "I just wanted to stop it by any means necessary …"
"Pearl is gone! She's gone because of you! Garnet's gone, my Dad's dead! Lars, Sadie, and who knows who else?! Because of everything you've all done!" He shouted, with tears falling down his face. "I spent half a year trying to find you guys, find any trace, and you ran into space and left me in the garbage!"
"I tried to find you, I searched but you weren't anywhere and I needed a way to stop the earth from being destroyed and-"
"I was in the temple!" Steven shouted! "I went back home! I was in my room!" Steven hate grew even more. "Did we matter so little to you that you didn't even consider going back home!? Or did your guilt outway whatever 'love' you have for us!?"
"I always loved you, I still love you more than anything, nothing will change that-"
"All you've done is make it worse! Now the earth is going to be taken over by gems when we could have at least lived in peace! You destroyed what little hope there was life under the heel of your giant space boot!"
"I..Steven, this…this is no way to live." She said sadly. "What kind of life would you have after two hundred years on this planet?"
"A happy one." Steven growled. "One where I could've spent time having fun with the weirdo and jackass I have for friends. One where I could've made a family with the girl that I love." Steven wiped away his face. "One, where if anything else, I could've spent my days talking with the most bizarre but kindhearted creature that ever existed. I would've found a way to be happy! You know why?" Steven pointed at her. "Because I learned to never give up on anything! That's what I learned from you!"
Her heart clenched tightly. She messed up, again, like she had been for the last six thousand years and even before. "I … I-"
"I'm done talking, go away." The boy moved to the corner of his cell, sitting and staring at the corner of the wall.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Rose-Pink…whoever she was tried to apologize, before the room began to shake. "What's that?"
"Hope." A voice shouted out before she felt her back being attacked by what felt like a giant tentacle. "Wait, isn't she one of the good ones you talked about?"
"No." Steven spoke up, walking to the edge of the cell. "She's dead to me." And that was the dam that broke Rose Quartz into emotional shards.
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It was supposed to be simple. Star was supposed to follow through on the plan. She would lead the Lucitor's into the trap they discussed and be down with the Underworld threat once and for all.
Mina thought she was taking too long, even if Quaser believed his sister would follow through in the end. What they didn't expect was for them to barge in on Star and Tom Lucitor KISSING! Something that justifiable sent Mina into a killing frenzy.
What happened next was completely unforeseen and unexpected. No way in a million years would Quaser had expected Star to point her wand at Mina, or for it to be covered in black blood as she chanted THE spell they were saving for any Sepertari that got out of line.
Quaser was absolutely silent, the whole room was. Nobody would say anything, nobody could, after the event that just happened. The sound that broke through the almost endless silence was the small droplets of blood that emanated from Mina Loveberry. The woman gazed down at the hole in her chest where her heart should be. "Well … doesn't that just … bite it all …"
"MINA!" He ran over, holding the collapsing woman. "Hold on, I can fix this, I can fix this." He licked his hand, placing it on her chest. "Come on, heal, heal …" The wound seemed to fix itself, but turned black as it faded to dust. "No, no please no."
"You can't do anything … that spell was made to … kill the unkillable." Mina coughed. "Quaser … I don't care … if you avenge me or not …" The woman he viewed as a mother said weekly. "Just … promise to … keep the fires … burning."
"I promise…I promise…" He held back his tears, doing his best to not sully the woman's body.
"Good….I…always thought the job would kill me eventually..I'm just glad…I can see…both my kids before I go…" With those final words, the light faded from her eyes.
"Is she…" That bastard Lucitor cautiously approached the body as Star held him back. His sister kneeled down and checked her pulse, all the while Quaser could barely register the world around him as the ticking of a nearby clock was flooding his ears and thoughts.
"She's dead." Those words finally made him truly realize the awful reality. "We're finally free…" Star said with a relieved tone that he could barely register with all the anger and fury building up in his mind. "We can make a home now." She turned to that demon bastard.
"It's just you and me now." The Lucitor scum rubbed his filthy hands on the girl he called a sister. "We don't have to be alone."
"The world is ours." Star said with a smile like she didn't JUST kill the most important person in their lives.
"No, it isn't." Quaser grumbled, his body suddenly feeling like it was boiling all over.
"Let's get out of here.." Star grabbed his hand. "It's not good…"
"This isn't finished." Quaser pulled his hand out of her grasp.
"What?" Star had the gall to look confused.
"You just struck Mina Dead, And I'm still seeing red." He stood up, gazing upon the two of them. "I feel just like a shell, a form, From innocence that shed!" His vision was flooded with red and pink swirling maniacally around each other.
"We can still live good lives!" Star shouted to him. "I gave that to you!" Gave it to him?
" Oh, is that right? You know it's not true!" He took one step forward and cracked the ground. "Look at her showered, In blood and flowers!"' If there was one thing his spit did right, it was at least make the corpse look pretty, as useless as that was.
"Now look in my eyes, She gave us that power." She gave them everything, she helped them when they needed it most and inspired them to be their best.
"But After years and tears Of us confronting our fear, She's dead on your record For the world to hear!" There was no way Mewni was not going to be told the truth.
"And you may think, That it was justified ." That Lucitor got into her head and messed it up, he infected his sister. "But Star I know, The traitor inside." No one hurt his family, and to make them fight each other … the monster.
"I saved him!" Star in her delusions kept trying to defend her actions. "I helped you!" HELP HIM KILL HIS MOM?! "We all would've died!"
"You choked Mina out of her Goddamn mind." She blasted her with a spell that would stop healing, she knew she was going past the point of no return. "Was all the promises we made a goddamn lie?"
"What do you want from me?!" Star shouted.
"Oh, look outside yourself!" Steven pointed at her. "Reflect on everything and decide if this is what you really want."
"I won't do this anymore, Quasar." Star stood in front of the demon defensively. "I'm not going to kill monsters."
"Fine …I'll do it by myself!" He began to march over to the demonic bastard that ruined it all. If he had to carry Mina's will alone, he would carry that honor for the rest of eternity.
"You don't need it!"
"Oh, I know that I need it!"
"Mina's gone, there's no reason to hate…!" Star pushed him back and stared into his eyes. "I know you can beat this!"
"No, look in the mirror, You know we both loved her!" They all played games, ate together, rested together. "We're all one in the same, But now you're afraid to become her!" She didn't have the heart to go through with it. Quaser began to push back against her.
"We would've made our name With our spirits elated!" They would've gone down in history as the family that saved Mewni, that protected future generations from losing their families. " But you refused to kill him, You're worse than Eclipsa!" Not just a monster lover and traitor, but a cold blooded killer.
"I told you to end this!" Star used magic of all things to go against him, pushing the boy back. "It was all for the best!" The deluded Mewman justified.
"So I have you to blame For this pain in my chest!?" He asked, feeling something snap as he began to slowly apply more pressure to the magic, his arms glowing a soft pink.
"No!" Star shouted as she sprouted six arms..six arms that made her all the more monster-like, all the more hateable.
"If you won't go I will, To avenge the lost soul you killed!" Mina was just trying to do what was right for Mewmans, and she was taken out by a Mewman that dared to copy their look.
"You're filling your heart up with hate! All the same ( no !) As the kid ( no !) That you just left ( no !) Face down on the ( no !) Pavement! ( Save it!)" They created an explosion of energy, the castle walls shaking as they were blasted away from each other, with some more breathing room.
"It's time I made a statement!" He would go off on his own, protect Mewni and the rest of the universe by himself. " A pity the city has ruined us, We could've ruled Mewni..Just the two of us!" The world could've belonged to them, owed them, LOVED THEM! "But You just made a fool of us all!" She ruined that perfect future they always dream about.
"You're lost." Star said quietly, and even had to gall to look disgusted of all things. As if he was the problem! She began running back, grabbing the Lucitor and taking to the air.
"One, two, three, four. Is this what love is really for?" Was it just a tool for her to play with his emotions? "Is this all I get for being yours? My mom dead, in front of me in blood and gore?" A broken dream, a broken family, and a broken world that he wanted to burn down.
"Five, six, seven, eight. I won't waste the years for all my hate! There will be justice for Mina's fate!" He shouted to the sky she flew away on. " The show's about to start, Don't be late."
No more softness, no more sympathy, no more allies … he needed to do this himself. "I can't stay here anymore though." If he stayed on Mewni, he wouldn't be able to resist fighting Monsters, and given her gung ho attitude about sparing them, she would most likely stop him at every turn.
He needed to go somewhere quiet, somewhere that wouldn't be noticed in any way whatsoever. Somewhere Star wouldn't think to find him. "I need to go to Earth."
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Princess Spiderbite was grateful for many things in her life. Loving parents, being rich, a nice social My life. The best thing of all? Her boyfriend, Steven Rainy DaMayo Universe Butterfly. Or Steven for short.
The guy was kind of an oddball when it came to the other royal teens. A bit on the short side, a skin tone that made him appear just a little gray, the giant rock in his chest, and the rainbow colored dreadlocks he had for hair. All those things actually made her drawn to him all the more.
It wasn't until the night of the Blood Moon, where apparently his brother Marco got wrapped into some kind of scheme involving his ex, Princess Kelly of the Woolet kingdom, that she realized there was something special between them. Of course, some of that had to do with the merged person thing they had become, but that was beside the point.
The point was that she finally confessed her feelings and got acceptance in return, allowing them both to share their precious time in lavishing comfort. "Another french fry, milady?" Telling jokes at a fast food restaurant.
"Of course, my knight in stylish armor." She humorously responded as he placed the fried potato slice in her mouth. "They can serve all the caviar and truffles in the word back home, yet deep fried piles of grease and salt are still what I end up craving."
"I know right?" He responded with a smile. "Earth would be so much better if they were willing to give new and weird stuff a chance. You know, instead of the violent maniacs obsessed with obliterating one side of the scale."
"Wasn't your mom one of those violent maniacs?" Penople asked.
"Like I said, life would be better." Steven rolled his eyes. "Bad enough everyone expects me to pound every enemy I face with a hammer to the head, I can't exactly NOT do it. Every problem eventually requires violence at some point or another."
"Or worse." She groaned. "It gets political and court based. Cause THEN you have to deal with the most evil thing in the multiverse … lawyers." Both of them shivered.
"Ugh politics, I can't think of anything more cruel and vile in existence." Steven winced. "That's why I enjoy smelting so much in my downtime. You grab melted metal and form it however you want. Everything's exactly how it should be!"
She smirked. "It also makes your shirt cling to your body." He gave out a nervous chuckle at that.
"Rainy Universe!" They both groaned, turning to a familiar face. "We meet again!"
"Buff Frog, Marco isn't here today, i'm on a date." Steven deadpanned. "Could you like, come back tomorrow or something … despite how easy and refreshing it would be to fight you again compared to everything we've gone through lately."
"Yeah, what is it that you've been dealing with lately?" Penolpe scratched her chin. "A fusion teaming up with a three hundred year old witch?" Something about fighting for some sort of lost love or something.
"Not only is it all physically exhausting, it's emotionally exhausting." Steven groaned. "Fighting Buff Frog and his obsession with taking the wand is almost nice by comparison."
"Oh I don't need to take the wand … for I already have one!" The man pulled up a strange wooden stick with a blue star engraved at the center.
"You what?" The two of them asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, yes, after you turned my children against me, I've been lost and alone in the woods, waiting and scheming for the right time to plot revenge! Then the crystal called out to me, drew me close with its power, and told me how to assemble it!" The frog man waved it in circles.
"The crystal … told you …" Penelope said slowly. "Steven, I think your constant wins have made him a bit … cuckoo for cocoa puffs." Sadly it happened to her old friend once, never was the same again … poor Justin.
"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean I don't hold power!" The crystal glowed bright, until it shot out a giant orb of blue light.
"Penelope, get down!" Steven shoved her out of the way as the attack hit him head on, knocking him through the wall. "So it's not just for-ACK!" Her boyfriend coughed up bits of blood. "That…that stung more than it should've."
"Steven!" She shouted, grabbing his arm. "We need to go now!"
"Not until you tell me where to find Marco Butterfly!" Buff Frog shouted. "I wish to learn more spells for my arsenal!"
"The only thing you're getting is a big blue and bruised butt for attacking my girlfriend!" Steven shouted as he charged right at the monster, shifting his hand into a hammer as it let out its own blue glue as the weapons collided with each other, sending the two of them flying in opposite directions.
"You are stronger than when we first met Butterfly, but now I have the upper hand!" The monster shouted as he got up, firing off more blasts at them.
"Steven, we could really use someone, anyone to help." She pleaded as she asked her spider companions to form a web based shield. "Like, maybe the Crystal Gems?"
"No, if that thing is what I think it is, having them here isn't going to help us all that much." He grumbled as he scooped her up bridal style and began leaping out of the way. "I know this might be too soon, but there's always…Rainbow Bite."
"Oh...oh are you sure you want to?" She blushed. They haven't formed them since the Blood Moon.
"Well we could try hitting him head on." A blast went over their heads, cleaving through the metallic french fry and leaving steaming metal in its wake. "I don't like our odds there."
"As long as we're sticking together, I'm certain we'll get through this." She kissed him on the forehead as their world went white. It was a strange life she led, but not one she regretted.
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Kelly groaned in relief as she hit the grass. "Seems we made it just in time for the show." The cheerleader said, gazing at the night sky as she saw a light heading up. "Happy fourth everyone."
"Yeah, happy fourth of July!" Star, one of the only two people in the group not completely exhausted by their long detour they made before coming. "Hope the lead up to it was exciting enough for you Steven."
"Raiding the Candy Bar when it was closed for the night was pretty fun, I will admit." Steven, the new kid who Kelly had rather…mixed feelings about to say the least, sighed with a smile as he plopped himself on the ground. "But did you really have to go and egg Ms. Heinous' car for fifteen minutes?"
"She knows what she did."
"No, she doesn't, we had this conversation the time you put baking soda in her vinegar at the store." Marco pointed out. "She just has old fashioned ideas. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone other than a mean comment here and there, she's fine as it is."
"Oh, don't tell me it didn't feel good to spray paint her car for all those times she called the police on you for 'loitering the neighborhood'." Connie nudged him in the stomach.
"Yeah yeah, everyone picks on the hypocrite." The boy waved his hands in an exaggerated manner as they all laughed. "But we can all agree Jana went too far?"
"A little larceny never hurt anyone."
"You broke a window and welded an iron clad safe in half all just for some golden pair of scissors." Steven pointed out.
"A pair of scissors that were used by Skywyne, aka, the town's TRUE founder, aka my something, something, great grandmother." Star clarified. "We're one step closer to exposing the truth to all!"
"Jeeze, you're always so into stuff like that." Steven laughed. "It's like you think all families have some great secret conspiracy about them or something." Star gave a nervous laugh herself for some reason.
"Meh, she has a point, family is the worst." Kelly deadpanned as she looked at the exploding sky. "Dad's not around, Mom never leaves the house. They never care about you, always treating you like you don't exist, so it's best to just give yourself plenty of skills and credit so no one around you vanishes." She groaned. "That, my friends, is the way of life."
"... Can I try recommending therapy again to this group?" Marco tried raising his hand.
" No." Was the collective chant of everyone. The boy acted like the smartest guy in the room, but most of the time he was an overeager dork.
"And here I thought it was my role to bring down the mode." Jana smirked. "Don't take it too seriously, everyone's case is different. Connie's mom is a control freak…"
"Hey….it is true though." Said girl relented.
"The Diaz's are way too naive for it to be reasonable.."
"That … is sadly accurate." Said boy muttered.
"Star's mom is overprotective and her dad is too carefree …"
"They're doing their best, that's what is important." What it must have been like to actually love your parents.
"And Steven …" She paused. "You know, I think you've only ever told Star about your folks."
"Oh…yeah, things are…complicated there." Steven nervously chuckled before sighing. "Mom and Dad met when they were really young. Dad's a traveling musician, so he doesn't really stick around in one place for long, and mom's…mom likes to see people." Steven sighed.
"See people?" Connie asked.
"I think he means like observing them through windows spy style." … Apparently Star was absolutely innocent in the intricacies of how 'love' worked. "Sorry Steven…"
"It's fine. When I was nine, Mom hired Pearl to help out, and she's great. And now, five years later, I'm here. With the Butterflys, and you guys." He smiled, even if they could all tell he was forcing himself on some level. "I'm still surrounded by people I care about, so I say I have a great life.'
"You're a pretty great guy yourself Steven." Kelly smiled. "I don't think the town's been this fun since Marco was still friends with Rhonaldo and Lars."
"Oh yeah, the 'boy band break' up." Star nodded.
"You do not get to call me out on a 'boy band breakup' after you and Sadie split up." Marco countered.
"Hey, it's much more complicated than that!" Star defended herself. "She didn't understand the greatness of putting ice cream on your pizza."
"If we're talking about messy break-ups, what about Kelly and Tad?" Jana brought up. "How many times have you broke up with the stoner? Five, ten times?"
"It's none of your business, that's what." She snapped back, especially when Jana was aware of how touchy the subject was.
"He's a … nice guy." Steven interrupted the group. "He … helps people at times."
"No he's not Steven, and no he doesn't, you don't have to force yourself to say it." Connie scooted up to him pretty closely…a little too closely for friends to be. "Forget about the drama, tonight it's all about fireworks and barbecue hotdogs."
"Yep, my family really loves its hotdogs." Steven smiled as he and Connie leaned into each other as they watched the sky, the scene making her uncomfortable for reasons she couldn't fully explain.
========================================================================
"I can't get a signal on the mirror but we can still monitor the universe from this dank cell?" Steven heard his girlfriend say as they stared at the device. "The universe really needs to get its priorities in order."
"We met the gods, remember? Their boss wants anything crossed over to suffer beyond all hope and die out in absolute darkness with nothing but misery as their company before they kick the bucket and dissolve into dust." Steven spoke darkly. "You hear that Koala? Your work is trash!" Nothing, because what else did he expect? "We should've never came here."
"Well, it was either this or the Diamonds destroy the multiverse right away, so you…at least bought everyone a little time."
"Time for what?" He asked. "Superheroes couldn't do anything, they wiped out all of Star's powers, and they'll never be emotionally swayed." Steven looked at the sole window. "... We need to be more blunt."
"Iron sharpens iron, Diamonds cut Diamonds." Kelly went on as she patted his back. "If anyone can get through to them, it's you."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Since when do you know old tiny talk like iron sharpens iron?"
"Jake the Dog. He's lazy sometimes, but he's like an old wise man half the time, something about how dog years are shorter than humans, so he's like two hundred." Kelly explained. "Gives out good advice every once in a while.
"Yeah…we need help getting out of here." He muttered. "Since apparently we're going to be here for a few 'cycles'." Which he assumed was years, meaning they would starve. "And since we have no signal, and magic won't work, we're gonna need something stronger."
"Can't you enter their heads with dreamwalking?"
"No, it's better when they're asleep, and their diamonds, so that's impossible." Steven grumbled
"I was talking about earth."
"..." He paused. "I … don't think I'm going to reach that far."
"Haven't you dream walked across dimensions?" Kelly raised an eyebrow. "And last I checked, you're a Diamond too. Maybe some of the op'ness will rubb off on you."
"Huh…when you put it that way." He nodded as he closed his eyes. "Guess there's only one way to find out." He looked back at her. "Sorry you got put here.."
"Dude, I'm the one who wanted to fuse. We have no one to blame here except the obvious bad guys that put us here." She smiled at him in a way that reminded him of why he cared so much about her. "My only regret is how we're going to put you to sleep." She said, pulling out a frying pan.
"Actually, we haven't eaten in almost a day now, and we've been working ourselves to the bone, I am not going to need help." He yawned. "And I'd rather spare myself another crack in the skull. Something tells me I'll get more once we break out."