//------------------------------// // Unintended Triangle // Story: My Little Universe: Season 7 // by EquestrianKirin //------------------------------// Things felt … odd, once Pearl and Stevonnie started to head on back from Mask Island. Not much word was exactly shared between Pearl and Stevonnie either. Upon arrival, they went their own separate ways, one to what remained of the temple, and the fusion splitting up for the day and with Steven heading to the carwash, and Connie heading off home herself. Some intriguing information being split up three ways, and leaving them with … well, a bit to think about throughout the night. The night honestly went on far longer than it really should be: Steven Universe especially taking this new kind of info pretty heavily. Connie and Pearl may have their own ways of dealing with it, but this was his mother, the leader of the Crystal Gems, the one who rebelled against … herself? It really made it confusing to say the least the more he thought about it all. Inside the van, Steven was still left awake and thinking about all of this. Greg was fast asleep, and even in the later autumn weather, Steven laid on top of the van outside, feeling the bitter cold wind going over him. He was still in his caterpillar sleeping bag, looking up to the stars. One may not see it from a glance, but Steven's hands were on his gemstone. His own reminder what his true gem origin actually was: no longer the standard quartz that can heal others, but instead a Diamond willing to defy it all to save her first planet … even if it caused so much trouble to his friends. Steven kept his gaze up for a while longer, seeing the full moon high in the sky, but before he could end up falling asleep, he then began to feel something vibrate inside his sleeping bag. It took some bit of working, but eventually he fished out his phone and got it to his ear. "Hi Connie. You still awake?" Steven asked, knowing who it was after a small glance at the picture and name. "Yeah, I'm still up over here," Connie replied. She was sitting up in her own bed at this point, just underneath her blankets and her mind left completely blown by Pearl's story back on Mask Island. "Still thinking about what happened earlier?" Connie then asked. "It's all I can think about," Steven replied, "My mom being … well, someone else. I know she's very big with the other Crystal Gems. But now …" "Yeah, I get it. By the way, did you figure out if we should … spill the beans?" "No, I'm keeping the beans from spilling until I know they won't. You know. Freak out? … I mean, this is a pretty big thing. Besides, I don't think Pearl would want that." "Yeah, I see you're point. How would they react even? … Hey, maybe we should talk to someone not so involved and work our way up," Connie suggested. Seemed like a simple idea. "So, talk to the Mane Six first, and then the Crystal Gems. Ok, I'm sure Pearl won't mind. That can be like a trial run." "Exactly. Pinkie Pie will be sure to keep it quiet for us if we needed her to," Connie agreed. Steven couldn't help but agree himself. After all, nopony they knew was better and more focused on pinkie promises than, well, Pinkie Pie. "Alright. So tomorrow, we'll meet them and tell them what's going on," Steven decided. However, his smile went away when he heard Connie give a sigh. "Steven, I still have school to get to. I'll meet with you afterwards and we can do it together then, ok?" Connie promised. Steven wished he didn't have to keep it to himself for much of the next day, but if he could, then great. Couldn't be too hard. If Pearl could keep it quiet for thousands of years, surely he can keep it on the down low for at least a few hours. "Okay. I'll see you then, whenever that is. Goodnight." "Goodnight, Steven." Steven hung up, and placed the phone over next to him. For the rest of the night, he began to figure out how to actually get this to properly work out. They had to tell everyone this eventually, it was just a matter of how, and when. A good night sleep should work better for him … ……. "Huh? ... WHOA." What a place to end up in. Steven knew immediately this had to be some sort of dream, since he couldn't even recognize much of the place at all. Steven Universe found himself stuck in what looked like the night sky, and under his feet a large, flat land of ice. This whole place was a bit quiet, and content, not even the feeling of a breeze despite being out in space, if anywhere at all. Steven kept on looking around for a bit, trying to get some better sense on where he even was, but after a bit, it turned out he wasn't the only one in this weird place. Turning around, he soon began to see some of his friends, though these were a bit more specific: Amethyst, Peridot, and Twilight specifically. And by the looks of it, they weren't in the best shape. "Whoooooa. What a trip," Amethyst said, a bit groggy. It took a bit for them to come around, Steven going right up to them first. "Guys!" Steven called. "Steven? you're here too?" Peridot questioned. "I guess I am, but … where exactly is here?" Steven asked, getting the most obvious question out of the way. There wasn't any sort of details or clues to help any of them here. "I'm not sure. Are we dreaming?" Twilight wondered. "Either that or we're in some other universe," Amethyst shrugged. I can guarantee you, you're not. Then there was the figure. Everyone there looked on in the same direction, and soon something began to move in closer to them. This being towered over them all, about the same size Blue Diamond would be normally, though there was a lot to suggest this wasn't just some ordinary person, Gem, or pony. The whole body seemingly appeared as a black shadow, hunched over to look down to them all. They could barely make out the horn on top of its head, and the voice, while a bit ghostly in tone, sounded eerily familiar. "Princess Luna?" Twilight asked, humbly. The figure shook her head. "No. I am the spirit of the world yet to come." she stated, a pair of wings suddenly spreading out as a stinging cold wind blew at them. If this was some trick by Luna, than it wasn't very funny at all. It was then a pair of white, glowing eyes stared down at them, and once the shadows began to slip and they saw more color, the figure looked very much like Luna, but in a more "grim reaper" outfit. "I-If this is some sort of Equestrian joke, I can guarantee you it's not funny," Peridot stated. The spirit leaned forward, her eyes daggers at their confidence. "There is nothing funny about the dangers you'd be bringing!" she bellowed. "What're you talking about?" Twilight asked. The figure straightened out. "I've been observing your group. And you in particular in actions are beyond hazardous, for it is you who've brought the worlds into a plague, and seeing those not meant to be seen!" The spirit said all of this with an accusing hoof aimed directly at them all. "Oh, Hopper and Hoppy! S-Sorry, we didn't -" Steven was cut short however. "Those two weren't the examples that forced me to confront you all. I'd contact all of you at once for our exchange, but it is unfortunately too late!" Her voice shook the area, as more cold wind blew at them all. "T-Too late? Why's that?" Steven asked nervously. It was then the ground started to shake, the spirit flapping her wings a bit but not getting off the ground. The ground began to crack open more and more, seemingly intentional by the spirit in question. Suddenly, Peridot, Amethyst, Steven, and Twilight began to fall, wind forcing them downward. They thought it would be the end of this dream, but instead they all suddenly landed in what felt like water. And a lot of it. They all got to the surface fast, Peridot coughing a little first before they all tried to find a shoreline … But then they saw something: the other Crystal Gems. There did seem to be some members missing however: Garnet, Flint, Star, Bismuth, and of course themselves. They didn't hear exactly what they were saying, but this moment was clearly full of hardship, as the group began to look appalled by the whole thing, and Ruby was seemingly going off at Pearl about … something. Pearl looked completely torn up, if not unprepared for this conversation, hand over her mouth with horror in her eyes. Pearl seemingly tried to speak, but the group felt they've been struck a bit too hard, and suddenly, they began to leave: Lapis flew off in the air, Emerald, and Jasper scattered, and for poor Pearl, she collapsed in a defeated heap. Crying. Ruby felt no better off, and she just left as well. To where, they weren't sure, but one thing was clear. Just as they got the entire group back, and now they were gone again. "W-Wait! Guys, come back!" Peridot yelled, but nobody seemed to even acknowledged they were even there, let alone heard em. Shortly after this, the spirit flew down and landed nearby, her presence turning the sea into ice again under the group's feet. "Your group is no longer gathered as it had been. For it is your lie that had driven them all away!" the spirit bellowed, aiming a hoof directly at Steven. The others turned to him, Steven frozen still. Just as he was figuring out what to do, it would seem fate wasn't going to wait for him to get on with it. "Steven, what's she talking about?" "Um … ok. Guys. ... There's something I need to tell you." … "WhaaaaaAAAAT?!" Peridot gasped. A few minutes got enough good information out to them, and unfortunately Steven had to get it out one way or another. Now he just had to wait for the actual reactions out of them all (Peridot already getting hers out). The spirit stood off aside to let them speak amongst themselves, this info as deep cut as Amethyst herself was. Speaking of, Amethyst needed a minute to actually process this. "So, let me get this straight. Rose Quartz: leader of the Crystal Gems! Steven's mom! Was actually PINK DIAMOND?!" "She faked her own shattering and reformed to be Rose all the time. I just found it out a few hours ago," Steven explained, humbled but knowing he had to tell them. He just wished he had more time to plan this. There was some bit of doubt of course. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. but, if you're Pink Diamond, then who's this other Pink Diamond running around on Equestria?" Peridot asked. "Just another copy I guess," Steven shrugged, "Pink left some fake shards behind, and I guess White Diamond took those thinking it's the real thing." "So Pink tricked even White? Is there anything else you've learned that night?" "Well, that's the biggest thing," Steven figured. Amethyst sighed, and sat down, as if the wind got knocked out of her. "I mean, pink flowers, pink Lion, a pink sword, pink Lars, and now Pink Diamond? Ugh, if you told me Rose invented cotton candy, I'd believe it!" Amethyst said. "Oh clod, we have to go back! Quick, someone wake us up before they get too far away!" Peridot said in a panic. The spirit then stepped forward. "You all are not leaving. Not yet." "WHAT? B-But the others, they're running off to who knows where? We have to find them!" Twilight insisted. The spirit towered over the alicorn, glaring down at her. "It is you that is to blame for all of this! And you're not leaving until you fully understand the dangers you and everyone else had set into motion." "So, what, you're gonna show us the future?" Amethyst asked. "No. for there are no more futures for me to show." "Why not?" Twilight asked. "You will succeed in bringing them all together. As you wished!" she stated, but she didn't sound happy about it at all. "That's good, isn't it?" questioned Amethyst. The spirit didn't answer verbally, and instead her horn started to glow an unbridled, icy blue. The world the group found themselves in changed drastically, as a huge rush of wind slammed through all of them. They all had to block off the cold ice from their gaze, but it was what they saw next that made it even more chilling. The land looked cold, all covered in such a horrid blanket of arctic ice and snow. Few buildings could breach the surface, a mix of Beach City, and Ponyville, just to prove her point. Both worlds will be in deep trouble. The spirit began to speak again. I see a cold wind blowing through I see days neither fun nor free. The spirit, with the wind blowing at her back, glared down to the entire group. Seeing such an apocalyptic wasteland gave them all a different kind of scare, as the spirit even aimed an accusing front hoof down at them. I see a future caused by you I see a path not meant to be Some of them started to back up, but suddenly a huge wall of wind, snow, and ice made them all stop. The spirit wasn't allowing them to leave, at least not yet. She then started to work some form of magic not with her horn, but with her hooves, and conjuring up with looked like Ruby and Sapphire, both performing a dance together in grace. The future should be filled with magic Dreams and wishes brought to life But the days ahead are dark and tragic No time for hope when all is strife In one motion of the hoof, the figures disappeared into the wind. It was then she leaned over them from the left. Whatever might have been And then coming in from the other side. All the dreams all beings share The spirit brought herself back to the front of the group, and what she said next shook them all. Because of your harmony Now the future is a cold nightmare Then came the whistles of the wind, as other odd beings began to fly through the skies around them. These odd creatures didn't look like they were flying, but more like swimming through the sky around them. The front body was of a horse, the back a ghost, all Windigo. Ghosts of the frozen world that was now theirs. Twilight knew the sight all too well. "Windigos? But no, they've been gone for thousands of years! Equestria's fire of friendship -" "Did nothing to them, Twilight. And now all your actions will allow them to return. The future of your worlds shall be wiped away in a blanket of eternal snow!" The spirit disappeared completely behind a wall of ice and snow, as the windigos circled above them. A cyclone of winter circling them, and wrapping themselves around all of them, each one of them looking on in horror. "No! Wait, come back! We didn't mean for any of this to happen! I-Is there time to stop it?! We're sorry!!!" Up above their heads, at the very top of the cyclone, it seemed that there was someone up there to help them out in this horrifying nightmare; Lapis Lazuli! Or, it seemed to be, but as she began to charge in, her body began to wither and turn into another, even more decrepit Windigo, as the giant beast roared and landed right on top of them! … "LAPIS!" Steven suddenly found himself on the side of the van now, seemingly falling off of the roof of the van and onto the ground nearby Lion. Steven didn't want to wake anyone up yet, but this scream and fall surely got Greg jumping up, slightly groggy but still awake all the same. Steven made a mad scramble to get out of his sleeping bag, now out in the cold, heart racing and him taking a minute to realize that he was back in the real world, not in the dreamscape. "Whoa, Steven! You okay, kiddo?" Greg asked, helping him up to his feet, as he tried to calm down. "I … I think so. … Oh boy." ~~~~~~ Well, for some of the members, they knew immediately where to go from there. And, so other Gems probably won't get word on it immediately to put even more pressure on them, they got from Earth to Equestria, and over in Twilight's tower. This "info-bomb" dropped on them was something they REALLY needed to discuss, and if the others really were off and gone, than they need to figure something out and figure it out soon. The only one that didn't really show up though was Peridot. "Okay, so Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond, and this apparently has been told to the others, and they're currently gone missing. But apparently, bringing them back together would bring back the Windigo … and that's all we know," Twilight began, going over the main things they got down pact on a chalkboard. "You really think it'll bring them back?" Steven asked. If Hearth's Warming Eve was any indication, then that was probably not the best idea ever. "I don't see how it can do it: the Windigos were all defeated when the Fire of Friendship was first ignited, thus removing the hatred that the creatures feed on, and stopping the winter," Twilight reminded, wiping away the drawing and re-drawing the events as she spoke. "But that spirit said it didn't do anything. Did something else happen that made them leave?" Steven asked, concerned. Twilight tried to think, but eventually shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Even if it was, it must be somewhere I never read about." "Yeah, and you've read quite a bit," Amethyst agreed. The egghead had probably gone over multiple narrations of the holiday within a week if she wanted to, and unless this was some forgotten detail not written down, Twilight would've recalled something like that. "They must be taking it really hard. But, how did they even find out? It was just me and Pearl. Well, Stevonnie and Pearl," Steven said. "You tell me; Everyone just scattered because of Rose being Pink, and if we get them back, we'll deep-freeze the world? How does that make sense," Amethyst said, hand through her hair trying to better see the situation. she wasn't there to hear the full story, and she felt it would be a bit before they would hear it all again like Steven and Connie did. "It doesn't," Twilight said, wiping away the drawing on the chalkboard. "And we just got everyone back, we can't just leave them alone. Whenever the Windigos come back, we need everybody together. … Right after we find out where they even are." Twilight, Amethyst, and Steven tried to think on where any of them would even go, but before they could even get to that, Steven felt his phone go off again, and after a quick check finding out it was Connie. Steven got his phone on speaker, feeling it was needed. "Wait, it can do that?" Amethyst questioned. Something for later. "Hey, Connie," Steven said. "Good, Steven you're up. Where're you?" "In Equestria. I know we're supposed to meet together, but something came -" "Did you tell the other Gems already? … Oh, sorry for cutting you off." Connie cut in. "Uh, only Amethyst, Twilight, and Peridot. Why?" ……. "Oh boy." A small prompting by Connie got them already from Twilight's tower, and off into Beach City again. In particular, the group was off over by one of the outskirt buildings. The four were looking inside from the windows, and they quickly found what Connie was talking about. The building in particular was actually the local bar, and one Amethyst particularly was familiar with. Hard to forget where she found Bad Pearl dump herself in and beat all the drunks in some arm-wrestling. Only now, with Connie having to stop by for a brief moment in a walk to clear her own mind, she had found one of the Gems stuck inside. The four peeked over by the bar itself, and found a … odd scene. There was Peridot (not Pearl), looking completely broken down and drained, with multiple cartons of non-alcoholic cider by her side. A good ten worth, with Peridot sucking in her eleventh. "Geesh, I know this is hard, but honestly I didn't expect her to be hit this hard," Connie said, catching them up to speed. Well, the four decided to go on inside to see her. Peridot barely reacted much at all apart from a groan, her face on the table. Maybe if this was Pearl or something, this would make some more sense, but what was eating up Peridot this much? SHE wasn't involved in as deeply as the others. "Hey, Peridot. You uh … feeling okay?" Steven asked, as they began to head in. Peridot didn't reply much other than a groan again. Amethyst and Twilight sat side-by-side with her. "Hey, come on P-dot, what's eating you?" Amethyst asked, grabbing her by her pointed hair and lifting her head up so she could speak. To put it simply, even if not on some hangover, she sure looked like it. "Nothing," she groaned. "Peridot, how long have you been in here?" "... All night. … I couldn't find them. …" Well that explained where Peridot had been all night, and she sure looked miserable too. Peridot could still remember the sheer panic she had in trying to find where they went, going up and down the entirety of the Crystal Temple, and all over Beach City, but only finding nothing through the night. All she did find was the bottom of the cartons she drank and nothing else. Amethyst picked one up and looked to the bartender with a worried expression, pointing to the carton. The bartender simply shook his head, relieving them that she wasn't actually drunk on it. "I know the others had been and gone, but hey, we can still try to find them!" Twilight insisted, wing wrapped around her. "... What's the point? …" "To make you feel better?" Steven said, unsure of it himself. Peridot should know well why they would go off and do that, but she was too tired and "drunk" to really think straight. "Dude, let's just go out of town, and try to clear our heads. Pink Diamond's a big shock for all of us," Twilight suggested. "... It's not that," Peridot said, her chin resting on the countertop again. "... Everyone just … left. All gone. … It's just us now." "Even Flint?" Steven asked. "And Jade?" Twilight added in. "And the Off-Colors? Or what about Aquamarine and Topaz?" Amethyst finished. "... No." "No as in "they're there", or no as in "they're not there"?" Connie asked. "NO. …" Peridot repeated, before taking the same carton and chugging the remaining cider from it, before actually falling off her seat, hitting the floor. She didn't really care, even if it looked painful. "OKAY, you've had more than enough, let's just get out of here and find somewhere else," Amethyst said, looking down to Peridot as she grabbed the now empty carton of cider, Peridot's expression unchanged. "... Like what? …" "Hmm … we can check out my old Kindergarten," Amethyst decided, "It's been a very long time since I've been in the neighborhood, and I've been meaning to go back to memory lane again." "Hey, that sounds fun! What do you say, Peridot?" Connie said. "You can make us feel dumb by telling us all the stuff we don't know," Amethyst encouraged. "... I missed that." "It's settled! We'll just stop by my room, pick up a few things, and we'll head off," Amethyst said, grabbing Peridot by the foot and swinging her over her shoulder, holding her up, "Let's get out of the bar!" Well, the decision was a bit decided, and by the sound of it, Connie and Steven didn't really need to get a test run going since the others apparently know already. Whether the dream was anything to go by or not didn't matter now, all confirmed as Peridot couldn't find them at all. So, off they went to the Prime Kindergarten. "Can I bring my cider?" "NO." ~~~~~~ So, after a good walk to clear their minds a little bit more, the group gathered up over by the Crystal Temple to get a few things handled, and a few things to bring for the trip. Peridot simply laid down over by the door, as Twilight, Connie, and Steven were still thinking about things. Peridot honestly didn't care about Pink Diamond, but more over the fact it felt a lot more empty than needed to be. "So, you're half-Diamond. Does this mean you have any diamond abilities?" Twilight asked at one point. "I do have mom's healing and shield, so … maybe," Steven said. The fact his mom was a Diamond at all was a bit to think about already. "And that means our fusions were part diamond too," Connie said, "Smoky, Stevonnie, Earthstone. All of those fusions had diamond powers in them!" "Guess that's true too," Steven said, smiling. Despite the smile though, this chat about diamonds was leaving him a bit more in thought about Rose in general. Or Pink, whichever. Even looking up at the sky was enough to remind him of his mom. "You know, I've been told so much about my mom. But, I've never even met her, not even once. I've always seen that portrait of mom, and sometimes I wonder if it's even her up there, smiling all day and night. I just want to know the real her." And Connie and Twilight weren't the only ones to hear him, as Amethyst just got back with some items. "Okay, I got some snacks for the road: we got some yogurt, some chicken. I think it's still good, the date's a bit off I think. Is that branding or expiration?" "Uh, Amethyst?" Peridot meekly said, pulling on Amethyst's shirt. "Sup?" Amethyst asked. It was then she saw what everyone else was looking at: Steven's glowing gemstone! This wasn't a simple case of gem weapon summoning, but more like a beacon. Soon as Amethyst's door was shut, it reopened into what seemingly was Rose's room. Weird turn of events. Curious, Steven took a look into the room first, but it surely didn't look as bright and lively as he remembered it, or Amethyst remembering it for that matter. With how weak the Crystal Heart was, the room looked rather gloomy, and the clouds looked faded in their pinkish colors. It was like dulling out the lights inside of a room. "Did you do that, Steven?" Twilight asked. "Uh, maybe? … hold on a sec," Steven said, starting to go in. The others followed him inside, the door closing up behind them. The "room" didn't look much like a typical room, and more like a huge plain with pink clouds. Guess going to the prime Kindergarten would have to wait. Steven felt a bit humbled himself, remembering the last time he was in here. "Uh, hi room. Been a very long time. I-Is that a new cloud?" Steven said, as if the room was an actual person. Again, considering what happened last time, Steven didn't want to underestimate the room he found himself in. Still, Steven could take a pretty darn good guess as to why the room would react AFTER admitting what he wanted to see. "So … I suppose you're wondering why I'm here. I know nothing in here is real but ... I wanna see my Mom." "Oh no. He's not going there," Amethyst thought. But indeed he was. It took them a little bit to actually see what was gonna happen, the room seemingly answering to Steven's request. Steven was a bit humbled that it was actually that easy, just ask and he received it without a catch, but he wasn't gonna count any eggs before they would hatch. A bunch of clouds started to form up in front of him, at first seemingly forming Rose Quartz again. but with the story Pearl told him, he knew better than that. However, the room read his mind and it began to correct itself. Steven had to step back a little bit, and soon … Pink Diamond. The true Pink Diamond. Now standing in front of him. Steven stayed quiet, hands together and even a slight blush on his face. There sure was a difference between seeing the first Pink Diamond, and then seeing this one in front of them, especially after all he had heard. "Hello Steven." "Oh … uh … I-it's nice to meet you," Steven said, shyly taking out his hand for an exchange. Pink Diamond simply chuckled. "It's nice to see you too," Pink Diamond replied. One side seemed to be taking it all in stride, at least. The others though weren't too sure how to take this exactly, but "Pink Diamond" started to move forward towards them with that same knowing smile. "It's so nice to see you too, Amethyst. Oh, you've grown so much." "Ehhh …" poor Amethyst felt very mixed about the manor. That was a good compliment, but from someone like her, Amethyst wasn't too sure. Was this even Pink Diamond talking to her, or what? Connie, Peridot, and even Twilight were humbled themselves, Twilight bowing to the Diamond. "Oh, Twilight, we're all friends. You don't have to be so formal," Pink Diamond reassured. That was entirely debatable. Steven felt a bit more humbled now than before, something Pink Diamond began to notice. "Eh. Sorry, t-this is really awkward for me, Pink - uh ..." "That's okay. you can call me Rose," Pink Diamond said, "So. What do you wanna do?" "I didn't think that far ahead, um … what do kids like to do with their parents? …" What did Steven have in mind? ~~~~~~ "Nice catch, son!" Well, the first thing Steven came up with for what parents would do with their kids was some sports. Greg and Steven did a number of these things before in their lives, one way or another, but not all. And playing a game of football was a pretty good hit on what father and mother would do with eachother. The others kept their distance, but they were admittedly feeling pretty mixed about this situation. Just finding out about Pink Diamond/Rose, and here he was … well, hanging out with something like her. Rose gave him a thumbs up, Steven ready to get the ball flying again. "This is kinda fun! Or does baseball sound good?" Steven asked, before throwing the ball far off ahead into the sky. "Rose" turned and ran off after the ball, which flew good and high in the air. Rose spoke as she went for the ball. "Steven. All sports are beautiful. Each sport is a unique experience. The adrenaline, the glory. The sheer feats of athleticism, each one of them so complicated. And yet, exactly the same." Pure poetry. Steven's eyes sparkled at all of this, bit soon rose got onto her knees, and then she decided to try something else: finger holding the football in place. Well, this was a pretty basic set up if one ever saw one. "Hmm. I always thought there was something strange about my adolescence. Maybe this is what I've been missing. Football!" With that in mind to motivate him, Steven readied up and began to run. … Just for rose to grab it at the last second, making him fly in the air, and land on his back. go figure. But, it was still fun and they both had a good laugh. All of this was watched by the others off nearby, who at this point was just a bit of an audience to this whole thing. "Well, he looks happy," said Peridot, despite being huddled up, seeing just passed her knees. "I guess, but, should we say something? He's been at this for a few hours," Twilight asked. "Maybe, I don't know," Amethyst shrugged. On one hand this was his room doing this, but on the other … Steven looked so happy, which was probably good with what just happened and all. … But still. After some time with their game, Rose took a seat, and patted the spot over next to her. Steven obliged, and sat down next to her, looking out to the expanse of the room. It may look duller, but ironically the weakened state did give a more "sunset" like feel to it all. "Mom? I uh … I've been thinking about you … a lot. More than usual," Steven said. "Have you now?" asked Rose. "Yeah, well...for my whole life, I've been hearing stories about you. About how amazing you were. That you were so kind and loving. And every time I'd see the painting hanging of you in the temple, you inspired. And reminded of how much I had to live up to you." Steven began to blush a little bit, "I've uh, even thought about dying my hair pink. More than once." "Steven," Rose chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with your hair. It's beautiful just the way it is. Beautiful in every way … just like you." Steven took a moment to take in what Rose had said, a blush coming up on his face. He did feel pretty quiet, but happy, as he rested his head down on Rose's lap. There was something Steven felt here that he hadn't before. Something he probably never could've experienced with the other Gems, or ponies, or humans. A bond of mother and son. "Wow … this is it. It … it feels nice. I-I should've done this a long time ago," Steven said, his smiled joined by some small tears. Rose gently rested her hand on his forehead. "Don't you realize, Steven? We've been together this whole time." "Oh! That … that's right," Steven said, crying even more as tears came down. In a technical sense, they have been together since the very beginning. It was only now that they've finally interacted with eachother. For the others, this was starting to get concerning, looking to one another but unsure if they should go in or not. Steven then opened his eyes, realizing something. "Oh yeah! This is our first time together. I gotta capture this moment!" Steven reached into his pocket, and managed to fish out his phone. If there was any moment he wanted captured, then this was it. His first, true moment between himself and his mom. Rose smiled, willing to comply with him, but as Steven got the picture set up for his phone, he noticed something. … All black. Nothing. Steven may be seeing a room of pink clouds, and Rose herself, but his phone only saw what was really there. He tried to move the picture around to be sure, but indeed, nothing was there … except for one. … "... There's no one here but me. I'm just … talking to myself." Well, it looked like they didn't have to now. Steven got up, putting his phone away, and had only one thing to say to her. … "You're not my mom." "I'm not?" Rose asked, a little confused. Steven didn't look to her. "This is what I want you to be. … But I know this isn't who you really are," Steven said. His friends nearby began to see the world start to darken even more, colors fading as sunset turned to dusk. "I've learned some things about you. You put Bismuth inside of Lion's mane, and never told any of the others about her because she wanted to shatter Gems," Steven stated. This was something he got two-and-two together on for a long time since Bismuth first came into the team, and it seemed this statement made the world a little darker. "And now you never told anyone that you were Pink Diamond. You faked your shattering, and Homeworld went to war on Earth because of it, and now White Diamond has it out for Earth, and the Crystal Gems, and me! You put all of us in danger, and you just … DISAPPEARED!" A storm was brewing: lightning catching Steven off guard, along with the others, who looked around the room in worry. The sudden flow of negative emotions made the room turn into a mix of grays and blacks, strong winds tossing around the clouds all around them. Connie, Amethyst, and Peridot covered themselves as best they could, but Twilight could just make out Steven being tossed into the air by the wind! "Steven!" gasped Twilight, jumping into the air to catch him, but the wind forced them both down to the ground. The only one not caught up in the wind was Rose herself, who was floating up in the air in the cyclone, those on the ground unable to see her eyes, and the illusion of love and care became more known now to them all. "W-What's going on?!" Connie asked. "I don't know!" Peridot replied. But for Steven, his mind was only focused on one thing now, and he made it known while looking up to rose again. "I finally know the truth! I know who you are: you're a liar! I thought you'd never want to hurt anyone, but you've hurt everyone! How could you just leave Bismuth, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst and dad like that?!" Steven managed to find his feet despite the wind, starting to move over towards Rose. The others tried getting him, but the wind forced them away from him. "You forced Pearl to keep this quiet for so long, and now everyone ran away because of you! But maybe that didn't matter as much as hiding from the mess you made! Is that why I'm here?! DID YOU MAKE ME SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOUR MISTAKES?! … Is that all I'm here for?" *grrrrrrrrrr* Then came the sounds. No sooner after he said that, Steven heard such a low, guttural growl. A sound that almost sounded as if it came from under his feet. Steven's vent ended when the clouds started to calm down, but then Steven looked on, passed Rose Quartz. In his eyes, clouds were everywhere, but he saw that his shadow was long … and standing twenty feet in front of him. It wasn't him though, and what he did see terrified him. He was no friend. He wasn't even human for that matter, but an equine. A tall pony, as dark as the starless night. And for the time being, his horn appeared to be missing. Replaced instead by a jagged dagger of what remained of it, as if it was the end of a broken bottle. Rose might not know who this was, but everyone else knew, and Steven's memories went far back on this nostalgic, yet horrifying creature. Sombra. "What? … Wait." Steven got out his phone again, this time capture what was in front of him, but as before, he didn't see anything. Sombra didn't say a word, and began moving in closer to them, each step echoing throughout the room as the skies all around began to dim and dull into a darker grey. Rose, being the protective mother she was, stood in between Steven and Sombra, but this didn't deter the broken unicorn. He snorted, his hoof digging into the ground like a bull, before he suddenly began to charge. They thought he was after them, and Twilight and Steven got their defense up at the ready. But while normally this would stop him, Sombra actually ran through them in a haze. His target was a bit more significant. *CRACK* Just like that. Steven wished he hadn't turned around, but when he did, he saw that Rose Quartz was skewered. Right in her gemstone! There was no recovery from that kind of injury, and Rose went limp. Now, a Gem would just disappear, but Steven found that Rose didn't. Her gem was shattered, but her body remained, as Sombra threw her aside, the body landing in a heap further away. There was a long silence, the room all gray, and dead … Then something happened. The room began to rumble. It started out small, but quickly began to grow more and more violent, much of the group unable to stay still. Rose and even the clouds around them began to disappear, as the ground underneath started to crack and give way! The floor suddenly caved in, a divot forming fast, and while Twilight, Connie, and Peridot got clear, Amethyst and Steven fell into it. By the time they got up, Sombra jumped down into the divot, moving in on them. Sombra only had one thing to say to them. "RUN." "You heard the scary pony, let's go!" Amethyst said, probably the nicest thing they remembered him ever saying as Amethyst grabbed Steven. The unicorn rushed forward right towards them, but the ground cracked under his hooves, and like shattering ice, the unicorn fell through the divot. Amethyst threw Steven out of the divot, and Amethyst jumped out just in time as the divot opened up to a tornado forming underneath, into vast nothingness. The breaking grounds of this room were forming up all around them, as even the skies seemed to be shattering above their heads. They were lucky to stay standing at this point, as their only safety exit was glitching too! The others screamed, as the ground all started to crack and shatter away. In desperation, Twilight flew up into the air, and allowed herself to be caught by the others, amethyst wrapping her whips around her back legs as everyone else held onto it for dear life. Twilight was struggling just to stay flying, let alone try and aim for the door, but she knew this wouldn't be fast enough with her like this. Time to work the strength of her pony ancestors in those back legs of hers: straining hard, she started to move her back body back and forth, making those hanging on swing back and forth further and further, until in one final swing, everyone was thrown right through the door! Twilight, despite the wind, made a mad dash just as all of the room began to collapse around her, and charged through just in time for the door to completely close. "WOW. … That happened," Peridot simply said, all of them trying to catch their breath over the near-death experience. Looking back at the door, all the lights were turned off, and the rooms were silent. "Is everyone okay?" Steven then asked, getting a headcount of everyone there. "I think so," Twilight replied, feeling sore in her back legs from that feat of hers. They all looked to the door, and Steven slowly went over to it, waiting to see what would happen. He wanted to see if the room was alright … But nothing happened. This door was sealed tight. Steven tried to open the door as much as he could, but it was no use. The power had finally ran out in the Crystal Temple. "Steven?" Connie asked, looking over to him. Steven was … torn. It was hard to exactly grasp what just happened in there. Was Sombra back for revenge by killing Rose, or was that Sombra just some allegory made up in his head like everything else? Steven took a deep breath, and sat back down. "I-I'm sorry guys, I don't know what happened. But we're all here, and that's what matters. … So, where were we before we kinda ditched everything?" Steven asked. They still had the Prime Kindergarten to get to, but now it was getting kinda late. How long were they in there for? And they failed to notice a video tape left right at the door.