Summary:
Talking with the diamonds ... doesn't go well.
Chapter Text
Star tried to grasp for something, anything as she held onto Steven. She was wrong and empty and it hurt . She could barely breathe with her body feeling off and lost. "It's gone … it's all gone." The thing that she couldn't think about took it away. "It's so cold, why is it so cold..?"
"Star, don't worry, I got you, I got you!" He squeezed her just a little tighter and gently kissed the top of her forehead. A small hint of warmness returned to her body, but not nearly as much as there was before. "How's that?"
"It's…not returning…" Star rescinded solomon. She felt some energy returning, but it was like a small puddle filling a large barrel. "I don't have any magic to link us together … I can't feel anything." There was nothing to dip down into.
"White … What the hell was she doing?" Her brother … Steven glared at the window, his body becoming pink again. "She didn't let us get a word in at all and got rid of our magic …"
"That's how White's always been unfortunately." They turned their heads and saw Pearl at the door. "Everything she says is absolute, and all obey without questions."
"Pearl …" She looked around. "Where's everyone else … Where's Marco?" She needed him and Steven most right now.
"They're all back on the ship. They let me come to bring you your things … which they count me as a part of."
"Yeeesh." Steven winced before turning back to her. "Pearl, is there anything we can do here? White blasted her with light and now Star can't use her magic."
"I … don't know." The gem admitted. "But we can try to make her more comfortable for the moment." Pearl moved to an empty wall. "Pebbles, we need a bed with plenty of cushion." And somehow, the wall responded, dropping down a bed as a mattress and blanket were tossed with pillows.
"Questioning that later." Steven said, bringing her to the bed as he placed her down. "What…did White do?"
"Out of all the Diamond's relationship to magic, White Diamond's is the most frightening." Pearl shivered. "It's more than Yellow's ability to destabilize it, it reflects and removes it completely. It can't touch her at all." That…was horrifying, especially when they were barely able to punch the other two.
"So what happens … when you're blasted with it?" Star asked.
"... She likely removed any and all magic you had within your body." Pearl said. "If you had been Ponyhead or Tom, you would have died." That was even worse considering their friend group.
"So…that's it?" Steven looked to her with worry and concern. "Star's just…not able to use magic anymore?"
"Yes. In essence, Star has become how the Mewmans were before they were exposed to the Magic Well, she's more or less a completely normal human being."
"Human huh..?" Star mulled over those words. "If you'd had told me that a year ago, I wouldn't have hesitated. Not even here for five minutes, and Homeworld turns something great into something terrible."
"Is there … anything?" Steven asked with worry in his eyes.
"We could dump her in the realm of magic for a few years." Pearl said rhetorically.
"Thanks, but I'd rather not have my brain turned to mush and get chided by my unicorn daughter." Star shook her thankfully headache-free head now. "On the plus side, I won't feel sick being around the Diamonds anymore."
"Star, this is serious." Leave it to her brother to put his needs aside for her own.
"I know Steven, but we have a lot more important things to deal with before we get to this." She shook her head "You know, like convincing White Diamond to heal corrupted gems and not wipe out the multiverse." No matter how cold and empty she felt.
"I'm the only one she'll even acknowledge, and even then it was only for two minutes." Steven rubbed his chin before they turned their head to a sudden ringing. "What's that?"
"It's Yellow's Pearl." Pearl said with a bit of a sigh as the doors opened.
"Pink Diamond." They greeted Steven with a salute. "Yellow Diamond requests your presence."
The boy groaned. "Don't have time for thi-just call me Steven."
"Very well, Pink Steven."
"No, it's just Steven."
"Of course, Just Steven." Yellow Pearl looked like she was sweating a little.
Steven got a contemplative look on his face. "..Call me Lasania." That one made her snort just a little.
"Steven stop, you're going to break her." Pearl chided the boy.
"Yellow Diamond still requests your presence, Pink Lasania." The moment she was gone the two of them burst out laughing.
"Oh … oh I needed that after the horror we just went through." Star laughed. "Thanks bro."
"No prob, sis." Nice to see that would remain no matter what amount of magic mambo jumbo got in the way.
"Here, if you're both going you should really change." Pearl handed them both swimsuits. "Or Star can rest if-"
"No … No, I want to help." She also REALLY didn't want to be alone at the moment. "But what is the swim stuff for?"
"You're likely heading into the extraction chambers, which is how the Diamond's spread their essence for gem creation." Pearl explained. "It's essentially Homeworld's equivalent of a Spa."
"... I'm going to die." Steven deadpanned.
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Yellow heard the doors open, as Pink walked in with … "You brought your Mewman?" She barely let her own Pearl look into the meetings.
"She's not my…ugh." Pink let out a groan. "Think of her as a Mewman ambassador. Everything important we say to each other."
The Diamond stared at them, before letting it pass. At least Pink was trying to be productive. "So, you finally talked to White?" She asked as the two of them jumped up to their seats.
"If you can call saying three words as she talked over them talking, then yes, it was a lovely conversation." Pink sarcastically mumbled.
Yellow snorted. "Congrats, you broke the six millenia year record of one word." She sighed as the essence fell off her face. "I work hard making thousands of colonies, and that barely gets a notice. You fail your one colony, and you get all the attention."
"I think it was less failing and more people thinking I was shattered." Pink gave their thoughts. "She just blasted Star with light and sent us to my room, now she feels weak."
"Yes, she's had a bit of a large distaste for magic." Yellow noted. "You should have seen what she did to the Annodites …" Even the Diamond felt a minor sense of guilt at how slow the death was. "Still, the fact she let you in and out of her head speaks volumes. The last gem that had a face to face chat was never seen again."
"Let me guess, she just decides to let you run everything by her Pearl?" The Mewman asked.
"You're very perceptive for an organic." Yellow noted. "Yes, unless it is a matter in dire need of her personal ship, White's Pearl does most of the work in her place." No matter how much it disturbed everyone that witnessed the damaged gem. "While we command many, most if not all gems in White's court are under her direct control and influence as her Pearl. There's almost nothing they don't see that she doesn't see."
"She sees everything yet doesn't listen to a simple sentence, ain't that hypocrisy." Pink grumbled. "So what, you just do what she says and never argue?"
"You've seen what she did to … your old Pearl." That made Pink and her pet shudder. "It's why I've had to work twice as hard after your rebellion. Blue forgoed colonization for the most part, so I made up for it to keep White's fury relatively tamed."
"That Koala was a real piece of work." She didn't understand that sentence in the slightest. "So why don't you just take a break? You've had to work double time for over six thousand years, just relax and maybe … mess up a bit?" Pink asked.
Yellow burst out laughing at the absurdity. "Failing? Oh Pink, I almost forgot how funny you were … it almost makes up for the trouble you bring."
"I thought seeing her happy would make me more comfortable…it does not." The Mewman grumbled. Well she was supposed to bring fear and intimidation to organic lifeforms, so that was to be expected.
"Yellow Diamond." Her Pearl interrupted. "Your Citrines are beginning to emerge."
Yellow sighed. "Work calls once again." She focused, forcing all of the liquids extracted from her into the small collector at the bottom.
"...I so hope that's not a power I have."
"Well both your tears and spit can heal, we've never actually tried your sweat before.." The Mewman suggested. Like their sweat at the moment would be enough … when Pink still remained in that hideous form.
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Blue Pearl led the two into Blue's pool. There she simply hummed a tune while brushing her hair, taking note of their presence. "Hello there, Steven."
"Hey, you actually said my name." The current vessel of Pink Diamond noted.
"Steven … Stee-vaan." Her Diamond let out a glorious chuckle that so often never seen or witnessed by many for the last six thousand years. "Such a silly name. You're so creative Pink."
"So close, yet so far." The Mewman murmured under her breath as Pink Diamond placed themselves into the pool. "So, did you talk with … White's Pearl about Mewni and Earth?"
"As uneasy as it made me, I was able to relay Pink's wishes over the matter." Her Diamond replied. "They said she holds no interest in the earth, so I don't think she'll be pressing the issue on that front."
"That's a relief." Steven said with a sigh. "I guess we can focus on the rest some other time … this room is really nice."
"I take it you don't remember this either …" Her Diamond sighed in disappointment when Pink Diamond shook her head. "We all used to come here, back then. You had this fun little game, where you swam to the bottom and sang a song, and we'd have to try and guess it."
"Huh, that sounds like something I used to do with my…with the Butterfly family a few years ago." Pink Diamond responded. "Me and Star would take turns making up random lyrics to create one continuous song while mo-Queen Moon would do her best to match the melody with a guitar."
The Mewman giggled. "Remember when I hooked it up to the … sound amplifier, and she was shaking for five whole minutes?"
"She grounded you for a full month with no weapons."
"Grounded?" Blue asked with confusion.
"It means punishment for little kids, mainly forbidding some stuff and placing them in their room." Pink explained.
"Oh … like the tower …" The Diamond nodded with a wince. "I had hoped you didn't suffer cruelties such as that."
"What's the tower?" Pink asked.
"If you truly have no memories of it, it'll be best for you to not remember them. Let's just say you used to spend a lot of time…isolated." Blue shivered as she gently petted the smallest Diamond with her finger. "I'm mostly curious as to how you've been living all this time, especially with your…" There was a twinge of uncomfortableness as she glanced at the Mewman. "..companionship with Mewmans."
"Well, funny story actually. Rose was going back and forth between Mewni for six thousand years, but there was an…incident….fourteen years ago where I was just on Mewni, with no knowledge of Earth or anything."
"It may have been magic's influence." Blue noted. "You always made that strange energy evolve beyond what it could do naturally … I myself have felt it's pull here and there when I absorb too much."
"Well he's saved my life so many times because of it." The Mewman noted as she swam close to the smallest Diamond. "We've been through so much and had so much fun just being together…I can't imagine my life without Steven being a part of it."
Blue Diamond gave a soft smile. "Well I hope your life on Homeworld is just as wonderful as it was on Mewni."
"... My life?"
Pearl heard the timer ding, feeling bad at ruining the happy moment, but work must be done. "My apologies, my Diamond, but your next appointment …"
"Of course." Blue Diamond sighed as she stood up from the Pool, the water instantly beginning to drain as she did. "I'm dreadfully sorry, but now that you're back, White expects me to 'pick up the slack' as the organics say."
"That's fine, we can always talk tomorrow." Pink waved off.
"... I remember a time you were so impatient you couldn't even imagine tomorrow …" Blue gave a melodious chuckle once more. "Earth really has changed you."
"Yeah…I guess it did." Pink Diamond seemed to look down, a bit disappointed as her Diamond took her leave.
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Ruby bowed before the presence of Blue Lace Agate, who stood above her. "You called for me, Blue Lace?" She asked, ready for their next mission to try and make up for Rose's supposed escape.
"Yes … a recent word came in." She stated, beginning to pace. She only did that when feeling plenty of emotion, that was never good. "Apparently Rose Quartz was an alias, a hidden identity to keep their true form unknown to all others."
"Of course such a devious and treacherous gem would do something as lowly and cowardly as to hide themselves." Ruby felt the hate build up in her single eybe. "I would've shattered the scum had I had the chance to."
Blue Lace stopped, gazing down at Ruby with serious eyes. "Their true identity … is Pink Diamond."
"I … what?" Ruby asked, feeling her entire life shatter before her.
"We don't know the details." Blue Lace went on as Ruby tried to process the existential crisis. "But what IS known is that you were among the list of gems that tried to threaten her."
"What!? But...but!" Her world was crumbling and shattering in an instant. "Rose Quartz was a known traitor! Any decent gem in my position would've done the same thing!"
"That may be, but the law of never attacking a Diamond is as old as Gem kind itself … it's still among the most sacred of rules, to attack the radiant gems." She reminded them. "A crime punishable by shattering."
"No, this can't be happening!" Why was the universe being so cruel when all she's done was blindly follow orders like she was made to do!?
"Now luckily for you, Pink has decided to be merciful." Blue Lace said with surprise. "Due to the sheer number of gems that have wronged them due to a misunderstanding, they had spoken with the other Diamonds, and convinced them to simply bubble the traitors for the next five cycles."
"Oh … oh I'm not going to die …" Ruby let out a breath of relief. Thank you, merciful Pink Diamond. "I'll round up my squad to tell them…"
"No, this punishment is strictly for you … and you're not the captain of the squad anymore." Blue Lace clarified. "Also your Pebbles have been compensated and stored away for later use."
"I … what?" She asked. "But … but I-"
"This extends to many gems, even Aquamarines are not immune to their loss of class and rank."
"NOOOOO!" A whiny echo was heard all the way from across Homeworld. "I've earned those Pearls! Why am I getting demoted while Topaz gets promoted!? She's a fusion!"
"... I agree that this situation isn't fair … but you're a Ruby." They looked down at her. "You've dealt with more one sided situations than any other gem."
"I … I …" Ruby gritted their teeth. "I understand …" No matter how much she hated it.
"Good, for a second, I thought I would have to fight you." The agate took out a destabilizer. "Once Five cycles have been completed, you will be reassigned to scraping rust off of our starships."
"That's a duty meant for Pearls!"
"Yellow Diamond was insistent on the punishment being as cruel as possible if shattering wasn't an option." Before they were poofed, the notificator received a message. "... Congratulations, it seems you'll be spending your time with … 'the navel Ruby that sent a Human companion falling from the sky.'."
"CURSE YOU PINK DIAMOND!" Ruby couldn't help but let out.
"Taking the Diamond's name in vain…pretty sure that's going to add another cycle to your sentence." The Agate then went ahead and zapped her, thoughts of vengeance taking hold of her mind as she went into her gem.
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Steven walked into the room, plopping down on the bed. "So … we talked to all the Diamonds … And made such little progress as well."
"Yeah, but at least Yellow and Blue seem … more talkative then White was…even if they don't see how urgent we really are." Star grumbled as she sat next to him.
"That's how it always was, I'm afraid." Pearl sighed as she stood next to them. "The fact you got to talk to all three of them today was a miracle in itself. Pink would often have to spend months planning to get their attention."
"More and more it seems like she was just the little kid of the group." Steven rolled his eyes. "Corn, I'm starting to empathize with my own psychotic and pathological manipulator of a mother." He rolled on his stomach. "What exactly did she even do here before Earth? Seems like the Diamond's run everything fine without her."
Pearl looked in thought. "She mainly just threw balls all the time."
"She was a juggler?" Star asked. Why was that the most surprising thing she's heard in a while?
"No … well yes, it was her favorite pastime, but she would mainly plan giant Galas and parties for everyone, namely whenever Blue or Yellow completed a colony. Everyone would be there."
"Everyone?" Steven raised an eyebrow. "Even White?"
"She would often be the first one to be there. It was the only time she'd laugh too." Somehow that image made his back shiver.
"I guess if we want to get her to hold an actual conversation, this is how we do it." Steven noted, standing up. "Not much else to do on this planet." Considering the whole oppressive feel it had to it.
"Hey, there's plenty of stuff to do, like um …" Star looked around the empty room, before looking thoughtful. "Pebbles, make a desk?" The little gems did nothing.
"Maybe they're just shy?" Steven wondered. "Ah … make a desk Please?"
The desk was made … before an adorable little head poked out. "Please? Only Pink Diamond says that word to us!" Soon more and more heads popped out as the Pebbles, which looked like little gray elf blobs, began tackling him affectionately. "Pink, your back!"
"Call me Steven, please." He sighed, tired of being called Pink just like he was tired of being called Rose.
"Such a silly name, of course … Steven." A little one smiled as it hung from his finger. "We're so happy to have you back. You've been gone for so long."
"Yeah, living in another dimension will do that." Star commented as she tickled one of them on the stomach. "Aww, lovely little guys. They're almost like tiny Bismuths minus the violent streak."
"You're a fun creature." They laughed under her fingers. "We're Pebbles, we handle everything in the room that's too mundane for even a Pearl."
"They're the first lifeforms Pink ever created personally, so they held special significance to her." Pearl smiled as she petted them on the head.
"Oh, this Pearl is much prettier than your last one." He was just gonna ignore that bit of existential dread.
"Hey … do you mind helping us set up a ball?" He asked.
"Oh, a ball!" One shouted. "We can bring out your favorite dress, or make you a new one."
"Oh." Pearl blushed just a little. "I think I'll step out for a second. Be back in a moment." With that, Pearl fled out the door.
"Don't blame her. Son of her crush is dressing up just like her, I'd be weirded out too." Steven rolled his eyes.
"Hey, we got a plan, don't get so mopey now." Star patted him on the back.
"I know, it's just … this whole trip has my brain rattling." Steven said as he looked out the window. "Talking to everyone, it just seems so … so …" He gazed out onto all of Homeworld. " Familiar, why is this so familiar?" The pebbles climbed his body as he began walking. " Familiar, like something I used to know." Traveling to a new world, where everything's different, when it's supposedly his home. "Familiar, staring up at the ceiling." The cold walls and blackened sky. " Familiar, I swear that I know this feeling."
"Where everybody wants me to be mom." He lamented as the Pebbles began taking out materials as they opened up a large hidden room, because why wouldn't Pink have a hidden room?" " And everything I do, I do it wrong." He struggled with his powers for so long, both gems and mom would do everything they could to correct it."
"You'd sway them with a joke, or with a song…" Star chimed in as he followed him into the room. " And that usually helped all get along.." How many times did he solve gem problems by singing out his feelings to them? "Familiar, why is this so familiar?" Why did the hopelessness seem to always play out on repeat? "Familiar, like something I used to do."
"Familiar, like she used to throw a tantrum." He got angry back then when Star and Mom wouldn't listen to him about Monsters. "Insisting that, "Hey, I'm a Diamond too"." They wanted a voice when no one took them seriously. He wanted to be like the Rose Guard and make peace, he wanted the gems to not see him as some lost little kid.
"I bet she drove them crazy all the time." Star commented as they went into the inner corridor, where they saw what looked like a giant make-up room. Steven and Star often had a habit of driving both Mom and the gems wild with his actions
They looked at what seemed to be hand drawn screenshots, crudely drawn, like something Steven would've made. "They love her but they're leaving her behind." The first time ever they encountered a messed up family such as this. "With more important places they should be." They seem to care, but they're all so focused on work it barely does anything. "Then hanging out with someone just like me….." His eyes widened as he looked at the one of his mom, one with Pink in the middle of four people … just like the Butterfly's … just like crystal gems … just like…him.
"Familiar, that's why it's so familiar!" Steven suddenly felt a lot more hopeful about the situation. " Familiar, she's like someone I used to be!"
"Familiar, but this time we've had some practice…!" Star joined in as the Pebbles began to slip him into new shoes. " At helping a struggling family!"
"Oh, we'll get them all together in one place!" Steven and Star joined hands as the Pebbles put him in a tutu. "And once we're all together face to face." His friends and the Diamonds all talking it out.
"We'll show them all the errors of their ways!" Finally fixing the problem at the source. " And stop their spread of terror across spaaaaaace....!"
"Steven, are you done?" Pearl entered back in the room, only to freeze when he saw him. "You look…"
"I know it's weird for you, it's just as weird for me." Steven acknowledged. "But if we're going to pull this off, I need to at least look the part."
"Very well." Pearl shook her head. "I just wanted to bring everyone else here." Pearl bowed as her gem glowed, and their friends popped out of it.
"Wow, her head's a lot bigger on the inside." Kelly laughed.
"It's as big as I thought it was, it needs the space to hold in all the ego." Amethyst chuckled.
"Pearl, we seriously need to get you a therapist, the only reason I'm letting these two slide is cause they're too young to-...." Marco paused. "Star, what happened to your Mewman marks?"
"Lost my magic, but that's not important right now."
"Are you sure?" Garnet asked.
"Look, the moment the Diamonds aren't trying to colonize the universe, it's important." Star reiterated. "Right now we have a party to plan!"
"Yeah, and I have a good feeling about it too, because this is everything I've ever done, just on a bigger scale!" Steven elated. "Pink struggled to get her family to listen to her, just like I have with both the Butterfly's and you guys!" He gestured to the Crystal Gems. "We struggled, we fought, we laughed and cried, but eventually we learned from each other and became a family!"
"Yeah, we can change this place for the better!" Kelly shouted. "And if not, we'll kick their ass!"
"The kicking ass method failed hard when we had literal reality bending superheroes on our side, I think we should focus on the befriending method here." Marco pointed out. "So we'll give this one a hundred and ten percent effort."
"Maximum effort!" Steven cheered. He survived this long to get here, and he wasn't going to stop anytime soon.