The plan was all set. With the trip ready to go, much of the groups were out and ready to see Steven and company off on his trip to Homeworld. Hard to really say just how long he would be gone for, but after some time to discuss it (and the fact they would be getting the idea itself after finding said ship right in front of their temple), Steven would be wanting to go off on this spaceship if he could.
"Ok, that's snacks, a diamond line to call you, some games, my Gem boat and Diamond whistle … you think I should bring a gift? I am dropping by unexpectedly," Steven asked, thinking about it some more. He hadn't seen nor heard of Blue, Yellow, or "Pink" Diamond ever since the wedding, so he might as well present something to them when getting there.
"I think just showing up in Pink's ship would be more than enough," said Pearl.
"Y-You sure you want to do this?" asked Rhodonite, "I-I mean, just going off to Homeworld so suddenly like this because you got the ship … boy, hope I'm using this phrase right. You're going right into the Lion's den!"
"That, and we don't know what could've happened there for months now, so who knows what's going on there now? If you want to stay here, no one's going to blame you," Flint added.
"Cut it out, I'm not staying here when it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to Homeworld - literally!" insisted Steven, "I've been meaning to try and check on Blue, Yellow, and Rosebud and how they're doing back home, and now I finally have a way to do that."
"Rosebud?"
"You know, Pink Diamond," said Bismuth, "I mean, you can't call two Pink Diamonds the same number."
"Isn't that was Steven Universe is for?" whispered Rhodonite, to which Flint shrugged. Steven's logic to some things did elude him before, but that was the least of their worries.
"Listen you two. I get it, you're worried about him going off to Homeworld. But he isn't gonna be alone: he's got me, Pearl, Peridot, Sapphire and Lapis. Homeworld may be the Lion's den, but we got our own pride of Lions."
"Wait. Sapphire? You mean Garnet, right?"
"Sapphire and Ruby decided to part ways for a while," explained Steven, "With them being married, the idea of splitting up isn't as scary anymore."
"Speaking of which, where is Sapphire? She's supposed to meet up with us by now," Pearl wondered. However, Bismuth smirked and leaned against the ship, arms crossed, and having that look that said she knew something they didn't.
"They won't be too long," Bismuth said.
And before they could say much else, they all heard the door open up from the Beach House, seeing Ruby and Sapphire come out to catch up to them. Seeing them though, Steven was quick to blush and cover his eyes when he noted a very few marks on their faces.
"Sorry to have kept you. We just had some extra work to do before I could go," said Sapphire. Emerald and Fulgurite couldn't help themselves.
"Oh we see," said Fulgurite, "Is that Coral Blue semi-gloss, or Glimmer veil #7 you used?"
Ruby immediately flustered up, realizing what they meant. Lipstick was a bit harder to wash off than much else. Some of the others laughed (hard not to), as Sapphire got the lipstick off of both herself and Ruby. They were gonna be gone for a bit, so they were making up for lost time basically.
"So … you two really deciding to split up this time?"
"Yep," said Ruby, before turning to her beloved, "Don't take too long there, ok babe?"
"I promise, sweetie," Sapphire replied, giving Ruby one more kiss on the cheek. Ruby turned just a slight bit redder, though it wasn't as extravagant (with what they did earlier). As Sapphire left, Emerald just had to go and ask one little question to play around with her.
"How'd she taste?"
And just like that Ruby was steaming up a storm, covering her face. Some didn't get it, but for those that do (Ruby and Fulgurite obviously), it was a bit of a bold move. Jasper though picked Emerald up and tossed him aside like an annoying little pest, him getting caught by Fulgurite. Pushed a little bit much.
"You guys able to hold the fort until we get back?" Lapis asked.
"Don't worry about anything," said Jasper, "You all go and have fun, we'll make sure nothing happens here."
"Thank you. Is everyone ready?" Sapphire asked. Steven nodded.
"Alright. Let's go to Homeworld!"
It'd been a long time since they heard those words come out. With that all finally said, the team went on inside the Pink Diamond Gemship as everyone else waited just off outside. Twilight personally felt a bit rough around the edges, but it wasn't her place to question the map. And as she said, if it said she wasn't gonna go, then she wasn't gonna go.
The exterior of the ship was a very nice piece of work, yet it took the group a bit of time to actually get to the main room of this ship. The interior of the ship's room appeared almost circular with a pink ceiling, red walls with violet red symbols of the original emblem for the Diamonds. A triangular window was present in front of the ship, them able to see the ocean in front of them, two giant seats flanked the main walkway, and the doorframe coming in was shaped as a triangle. With some guiding from Pearl, Steven found where he was supposed to go: a footboard in the center of the walkway. Soon as Steven stepped onto the footboard, the ship started to activate itself again, this time making what looking like a hologram, forming a pink pair of legs wrapped around his own.
"That's a good look for you Steven," Lapis said.
"Thanks. Now how do I start this thing?" Steven wondered, looking to the holograms. He didn't budge much from the spot, just in case something were to happen. Especially when right next to the Gem Temple.
"To launch, just get a good running start," Pearl said, simplifying the process. Sure sounded simple enough, but this was a bit of a risky procedure.
Boy was it harder than it looked. Everyone outside of the ship began to see the Gemship start to react to Steven's movements inside, one leg being lifted up. They figured it would be a sort of simple walk, then run, then takeoff … just to find the ship move as if it was either drunk or spazzing out. Oh joy. As it went out towards the open water, each step was like walking around on eggshells.
"You got this, Steven!" shouted Pinkie. Though, many of the others didn't feel the exact enthusiasm as they watched the rather troublesome "kickstart" Steven was giving it, Rhodonite and Flint probably the most bothered as Rhodonite hid behind him. Just in case.
Even with all this odd moving, the interior of the ship didn't feel too much swaying. But that didn't mean they weren't too troubled about Steven's moving themselves. Yet they didn't really say much of anything, not wanting Steven to just trip over his own feet just to get themselves going. Soon, the awkward walk turned into a more typical run after Steven got himself together.
"Three. Two. One. Blast off!" he shouted. And the Diamond ship, after getting enough speed, made a spring jump off of the ground, rocketing into the sky. It took far less time to get that off into the sky than they would have with the Galactic Ray, or Ruby ship for that matter, as in just a few short seconds they were already up into the stratosphere, and right off into space. The launch was a bit clunky, but they were off on their way.
"I bet when mom did it, it was more graceful huh?" Steven said to Pearl. Pearl simply smiled.
"No. Not really."
~~~~~~
It'd been a pretty long time since any of them had gone off into outer space since the Warp Pads were closed off, and with the great Gemship moving off so fast much of the stars rushed on by them. Unlike warpspeed though, none of them felt any strong gravity pulling them down, so they could still move about freely. Except for Steven, who was stuck standing still on the footboards. Someone had to stay on the controls while they were flying around. Even if the others could move around though, they decided to just stick around with Steven, some sitting in the giant chairs by the platform while others stood alongside the controller.
"Wonder how Yellow and Blue will react when we show up like this?" Steven said at one point, "I mean, they know my mom was Pink Diamond and all, so, seeing me bring home her ship might make a bit of a strong impression."
"I don't think it's them you should be thinking about," noted Bismuth.
"Huh? But why, I'm a Diamond right?"
"I think she means the rest of Homeworld that will see you come in with Pink Diamond's ship," Pearl said. Steven didn't realize it up to this point.
"Oh. … OH! Oh yeah, how will Homeworld handle me? I should've phoned in first before taking off," Steven said. Pink diamond news had its effect on everyone, to the point in splitting up the entire Crystal Gem group for a while. If it could do that, it was just a matter of what will, not could, happen when Steven ends up landing there.
"Everything will be okay, Steven," said Lapis, "I mean, no one will have any problems with five Diamonds of the Diamond Authority right?"
"Yeah, guess so. Hey, thanks for coming with me guys."
"No problem, sport," said Bismuth, hand on his shoulder, "The second we heard you got that ship, you were bound to run off to space with it. Pun intended." and she then fluffed Steven's hair. Not a typical Bismuth pun, but heck it was good for Steven.
"Oh you guys," Steven chuckled.
"Anyway Steven, we haven't seen Homeworld in over a year. It'll be nice to see what's been going on there without us," Pearl added, eyes closed and thinking on it humbly. Homeworld was her home, no matter if she was there, or on Earth, or Equestria, or wherever else.
"Yeah, and I can show some of those other Peridots some of my fighting techniques and my expert metal-bending prowess," added Peridot, levitating some cans in a circular motion as if they were the touch stubs on her limb enhancers.
"Let's try and get everything settled first," suggested Steven. "I want to see Blue, Yellow, and Rosebud before we do anything else. Catch up with eachother, maybe share a soft drink together."
"We don't have to wait for long," Sapphire said, looking on ahead to the front.
"Whoa, we can't be there already!"
And so everyone on board did so, and sure enough, after what felt like only an hour of flying through the cosmos, there was the Homeworld planet! Right there! They knew the Gemships moved pretty fast, but that was just simply ridiculous. The planet itself though looked … rough, to say the least.
As the ship continued towards the destination, passing by flying chunks of space rock, they all could see the state Homeworld was currently suffering over. Earth and Equestria may got their own problems, but homeworld was having far more dangers than they could've imagined. The planet was literally barely keeping together. The crust of the planet was hovering away from eachother, leaving the entire world of Homeworld cracked open and split! The whole planet too, which was the second most unsettling thing about this whole situation, was covered in a ominous pale white glow.
The group took a bit to take in what they were seeing, Sapphire moving the hair out of her eye to make sure she was not just seeing things.
"Oh, oh, here we go," Steven sighed.
And off they were going. Any Gem, no matter their own stand on Homeworld's philosophies, would be left in complete shock at such a sight of their home planet on the brink of simply, well, being gone. Something big must've happened, that was all they could think, and Celestia help us all, they were gonna end up right into it. No matter the case though, Pink Diamond's ship went on into overdrive, and into autopilot, as it turned itself into a landing position with the feet aimed towards the planet. They went in fast enough that the feet started to burn slightly from G-forces alone.
As the ship continued into the planet, the skies ahead turned from darkened black, and turning more into a brighter hue of tan (not a typical color for the sky). Pink Diamond's ship went through the cloud layer, and found the landing platform all by itself, landing right on its feet much like a cat would typically do. Once it straightened out, the ship finally went still, and everyone from inside the ship paused and got a good look around from the window. Not too much to be seen, not much sight of the Diamond castles from their position, but still got sight of plenty of Diamond City and its sea of buildings. For a planet literally in pieces, the city didn't look too bad for what it was, many of the buildings still standing at the least.
"Ok, is everyone ready?" Steven asked.
"We're right behind you, Steven," reassured Lapis Lazuli.
"Wait. What's that sound?" asked Peridot.
The sound was faint, but indeed they were hearing something else without the ship running. With them being in the city though, and in Diamond City no less, it was a pretty darn good guess what that noise actually was.
The group of Harmony Gems took their leave, and went out of the Diamond Gemship in little time at all to see what was going on. If it could be summed up though, they now had their idea what the reaction of everyone on Homeworld would be. So many different types of Gems, from the aristocratic to the mundane were present for the ship's arrival, all cheering as if the grand queen herself had graced them all with her presence. Which, considering what they know about Rose at this point, was actually pretty accurate to consider.
"Maybe we won't have any problems after all," said Steven with a smile, as Peridot jumped onto Bismuth's shoulders and waved to the crowd. It always felt good to be admired.
"I'm not so sure," Lapis said. A hero's welcome was all fun and good, but the way that this was all set up was more than a little sketchy. Different Gems were in their different groups, lined up in a row, and depending on which Diamond they belonged to prior was where they were placed. This made a literal diamond symbol of all the Gems present, with Pink Diamond's symbol being right in front of them, Yellow Diamond to the left, Blue Diamond to the right, and White Diamond being straight across.
At least Homeworld was happy to see them.
"Well, they sure got themselves organized for our arrival," Pearl noted.
"Yeah, but … I don't remember them doing that before. At least not like this," Lapis said.
And suddenly the crowd went silent. All at once.
"W-What now?" Peridot wondered.
And they got their answer. Just off in the sky, a round white orb started to come their way ever so slightly, landing right next to them. Whatever was going on it wasn't gonna wait for them to figure everything out, or anything out for that matter. Bismuth stood in the way between the orb and her friends, hand turning into a pickaxe at the ready. A white orb like this had little other idea on who it might belong to. Bismuth was ready to jump at it as the bubble disappeared to show another Gem, but this gem wasn't your typical standard fighter.
She had a monochromatic color scheme, with white skin, black and grey clothes, and pale grey hair, which was twisted into two, Princess-Leia-inspired buns that are held to the sides of her head. The outfit on her was black and white in overall scheme: a black top resembling a barlette with grey sleeves, a white tulle skirt, and a pair of black boots with grey stockings. Her most prominent feature was the atypical scarring over her left eye, lined with cracks that extend to the chin, hairline and hair bun of her physical form, completely covering the eye. Her gemstone was located on the upper part of her navel and was an unfaceted oval-shaped cabochon, much like their own Pearl.
"A … Pearl?" Steven said, humbled and confused. What kind of Pearl could silence all of Homeworld just by showing up?! Of course, White Pearl didn't look too natural herself. Just standing there on her tip-toes, arms spread out, and gaze seemingly staring off into the distance passed them. She had a smile, but this smile didn't look natural at all, if anything on her were considered natural.
"Pink Diamond," said White Pearl, "So nice to see you've come to visit. The Diamonds wish to see you."
"T-They do?" Peridot asked. The White Pearl didn't really answer her, still keeping that same expression on her face.
"... Well, we were here to see them anyway. Come on guys."
"Only Pink Diamond's presence is needed," White Pearl said. She started to "float" towards him, but the others weren't going to let her try anything fancy to him, going right to him. Pearl, Sapphire, and Bismuth surrounded Steven, but it seemed it didn't faze White Pearl that much at all. Lapis and Peridot didn't get the chance to catch up before another bubble suddenly covered them!
"Come back!" shouted Lapis, but the bubble didn't listen and started floating away. Lapis grabbed Peridot, and began to fly right on after it, the bubble moving fairly quick, Lapis having to fly fast to keep up with it. Lapis was so focused on the bubble though she didn't exactly see where they were going until -
"Steven!" - *bam!*
"Ouch."
Right into a wall. The bubble fazed through it just fine, but Lapis and Peridot don't exactly phase through objects, leaving both of them planted into said wall, and peeling off moments later to land on the ground. They'll find their own way in.
As for the others, the bubble didn't bother them. As soon as it completely got out of the wall, and into the next room, the bubble was removed, and White Pearl slipped away back into a nearby wall, fazing right through it. Not even a moment to actually talk to White Pearl (not that it mattered), and they were all left in one of the many buildings of Homeworld. The question was though; where were they? Hard to really find any exact clues inside the building, as it was lacking in any sort of pigment or clue.
"Well that happened. Where're we now?" Bismuth asked.
"I'm … not really sure. I don't remember seeing this room last time we were here," said Pearl, looking around a little bit. Must've been made during their year of absence, but Pearl was still left a bit shaken up by White Pearl.
"That pearl …"
"What's up, Steven?" Pearl asked.
"I don't know, it's just … something felt … familiar."
And suddenly Bismuth looked on ahead.
"Save that for after the fight, LOOK ALIVE!" Bismuth shouted, armed up all of a sudden. The others followed her gaze, only to find -
"Pink! There you are."
"W-WHITE DIAMOND!" Pearl gasped.
"Hello there, Starlight, you surely gave everyone quite a scare. They're all just thrilled to see you safe and sound," White Diamond said. Boy was there a bit different about her. The titan of a Diamond was in the same stance as her White Pearl, her form still the same as when they last saw her with Flint last winter. And it didn't seem she had recovered all that much either.
Out of all the Diamonds they could've seen, they had to see the most bitter one first.
"Uh. Hi?" Steven said humbly, his mind and soul not ready for her yet. He and the others may have met her before, a number of times, but this just blindsided them enough they didn't know what to exactly do for the most part. Sapphire was caught off guard too, actually keeping behind Steven a bit in White's presence.
"You surely pull quite the game on everyone, sweetheart. Was it good for you too, or do you still need another thousand years to work everything out?" White asked, her hand reaching towards them.
"Keep your hand away, you -" Bismuth couldn't even finish as Steven was plucked out of the crowd, Pearl desperately grabbing hold as they were lifted up.
"P-Put us down!" Steven yelped. White Diamond did, but only into the palm of her hand. Both Pearl and Steven were now on eye level with White Diamond.
"Speaking of which, Starlight, thank the stars it's over. Did you have fun? Get everything out of your system?" White then inquired.
"I -"
"Good, good," White cut in, gently placing both of them down back onto the ground, where Bismuth and Sapphire quickly grabbed them and pulled them away from White Diamond's grip.
"Everyone is so relieved. Welcome Home, Pink."
And just like that, Steven and company were trapped in a bubble again. White would've put him in a lone bubble, but the others were too close to do that so she did what she did anyway. The bubble started moving again, the others not having the slightest clue where they were going now.
"NO! Wait, don't leave me in another enigma!" Steven shouted. But like White Pearl, White diamond didn't hear him. And again, like it mattered much.
The bubble itself moved on only for a little bit more, and eventually the group found themselves in yet another room off somewhere on Homeworld. This time though, the room had some more familiarity to it (at least for Pearl). Since the room was pink in color instead of White, they could at least say this room was away from White Diamond's sight and grasp.
Pink Diamond's old bedroom.
"... What just happened?!" Steven gasped.
"White's controlling Homeworld, that's what happened!" Bismuth concluded, "The white aura on the planet, those Gems outside, White being here to begin with! The one time we come home and it's turned into a slave camp all over again."
"Maybe, but m-maybe not! Remember Blue, Pink, and Yellow? Maybe they can explain what's going on here," Pearl suggested. They can surely use some sort of answer at this point.
"You're right. They ruled over Homeworld, they have to know what's going on. But, where're they?" Steven wondered. Pearl took a moment to check around them to get her memory working. It'd been a while since she went through these halls. Pearl began going over to the door.
"Considering this is Pink Diamond's original room on Homeworld, my guess is they shouldn't be too far away. All we got to do is find one of the Diamond castle in either Yellow or Blue Diamond City, and work from there," Pearl figured after some thinking. Well, IF White Diamond didn't mess with them beforehand, but that was something she didn't want to bring up. Before any of them could start going off though, they all began to hear some footsteps just beyond the door.
"Arm up everyone," Bismuth said, but Sapphire felt a bit more ease this time.
"Wait! It's not White Diamond this time," Sapphire said, feeling relieved as the door then opened right up. The sound did seem urgent, and quick, but who they saw come up next was someone NOT ready to shatter or manipulate them into another enigma. She saw White Diamond's bubble leave one area of Homeworld (wherever that was), and had to get to Pink's room before White could come up with any other ideas.
Yellow Diamond. Her with Yellow Pearl by her side. She may look a bit more formal, but they could sense that she was a bit on the edge about what's been going on as of late. Who could blame her? Yellow Pearl reacted first, giving a breath of relief.
"Good, you're still here," said Yellow Diamond.
"Yellow Diamond!" Steven said, happy to see her, "Uh, sorry for just coming by like this, I-I just -"
"No, no, it's fine, Pink -" Yellow quickly corrected herself, "Steven. It's just good to see White didn't decide to lock you away. Sorry about the "welcoming committee"," Yellow Diamond said, Yellow Pearl nodding in agreement. Nerves weren't as on edge now for the group.
"Yeah. Before this enigma can go on, can you please tell us what happened? What happened to Homeworld?" Steven asked.
"Look, I know this is out of nowhere. Just follow me, and when we meet up with Blue and Pink, we'll explain everything to you."
"THANK YOU," Steven thought.
~~~~~~
Oh stars, there was a lot to take in. Not even a half an hour on Homeworld, and they were jumping around all over the place. White Diamond, the planet being split, the eerie behavior of most of the Gems, it was all just going on by a little bit fast for them all to handle so quickly. Well, with Yellow Diamond, at least they got a chance to catch a breather and actually calm down and process what was even going on. Far as they knew for the moment, White Diamond had control over Homeworld, but plenty of questions were still left a bit hung up in the air as they went along, following Yellow Diamond on her way. The most obvious one being what happened to their planet?! No normal enemy, or occurrence, could make an entire planet crumble and break open like an egg like this. If there was one bright side, the Gem species was still very much thriving with how many they saw earlier, but that was entirely precarious.
Yellow Diamond too had a bit to think about with this situation. Ok, the planet was getting very crumbled up, yes, but she didn't plan on the true Pink Diamond to just suddenly come around back to them, especially at this time. The whole "Pink Diamond being Rose Quartz" thing they were still trying to wrap around, though it did seem according to the crowds they saw earlier, Yellow at least told them about the news already.
"So … how have things been? Yellow?" Steven asked.
"I don't think I need to tell you how things had been, Steven, you can see for yourself," Yellow said. Steven got quiet again as they continued. Maybe a question slightly more on the situation perhaps?
"How's Blue and Pink?"
"Blue and Pink are doing alright, considering. They should be waiting for us in the main chamber," Yellow replied.
"Main Chamber?" Sapphire questioned.
"There had been some changes to Homeworld. … Well, aside from White, of course," Yellow said. Steven would ask, but he felt he would be given the answer to that one in just a bit.
Eventually, the group reached the next main door, which Yellow Pearl proceeded to open up for them as they all went on into the next room. When Yellow said changes were made, she wasn't exactly kidding about it. Far as they remember the throne rooms for each Diamond were split into their respected city, but this room had hints that they all were beginning to share the same roof over their heads. The room was simply massive, wide in expanse of the tiled, brownish floor, smoothed out as glass. The walls were a little hard to tell, but with the many columns of pure, and VERY thick crystals, not to mention the smaller crystals jutting out of the columns like branches, it did have a sort of "magical forest" kind of feel to it. The thrones for each of the four Diamonds were within the same room as well, shaped of course in the matter of the Diamond insignia: White's giant throne floating up top, Yellow and Blue's thrones floating side by side, and Pink's throne at the bottom (and of course the smallest one). They recognized Yellow and Blue's thrones from their respected castles and palaces.
And another good sight too: Blue Diamond, Blue Pearl, and Pink Diamond were also present there waiting for them to come in.
"Steven!" gasped Pink Diamond, jumping up from her throne to go and see them.
"Pink!" Steven replied, both meeting up with eachother mid way for a hug together. Blue Diamond was pleased to see them all too, coming over to them as well alongside Blue Pearl.
"It's so good to see all of you again. I was starting to really worry," said Blue Diamond.
"It's good to see you too, my Diamond," said Sapphire. Pink Diamond and Steven stopped the hug for a moment, but Blue Diamond, pleased to see that White didn't do anything to them, got them all wrapped in her hug. A bit tight, but it just showed that she cared for them same as any.
"Easy there, Blue," said Yellow, "We need to start explaining to them before things get too out of hand."
"Oh yes, of course," Blue Diamond said, though she still held the warm hug for a few seconds more before letting them all down. Blue, Yellow, and Pink went to the throne, as the others followed.
"So what's going on here? White Diamond's here, Homeworld's almost destroyed, everyone's acting kind of freaky. White didn't take over Homeworld while we're gone, did she? Please tell me, I don't want to be left in more guessing games," Steven asked, worried. The other Diamonds got settled in.
"Well, Steven, there's been … a lot happening since the last time you came to Homeworld."
"We can see that," Bismuth said. How could any of them NOT see that?
"Indeed," said Yellow Diamond, though she didn't sound all that amused. "We've been making a few changes over the last year as you might've noticed; the Diamond cities had been made into one place as requested by Pink here, and we've been trying some new … what's the word you used again, Pink?"
"Activities," Pink replied, "and I thought bringing the cities together can make us feel closer."
"It sure looks that way. I like the architecture, by the way, has a nice natural charm to it," said Pearl, seeing the columns around the room.
"You think so? I got the idea from the Everfree Forest, but it's hard to show the trees -"
"AHEM," Yellow cut in. They didn't have time to be talking about design, at least for the moment.
"Anyway, we've been going through this development, but then we had an unexpected mishap when we got our uninvited guest. Next thing we know our planet is barely keeping itself together."
"But who did that?" Steven asked.
"What do you mean who?! WHITE."
Some reason this answer was more shocking than finding White Diamond herself. Alright, White Diamond was there and was taking over Homeworld again, but WHY would she try to destroy it?
"White Diamond did this? But why would she destroy her own planet?!" Steven asked.
"We're not sure. Lately, she's been acting bit … unpredictable," Blue Diamond said.
"I can only assume she did that, AND used her "magic" to keep the planet together as a sure way to conquer it. If she goes, Homeworld goes, and we can't do anything about it," Yellow Diamond concluded.
"Sounds like something she would do. Now that she can do that," Pearl quietly confirmed. Working with White herself, she had some idea of how her old Diamond operated.
"Did any of you try talking to her?" Sapphire asked.
"Believe me, we've tried, one way or another, but nothing 's getting to her. It's like something's missing in that evil head of hers," Pink Diamond said.
"Yeah, I think so," said Steven after thinking about it a bit, "Before she was crazy, but had a lot of mind games. Now she's just crazy. … Uh, no offense."
"We agree," said Blue and Yellow.
*beep**beep**beep**beep*
"I-It's White Diamond on the line," Blue Pearl said, now scared a little bit. Speak of the devil. However, then what happened next caught much of the Harmony Gems a bit off guard. Blue Diamond brought her hands out, and like cutting a board, her hand "split" the team up. Bismuth and Sapphire were cut away as Pearl and Steven were lifted away and brought over to Pink Diamond's throne.
"What're you doing?" Steven asked.
"Just stay here, please, it'll only be a moment. Pearl, here with me. Bismuth, Sapphire, stay out of sight and don't say anything," Blue said urgently. Blue Pearl went over to her, and the other Gems stood well back. Yellow Pearl stood closely by her Diamond, and Pink Diamond sat in her throne too, Steven sitting on her knee and Pearl standing close to him. And then the screen came up, revealing White Diamond there with that same unnatural smile on her face, and rather bright light.
"Afternoon, White," Yellow started.
"Why hello there sisters. And servants. How nice to speak with you again. You enjoying the family reunion, Pink?" White said. Pink Diamond would answer, but she had the feeling White wasn't referring to her.
"Uh. Y-Yeah, it's nice. I -"
"Great to hear," White cut in. "We haven't been properly acquainted from our previous engagement, and since how you ALWAYS loved being together Pink, I've decided to come by and see all of you once I'm free tonight. doesn't that sound fun?"
"What?!" gasped Blue.
"Now wait a minute!" shouted Yellow, but White had already made up her mind.
"Don't wait up for me.~"
And just like that, White Diamond cut off communications before they could even remotely say a thing. The act was over, and White didn't suspect anything odd at all about any of that. However, Yellow and Blue were more than stressed now, Yellow groaned, and her hand over her eyes. The others relaxed once the screen was gone, and Bismuth and Sapphire were allowed to come back.
"What just happened there?" Bismuth asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" said Yellow Pearl, "White diamond explicitedly stated -"
"Not that, I meant that act there!" Bismuth corrected, "We met White before plenty of times, why're we hiding now?"
"Oh. Well it's simple: Everyone has to stay where they belong. And Bismuths don't belong in the Diamond throne room! … No offense."
Bismuth decided to let Yellow Pearl off easy and not bother answering back.
"Where they belong. But I thought the rules weren't as strong as they used to be. You guys did try to be more flexible with those rules, right?" Steven asked. It was something mostly "hinted" on over the years, but when it came to the rules of Homeworld itself, Blue Diamond at the least had them a bit less threatening.
"Ever since White returned home, the rules of our caste system had been far more enforced than they used to be. If she saw Sapphire and Bismuth just there, she wouldn't have it. Not to sound mean or anything, Sapphire but … it's very good you came by yourself."
"Yeah. Good," Sapphire simply said, but inside she was fuming (or freezing in her case). She thought Homeworld would be better with Garnet, but apparently White made sure she wouldn't be allowed to stay as Garnet if she would ever return here again.
"And NOW, apparently," added Yellow, "we have her arrival to expect by tonight."
"Well … look on the bright side: at least she told us this time. Now we have time to get ready for her," Steven said. Pink Diamond nodded in agreement, though admittedly that was probably the only good thing to possibly come from this.
"Yes. Thank you, Steven."
"He does have a point there," said Sapphire.
"Sapphire, are you sure this is a good idea?" Bismuth questioned.
"If any of us try to get away, White will only find us and put us back here. I don't see any future telling us otherwise," Sapphire replied.
"So. So we can't go back home?" Steven asked, getting off of the throne and going towards Sapphire.
"You can't leave yet!" Blue gasped, getting up, "If White finds you missing again, she'll destroy Homeworld, and keep it that way! I'm sorry, but, we can't afford to make her upset when she has the entire planet in her power. Let's all just get ourselves ready for tonight's visit."
"Good thing I planned an overnight trip," Steven stated.
"Come on, Steven, I'll help you freshen up," Pink decided, holding Steven by the hand and bringing him along. Well, it was clear they were sticking around, and if the rules were going to be a bit more forceful on them as to before, it probably would be best to try and keep it as such. The only ones unsure where to go were Blue Pearl and Pearl. As they began to disperse, Blue Pearl turned to CG Pearl.
"Welcome back."
~~~~~~
"AND done. I think I did pretty well!"
Pink Diamond's room again. This time with only Pink Diamond and Steven present, as both of them were getting themselves prepared for White Diamond's arrival. It was a little bit weird for him, being in the exact same room his mother was in (and in some weird turn of events, his "mom" handling his preparations), but he didn't bring it up. They were more focused on working out the outfit for Steven, getting himself together for the upcoming visit. Well, he did say he wanted to visit the diamonds for a gettogether anyway, so perhaps this was just a different way of doing it.
By the time Pink Diamond had finished, Steven was in a … completely different outfit. Rather, just a miniature version of Pink Diamond's outfit, resized to fit his human-sized body.
"You just made me look like you," Steven said, looking himself over in Pink Diamond's mirror.
"What's wrong with that?" Pink asked.
"Oh, nothing, nothing. I guess mom would wear this," Steven said, not wanting to upset Pink Diamond. The mirror Pink had in her room wasn't exactly as Diamond-sized as one would think, the full body mirror not too big from one for Earth. But it still got the job done, and both honorary diamonds checked eachother over.
"So, White thinks you're the real Pink Diamond Steven?" Pink asked, striking a conversation with him as she went over to the bed (which was still giant as the real PD would normally be).
"Guess she does," said Steven, "I don't think she's convinced I'm Steven yet."
"Yeah, she's been having trouble lately. You actually know what happened to her, by the way? Any idea? You did find her before the wedding before any of us saw her," Pink asked. Not everyday does a form of a Gem become as extravagant as White Diamond was. Steven went over to her, as Pink hopped up onto the bed.
"Well, that doesn't mean I know what happened to her. Do Gems have "glowing" phases, or something, Pink?"
"Hmm … I don't think so. Sorry," Pink shrugged. Technically speaking, Pink Diamond was just about two to three years old, so this kind of thing was still slightly sketchy, even with her memories of the pervious diamond still going on in her mind still. Steven was offered a spot on the bed, but when Steven jumped up, he rocketed right up to the ceiling! Pink cringed when Steven hit his head on the ceiling, and caught him on the way down.
"You okay?!"
"Yeah. I'm fine," Steven muttered, rubbing his head, "Just one of my new powers acting up again."
Pink Diamond found this interesting, as Steven settled down on the side of the bed with Pink.
"New powers? Really?! That's so exciting - like what?"
"Well the only one I found so far is me jumping really high, as I demonstrated," Steven said, feeling his head getting sore from the hit. "And I think I can do "out-of-body experiences" now, but I still don't know how that works."
"Out of body - oh, astral projection!" Pink realized, "I think I remembered doing that a few times before … or, I remember Pink Diamond doing that before."
"Huh? … Oh yeah, you have Pink Diamond's memories!" Steven remembered. Pink Diamond didn't bring this up all that much, nor did she do that all much during her Equestrian stay (too busy doing all sorts of things to bring it up). Pink diamond took a short breath, resting her head on her hand.
"Are you feeling okay about that, by the way?" Steven then asked. Pink Diamond laid down on the bed, staring up to the ceiling.
"I'm uh … still working with it. It doesn't bother me anymore, me not being Pink and all, but, a part of me wishes I actually did those things, you know what I mean? Instead of just imagining it, or get dreams of it," Pink explained. Steven laid down next to her, looking to her.
"Well ... at least you don't have that much of a name to live up to," Steven said. Pink Diamond turned her head to see him.
"You think so?"
"Well I'm her son pretty much. I thought I had a lot to live up to while she was Rose Quartz, but now I have a lot more of that to think about. You don't really have the Gem War hanging over your head, like I do."
"Oh yeah, your mom was in the war, wasn't she? I could only remember just before that point. … Though, maybe that's a good thing, huh?"
"Probably," Steven replied. Both honorary Diamonds took some time to think on it a bit more, looking up and drifting off into imagination for a little bit. Their lives were a bit busy to be thinking about such things, but with this one moment they did have a bit of time to go through those kinds of memories. Steven remembered one point Yellow did say Pink Diamond's memories were technically right next to him after all …
"... Hey Pink? Anything you wanna tell me about this room? I think this is the first time I've been in here," Steven asked. Pink sat up, and got off the bed. Steven hopped down with her, making sure to fall instead of jump this time.
"Oh, sure! Well, let's see … it's my bedroom, and I think … yeah, this is where Pearl performed her swordsmanship for me. Er, for Pink. You get the point."
"I bet she was very graceful," Steven said.
"Amazing," Pink said. Fake memory or no, it still was one she cherished somewhat. Though, that might be for the fact she was still a bit nice to remember some of the fun stuff. Speaking of fun stuff, something came into her mind.
"Oh! Steven, come here, I wanna show you something else," Pink Diamond said, going over near the bed, and moving up the bed sheets to show the rims of her own bed. Steven wasn't sure where Pink Diamond was going with this
"You ever wonder how Homeworld makes its furniture?"
"Hmm. No, but I am now. How?"
"Look in that hole, and you'll see. Go on," Pink said, a little excited, pointing to a small hole in the side rim of the bed. Well, curious is as curious does, and Steven looked to the hole in question. The hole could only be viewed by one eye, and Steven took a good look inside the tiny thing, and actually found something moving around in it. They didn't really notice Steven at first, though whoever did wasn't gonna say much of anything.
Little, teeny, tiny Gems. No bigger than mice. And there was a lot of them going about in there. The bed rimming itself almost looked like another part of the castle's passages, including stairs platforms and walkways for the tiny Gems to go about the place. These Gems were the simplest in design: gray bodies with various shaped heads, rounded stones half the size of their own bodies, wearing tiny teeny clothes. Some of these Gems even mending some of the old foundation: fixing cracks in the furniture, and strengthening the pieces.
"Awwwww, they're so cute," Steven said. He just couldn't help it, his eyes sparkling as he stepped back.
"I know," Pink said, sharing his enthusiasm, "They're called pebbles."
"Pebbles? I've never seen them before. Are they new Gems, or no?" Steven asked. Pink diamond leaned in, bringing her hand out as if ready to share a secret.
"Actually, they're found all over the place, and they make their homes in every building all over Homeworld. And this is just a rumor, but they might be the first Gems to exist."
"What? You serious?"
"I have no idea. But it sounds amazing, doesn't it?" Pink asked, hands together and smiling. Steven glanced over back to the bed, which he knows now was probably teaming with Pebbles going about their own day.
"Yeah. That is kinda -"
"Steven? Pink?"
And then Pearl arrived into the room to see them both. She had what Steven brought with him in his bag (how she got them was a miracle to think about later).
"Hey Pearl. So, how do I look?" Steven asked, showing himself to her. Pearl cleared her throat.
"You look just fine Steven. Ok, I'm here to drop off your things … and according to the Diamond laws, I'm one of your things."
"Geesh," Steven sighed. Pearl will have to deal with the past for some time now, and Pink Diamond took a look to Steven's bag, which Pearl placed on Pink's bedroom table.
"This all you brought with you, Steven?"
"Just for an overnight stay. But, maybe I should've brought a bit more," Steven said, Pink diamond pulling out what looked to be a PBnJ sandwich, and one of Pinkie Pie's specialized cupcakes. Just a few things to tie Steven's own hunger over for the time being.
"Where's Sapphire and Bismuth?" Steven asked.
"They're both getting ready in their own way. Sapphire's with Blue Diamond, and Bismuth is … well, she won't be coming. Bismuths don't attend such things unless they're called for."
"Double geesh," said Pink Diamond.
"On the bright side of things, none of us got into trouble yet. Let's just work out our roles until White Diamond leaves, and then we can work everything out from there," Pearl concluded.
None of them, huh? …….
Oh clod!
"Wait. … AAHHH! Lapis! Peridot! I completely forgot them, they're still outside!" Steven gasped. All this crazy hubbub and he forgot his beach summer fun buddy AND green Dorito buddy back at the entrance platform. Steven bolted to Pink Diamond's window, looking outside for any sign of them. However, despite given probably the best view of Homeworld, he didn't see hair nor gemstone of either Gem around the place.
"There's more with you?" Pink Diamond said, Pearl feeling nervous.
"Oh boy, we must've left them back at the ship. Come on, before White takes them away," Steven said, rushing for the door. Who knows what Lapis and Peridot are going through while outside right now?! Pink Diamond though got to him before he could reach the exit.
"Can't that wait, Steven? White's gonna come here, and if you're not here -"
"I can't leave them out there. I'll only be for a bit, just let me check back at the ship, and I'll be back before lunch time," Steven insisted. Unfortunately, fate wasn't going to give him the chance to go out, because just as he was about to exit, the door already opened up. THIS time it was Yellow Pearl standing there, hands in the diamond insignia symbol with a slight bow to the diamonds present.
"Steven Universe. Pink Diamond. My diamond has requested your presence in the extraction chamber."
"The what chamber?"
"Oh … you know. The "sauna"?" Yellow Pearl tried to say the word correctly, just enough for Steven to understand it. Steven felt a bit confused, but did knew what the word was.
"A Sauna?" Steven asked.
"J-Just follow me!" Yellow Pearl insisted, starting to walk on her way. But this time Steven stayed focused.
"I can't right now, I have to find my friends first. Just tell Yellow Diamond I'll be right back," Steven said, his voice a bit urgent in tone, and him wanting to just go. Yellow Pearl felt a shiver run through her.
"W-where're you going?! You can't leave now!"
"Steven, I'll go and try to find them for you," Pearl cut in.
"You will?"
"It won't be as bad if I'm not there with you, Steven. You go and meet with Yellow Diamond, and I promise I'll meet back with you before White Diamond comes back," Pearl promised. Steven wanted to go off himself, but with the situation at hand, it would be better for Pearl to go instead of him. As much as it was bothering him.
"Thank you, Pearl."
~~~~~~
With a flash from the interior Diamond warp pad (which they had freshly installed in recent years since merging the castles together), Yellow Pearl brought Pink Diamond and Steven from the bedroom, and towards the "Extraction Chamber". It was a good thing Yellow Pearl explained what the chamber really was, because the name sounded VERY sketchy to him, to say the least. But then again, birthing grounds for Gems were called "Kindergartens", so, who was he to judge anyway?
As for the chamber itself? Steven took a moment to take in just what he was looking at. Shocking too how it could even be possible. For one thing, the bordering "walls" of the room were lined with a display of waterfalls, crystal clear water pouring down to who knows where. The floor underneath was smooth like glass, but slightly moist thanks to the mist left by the water around them. But what caught Steven's attention the most was the sauna's front door and display. Specialized markings and figures lining the giant yellow door just screamed a Arabic or Egyptian hieroglyphic style. Two large figures with a sort of spear-like weapon stood side-by-side. And with the great yellow coloration on most of it, Yellow diamond must've had some involvement in it. Blue Pearl as it turned out was standing just outside, waiting for her diamond to finish up.
"Whoa," Steven said in awe. "This looks amazing! You design for this too, Pink?"
"Actually, Yellow did most of the work on it. She REALLY was interested in Humans from the desert, and all their designs. Don't tell her I told you," Pink said, winking to him with a smirk. Steven smiled, but then Yellow Pearl stopped briefly, standing over by Blue Pearl, and signaled them to go on in. However, Steven noted that Yellow Pearl kinda kept her eyes covered, so …
"Ok, respect. Respect their privacy," Steven thought.
Pink Diamond and Steven then went on inside. The door opened up when they sensed their presence, and both Gems were allowed to come in. Pearls seemingly didn't have that kind of privilege to go in and see the Diamonds like they are. They both immediately felt the hot steam hit them as they stood there, the door closing behind them. The room was very big, to accommodate all the diamonds at one time clearly. warm water came out of a few statues off in the back, with steam coming up around them to warm up the room just like an Earth Sauna. Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond were already in there, with Blue diamond in a one piece outfit much similar to Yellow Diamond's original outfit. Must've gotten too hot under that dress she usually wore.
"Pink. Steven," said Yellow. Pink nodded, but then felt someone bump into her leg, just to find Steven standing there, his hands covering his eyes.
"... What're you doing?" Yellow questioned, eyebrow raised.
"Don't worry, I will keep my respect for your privacy the whole time we're here," Steven promised. Blue Diamond chuckled.
"It's okay Steven, you can look. It's decent," Blue Diamond reassured. Steven was a bit hesitant at first, but he did eventually peep through his fingers, just to find them all clothed enough so it wasn't indecent for anyone. A crisis avoided before it could begin. Now a bit more comfortable, Steven went over and stood by Blue Diamond, as Pink sat down by Yellow.
"So what's up?" Steven asked.
"I wanted to discuss the current situation in private. That, and you need to look cleansed enough for White's visit," Yellow Diamond said. Steven glanced to his gemstone, which already was getting some water droplets from the steam.
"I can't believe White Diamond is actually going to come here now. Oh stars, I only hope she's not going to do anything rash," Blue Diamond said in a troubled tone.
"Why wouldn't she do anything rash, Blue?" Yellow pointed out.
"Wait, wait. Maybe she wants to come by so she can actually talk to us more casually? Maybe?" Steven suggested.
"We're lucky to even get a word in, Steven. I'm more wondering how we're going to get our planet back. We were doing so well and White comes in and takes control over everything," Yellow said. Blue, Pink, and Steven weren't entirely sure how to really approach this subject, especially with what she did to the planet already. Steven began to think a bit more intently about this. White Diamond had gone through a bit of grief in the past, including losing her life's work thanks to them and essentially her whole space station.
"Well, telling her to just leave is out of the question," Pink Diamond said.
"Yeah … maybe there's a way we can all live here together without any trouble."
"Like how?" Yellow questioned. Steven started to get his thinking cap to work, pacing back and forth a little bit to try and figure this out. White Diamond was essentially, and confirmed to be, the first true Gem to exist (if Pebbles don't count that is), leaving White Diamond to work everything out herself. Then Steven got an idea.
"We can at least try to make friends with her. We did kind of ruin her life's work before."
"She tried to forcefully fuse us, create Pink Diamond "how she wants it", and tried to kill you. HOW can we befriend someone like that?"
"Several of my friends tried to kill me at least once before, but we're pals now," Steven pointed out. "If she can't leave Homeworld, we should try to make a good example for her to follow."
"That is a nice thought, Steven. But, White's usually just done her own thing for the longest time. She wouldn't listen to anyone else overall," Blue Diamond said gravely.
"Well maybe that's because she grew up by herself! None of you ever grew up alone, and White Diamond is the first Diamond to exist, that means she had to grow up all by herself. So, that makes her an orphan pretty much."
"An … orphan?" Pink asked, not ever hearing that word before.
"That means basically someone grew up without a mom or dad," Steven replied. While "mom" and "dad" were slightly less familiar words to a Gem, Blue Diamond did start to consider something about that.
"Now that you say that, I don't recall her mentioning anyone she ever looked up to. No one to really guide her, or give her moral values growing up. … Oh White."
"Blue, don't you start crying over her," Yellow Diamond stated, already feeling a hint of sadness creep into her as Blue Diamond started to consider the idea. Imagining a young, lone Diamond all by herself without ANYONE to even guide her, teach her, or anything like that. Blue at least had White while growing up, and had SOME idea of being alone, but not entirely.
"Ok, think about it this way: if she likes us, she wouldn't want to manipulate us anymore. She wouldn't treat her friends as badly as her enemies," Steven pointed out. Yellow Diamond still found this very sketchy, but he did have a point. Why would White Diamond torture someone she liked? … That sounded like a very dumb question to think about.
"We are talking about the same White Diamond, are we?"
"Yellow, I'm serious!" Steven retorted, "How is she supposed to know what's right and what's wrong if she never really had anyone to tell her what that is? We can show her what's good and what's bad, and we'll all live happily ever after."
Yellow groaned. "Do you hear yourself, Steven? White Diamond never had any grasp on value outside of physical use and gemstone rarity in all her existence, what makes you think she'll just start doing that now?"
And just like that, Steven started to have doubts about his own decision. After all, compared to his sixteen years to White Diamond's … boy, how long was she around for? Well, anyway, compared to that, Steven was just a blink of the eye to White Diamond, so maybe her life might've given her more than he might've thought.
"We could try!" Pink Diamond said, "I've seen it happen before back in Equestria, a chance to befriend and make someone happy can save an entire world. Let's try and show her someone does love her!"
"You're talking about multi-colored fantasy horses who overall don't have a strong grasp on reality," Yellow said.
"And we're literally talking rocks with magic powers, what's your point?"
Yellow was about to respond, but suddenly she found herself running empty.
"Perhaps we should at least try to make things better with her," Blue concluded, "She doesn't have her work, or her space station right now. No matter what the case is, she's still family."
"Now you're getting it," Steven said, giving Blue Diamond a thumbs up. Yellow Diamond looked to them for a bit more, and tried considering the options here. If she does leave Homeworld in some form (unless she herself would fix it), then Homeworld will break apart completely. That, and they've had more than enough trouble with her in the past in some form.
"Will your actual friends be okay with this? Not that it bothers me too much, but I'd imagine at least your Flint might be against this idea. … A lot."
"I know we can do this, just you watch," Steven reassured, feeling confident in this more than ever. Yellow found herself beaten three to one.
"……. Good luck," Yellow finally said. They would probably try to do this with or without her anyway, so what was the point in fighting them now? At this point, Blue Diamond got up.
"Oh thank you, Yellow," Pink said, "Hey Steven, why don't we make the place look fancy for White? I got some lights to hang up."
"Decoration mode engage!" Steven said with a big smile. Pink Diamond and Steven, cleansed and ready to go, went on out of the sauna and towards their destination. Soon after they left, Blue Diamond went towards the door herself.
"You coming, Yellow?"
"In a minute. I need some more time in here," Yellow sighed.
"Alright. I'm going to rest up if you need me."
Understanding, Blue Diamond went off on her own way to get herself ready for the time ahead. White Diamond would still be a while, but that didn't mean they couldn't make things ready. Soon, Yellow Diamond was all by herself with her own thoughts.
"Ok, Yellow, take it easy. You can handle this," Yellow told herself, as she sat by the rim of the sauna's bath. so far this meeting with White Diamond was going a little bit roughly at best. If they REALLY wanted things to be amended with White again that WON'T end up killing everyone, Yellow had to figure something out and quick before the whole thing could end up just collapsing around them. White's new form didn't really help the situation out too much either. White looked so distant. So foreign to everything … so darn bright!
As Yellow Diamond sat there, the warm air bringing out water droplets on her, she failed to notice something start to scurry out from the mist and up towards her. Glancing off towards her left, she was expecting Yellow Pearl, or Steven perhaps coming back, but instead it was a scrawny, little coyote.
"Eh … hi."
"... And what are you?" Yellow questioned. Her voice alone made the creature feel very spooked, recoiling to almost a tiny ball of fur.
"Uh, I'm Stubby," the coyote replied in a stutter.
"I can see that."
"N-No that's my name … but yeah, I'm very stubby," Stubby said, giggling nervously. A diamond was the last thing anyone would want to tick off. Seriously she could crush him with her pinkie if she wanted to, or just blow him away like a fly. Yellow Diamond groaned.
"I don't know how you got in here, but be lucky I got enough on my mind to deal with you," Yellow groaned. Cautiously like a timid deer, Stubby moved right up to Yellow Diamond's side, having a seat by her. Stubby then went on to speak again.
"SO. … I heard something's been uh … bothering you? I-I mean, it's not my business or anything -"
"Then shut up," Yellow Diamond bluntly instructed.
"Aaaaa - ok," Stubby said, clamming up. Silence hung in the awkward air for a bit before Stubby spoke again.
"I … I think there's something you should know. If that's ok?" Stubby said, flinching when Yellow looked him down like the coward he was. Yellow Diamond didn't know what harm this mutt could do to her or anyone else.
"Really?" Yellow questioned. Stubby gulped nervously.
"Eh, yep. Just uh if I …" then Stubby tried to climb up her for a bit. Yellow Diamond was in no mood for a little leech to climb up her, so she made him back away with a nudge of her hand.
"Just tell me already before I call the guard."
"EEK! Uh, ok, ok, ok but uh … it … might be better if I was by your uh … ear?" Stubby asked. Yellow raised a suspicious brow.
"For a coward, you're very picky. … And when you tell me this message, then will you go away?" Yellow commented. Stubby nodded quickly, and again tried climbing up her. Yellow Diamond was not amused by this mutt's antics much, but this time she didn't stop him as he got onto her shoulder. Not exactly the best dog to climb a human body. By the time he got there, he was panting and trying to catch his breath.
"Well?" Yellow asked, though at this point she really didn't care what he had to say.
"W-Well. This is just a rumor, but … White Diamond's planning your downfall right now."
"What else is new?" Yellow sighed, brushing this off. Stubby was … quiet. and weirded out.
"... huh?"
"Me and Blue had a rather rough relationship with White Diamond. She already tried to force fuse us before."
Well Stubby was … well, stumped. His information had a flow to it, and hearing this kinda made that a little bit odd now. But, might as well get to the next point anyway.
"Ok, but did you know Blue Diamond is in on it?" Stubby asked. Even if this was coming from a skin and bones mutt, Yellow Diamond's eyes shot open on this idea.
"Blue? Working with White? I find that hard to believe."
"B-But it's true, every word I'm telling you, you got to -"
"NOT SO LOUD. You're right by my ear," Yellow groaned. Stubby had to duck as Yellow's pinkie dug into said ear, as it was ringing from Stubby's yelping. Stubby quickly corrected himself.
"Right. A-Anyway, I heard White make a deal with Blue that she will turn Earth into a sanctuary if she get's rid of you first. … Something about you being too rough and tactless to preserve anything."
"Excuse me?" Yellow inquired.
"I-I'm just saying what I heard!" Stubby quickly said, covering his eyes as if "blocking" some attack. Yellow diamond pondered for a short minute about this. White Diamond did consider Yellow as a more headstrong diamond at times, and Yellow was "forceful" in the past before, but Yellow never would consider herself too rough and/or tactless. But she had one more thing to check.
"And you're telling me this. Because …"
"B-Because I'm one of White Diamond's experiments and want her stopped before they could do anything rash. You keep homeworld in line better than any other Diamond," Stubby replied. Well, not far from the truth as far as Yellow was concerned, and she could tell he was just flattering her. But that didn't mean he would make a good liar, judging by the look of this thing. So, Yellow diamond picked up Stubby by the collar like someone would pick up a wet towel, and flicked him out the door.
"That would be all," Yellow simply replied.
"OK! … owch."
Stubby wished he didn't have to exit the scene so roughly, but at least the message was given. Whether Yellow Diamond believed him or not wasn't really too important. Besides, he didn't have too much time to even regather, as he began hearing someone coming. He bolted well out of sight.
…….
Blue Diamond was next. She did have another little guest coming into her room, whether she wanted it or not. Not too long after she went off to sleep, Stubby found her sleeping chamber. It would be suicide to go and bother her right now, but Stubby was seemingly too stupid to realize the danger this time as he cautiously went in. Blue Diamond didn't notice Stubby sneaking in, and the little mutt felt this one might be easier since Blue was sleeping. Always better to talk to a sleeping creature than one that's awake. So, checking once more to close the door and be sure he was all by himself, Stubby snuck right up towards Blue Diamond's bed, and climbed up to it as best as he could. It was actually harder to climb up than Yellow Diamond since there wasn't much to even grab.
"Oh boy, this is higher than it looks," Stubby panted once he got to the top. His tiredness turned spooked as his ears shot up, hearing Blue Diamond stir ever so slightly. Stubby clamped his muzzle shut, not wanting her to wake up just yet. Besides, direct talk probably won't be as effective anyway. So, Stubby moved himself up and over towards the blue giant's ears (which were easier to reach by the way).
"Yellow. … Yellow is out to get you …" Stubby whispered. There was a trick to this method, he just had to make his words out right for it to take effect. Blue murmured a little bit.
"White wants her to get you. … You don't want her to get you."
"Noo … no …" Blue muttered. Stubby was doing the job right, and he scurried over to her other ear, going around her head as best he could.
"They made a deal against you. … White will return to corrupted Gems to normal for her ONLY after they kill you. … They say you're too emotional and strung to stay alive."
Blue Diamond murmured again, but she then turned her body. The movement accidentally knocked Stubby off of the bed, and onto the ground. Not too graceful, but if it did it's job, then perhaps it would make things work better for him. But did she even hear him? Well, no matter, he got the idea in her head anyway.
…….
Stubby had an easy time with Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond, but this final part was gonna be a pretty tricky mess to tackle. He wasn't sure either if White Diamond actually noticed him come in or not. The room was so bright to the animal, it was hard to really make out her face in full. The eyes and lips were prominent, but that was about it. And she simply stood there, arms out stretched like a statue or trophy.
"H-h-h-hello? H-Hello?! Can you hear me up there?!" Stubby called, as loud but as quiet as he could (if that makes any sense). However, it seemed that White Diamond didn't even hear, or acknowledged the tiny critter now inside the room. His eyes squinted a bit trying to better see her, though the light itself was like staring into a flashlight's beaming ray, and Stubby had to turn away a few times so he won't end up seeing as many sunspots in his vision. White Diamond didn't say anything to him, but her gaze was locked onto him so she knew he was there.
"Hello?! White Diamond?! I have something to tell you!" Stubby called again. Still nothing. Stubby sat down, bizarrely not as worried. Yellow and Blue at least did something, but he had to wonder if this was really White or just some statue he was talking to.
"Huh. Is this even her, or just some statue or something?"
"YES." said White Diamond, utterly freaking out the creature all over again. Guess White was just playing with his mind and emotions.
"Y-You're real! Ok! Oh crud!" Stubby stuttered. All of a sudden, before he could do anything, a silver bubble suddenly wrapped around him. The bubble lifted him up, and next thing he knew, he found himself in the palm of White Diamond's hand. Stubby stuttered on sight of the leader of all of Homeworld, his eyes locked with hers. White Diamond looked to him some more, making the creature even more worried on what she'll do.
"There you are, my little troublemaker," White Diamond said, her finger gently stroking Stubby's head. Stubby felt a shiver run through his back.
"You looked like you were having fun earlier," said White Diamond, "You enjoy playing around with my sister's heads?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about. I-If anything, you're the one in danger!" Stubby said, trying to regain himself a bit. Now, he waited for White diamond to bring him closer and listen to the rest of the message, but instead, White Diamond smiled.
"Nothing new."
"Yeah, and - wait. N-Nothing new?"
"Yellow, Blue, and I had a little bit of a tiff before now. Some attempted murder, hybridizing, you know. Nothing too troublesome, mind you. I'm to assume they are the ones behind this "danger" of yours? Hmm?"
… Whelp, crud. Stubby thought he had everything together, but apparently not. Yellow and Blue at least let him continue the message so they got an idea on who was the one at fault, and by now those two were suspicious as ever. White wasn't even giving him the chance, and wrapped up his own message before he could even say anything. Not to mention the attempted murder and all.
"Y-You call attempted murder nothing troublesome?"
"Attempted murder, don't forget. No one died that day, and that's fine by me," White corrected. No that didn't help him at all. Stubby gulped nervously.
"O … K … but d-do you at least want to know -"
"They're probably still a bit bitter with me from my attempts to hybridize them, as all. Wanting to have Pink that planet Earth for her sake, hehe … That what you were gonna say?" White figured. Stubby thought he would collapse from shock at any moment.
"Uh … I-I-I uh … huh?"
"What's this? Not following your little script?" White Diamond said, knowingly, as her finger gently stroked Stubby's head again. After a little bit, White diamond brought Stubby up closer to her, close enough to the point that Stubby could touch her nose if he wanted to … and probably go blind with how bright she was. Just a white shape with eyes and a mouth.
"Script? W-what script, I'm -"
"Just the little messenger, I know."
"Y-You … you know. …"
"And I also know," continued White, "that any messenger can easily add a little extra details to their messages to see what could happen. Isn't that right my little troublemaker? I mean, you did keep changing the story after talking with Yellow and Blue. And I bet you were going to give me a different story too … you're adorable."
"AAAHHH!" Stubby thought. Well she had him there, and he got nothing left. Stubby finally snapped, and tried to get away, rushing up her arm and racing down her body. He lost his grip half-way down, rolling down her leg and onto the floor. White simply pointed a finger over by the door, and it slammed shut before Stubby could get out. She also made sure the door shut on his face as a way to toy with him just that much more. All he could hear was White diamond chuckling behind him, her voice sinister, yet sweet like a demonic vixen. All Stubby could do was cower and cover his face with his paws, as if that was going to do anything. But instead of White Diamond that stopped in front of him, it was actually White Pearl. But that barely made this any better for Stubby.
"Don't think you're the only one tasked in being the spy here," White Diamond said. And all of a sudden, Stubby now saw what actually happened, as White Pearl floated over to him. Her one-eyed gaze with her smile were disturbing enough, but when Stubby looked up, the light made this smile more of a killer's crazed yet calm grin.
This pearl will happily kill him, and that face would not change in the slightest.
"NO NO, I-I can help you if you want! I'll tell you anything you want, just don't hurt me!"
"What? You want me to kill you rather than hurt you? I'll make it painless," White Pearl said, her hands reaching down towards him, grabbing him by the throat.
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Stubby screamed, as White Pearl's grip tightened. She was only stopped when White Diamond cleared her throat.
"Not just yet, Pearl. I'm sure he will be more than willing to have a little chat with the others at our gettogether tonight. Sound good to you?" White said.
"Uh, y-yeah, sure, whatever you say," Stubby stuttered.
The player had just been played.
~~~~~~
The hours ticked on by, coming a bit close to White Diamond's visit to the main palace. Lucky for Steven, Pearl was successful in finding Lapis and Peridot, the whole group meeting up over in Pink Diamond's bedroom (which technically was Steven's room as far as White was concerned), and Steven explained the main idea to them. The main response?
"Are you tumbling our rocks?! WHY would you try and befriend White Diamond of all things?!" Bismuth asked.
"Because she's technically part of my family," replied Steven, "And it would mean everything for the people of Homeworld if she can try and see things like we do."
"Steven, miracle work may be our forte at this point, but seriously. WHITE DIAMOND?" Peridot asked again, "We might as well just turn ourselves in!"
"Come on guys, think about it. If this works, we'll have the entire diamond Authority our friends, and we won't ever have to worry about Homeworld again. Besides, I don't think White Diamond ever had a true friend before," Steven explained. The idea was a nice one, but just how far of a longshot was this idea exactly? Pearl decided to go over to him, hands on his shoulders.
"Steven, we know what you want to do, but she isn't like us, she isn't like them, not anymore! We may have run into her a number of times before, but trust me Steven. As someone who's worked alongside her longer than anyone else on our team, you have no idea what she's truly capable of."
"Pearl, it's risky I know, but it can't hurt to try. Even if we did something bad before, we still managed to work it all out," Steven said. But he wasn't done talking just yet, as he started pointing out examples. Good thing he had every single one of them right there with him.
"Lapis Lazuli. You were left cracked, and on a rampage with Jasper as Malachite, but you worked passed that and we all made sure you were safe back at the barn, and we never gave up on you even as you froze yourself inside. Bismuth, literally on the second day you came out of that bubble, you nearly killed me, Amethyst, and Peridot because you thought we were spies for Homeworld, but we explained everything to you and now you're one the best Bismuths the Harmony Gems could ever ask for. Peridot, you didn't tell us about the Cluster even after years of staying with us, and yeah they got mad at you, but after weeks of working to fix that, we all saved the Earth and all is fine and good again! And Pearl, you didn't tell any of us about what REALLY happened to Pink Diamond for thousands of years, but even after all that time, when it finally came out we all came back together, and everything worked out in the end!"
Each example he explained began casting them doubts on their own reluctant, each one feeling a little guilty somewhat for their past mistakes. Steven wouldn't be so blunt before, but sometimes bad things needed to be brought up in order to show what someone really meant, and to bring the point forward.
"Don't you see? We all had done mistakes before, but we managed to make it work. White Diamond may have been awful to us, but I think that's because she doesn't exactly understand what friendship and harmony actually is. If we can show her what that is, even a little bit, then maybe all of Homeworld will be friends with Earth and Equus. And besides, White Diamond's been out for Earth, so, maybe she won't have to go after it if she understands this. It's our home, all our home. Isn't it worth fighting for?"
Pearl and Sapphire looked about ready to cry, but it was Sapphire who spoke first.
"O-Oh my … S-Steven. I'd be honored to help you." And she brought her hand out. Steven knew what this meant and placed his hand down on hers.
"OH STEVEN!" Pearl cried, her tears heartfelt as she brushed them away, as she brought her hand forward. "Ok, ok, you talked me into it, I'll help you do this!"
"And me," added Lapis, also putting her hand in. "It'll mean everything to all three of our homeworlds. Heck, White might even make Earth a Gem sanctuary if she cares about it enough."
"HEY, I didn't even think of that, that's even better!" Steven said, now more excited as Peridot then placed her hand into the circle.
"Alright, don't think you're leaving me out of this," Peridot said, enthusiastic about the whole thing too.
Only Bismuth was left. Out of all of them, she was probably the most reluctant about this.
"Bismuth?" Steven asked. Bismuth was a bit quiet, and mixed feelings on this. On one hand, she did vow that she had their back, no matter the adventure. But on the other hand, she too had her own opinions on things, and this one was just a tiny bit bothersome … okay, a LOT. The memories of White Diamond's cruelty and wickedness went through her mind for a little bit. …
"I can't join a Diamond entourage!" Bismuth suddenly said, "I get what you're doin, I know why you gotta do it, but I'm not going to lay my Gem on her anvil."
"Anvil? But - no Bismuth, it's not like that -"
"It's okay, Steven," Sapphire cut in. The others turned to her as she said "It's her choice. If she wants to join us, let her decide that. … Besides, there isn't much time for her answer. It'll be seconds until White Diamond arrives."
"Wait, what?!" gasped Peridot.
And then the door opened. They thought for sure it would be White Diamond, but instead it was Blue Pearl who showed up at the door. She looked a bit nervous (how could she not).
"... She's here."
"H-Here? a-are you sure about -"
"Starlight.~" a voice echoed from the halls. It sounded friendly, but VERY eerie, like a ghost was calling for Steven's name.
"... Nevermind. Come on, let's go," Pearl decided at last. Bismuth's answer may be a bit forward, but considering they weren't leaving Homeworld at the moment, they needed to at least give her some time until they were allowed to go. Steven though still turned to Bismuth.
"Ok, I'm not going to force you into doing this with me. If you don't want to, that's okay. We'll meet with you after this visit's over, and we'll catch up on it later," Steven decided. However, before he could go and join them, Bismuth went over and placed her hand on his shoulder, kneeling down to his level.
"Steven, listen. Let me put this in Earth terms for you: you are about to enter the Lion's Den, but luckily you're a Lion too. You got to roar at them in their language and if you really want to start this up, then you're the one that has to do it."
"I got it. I will show them that I mean Bismuth," Steven said. Bismuth couldn't help but laugh at the pun, but the point was still there. Bismuth simply stood there and watched them go off towards the "get-together", and since Bismuth wasn't allowed to even go into the place anyway, she simply stayed put. What else is she supposed to do?
Here's to hoping for the best.
…….
"Now remember, everyone stays where they belong," Yellow Pearl reminded.
This was it. Steven didn't waste anymore time, and from Pink's room he went right to the throne room where everyone else was waiting for White to arrive. Blue Pearl did say she was there, but not right in the throne room just yet. Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli took position by Blue Diamond, standing at attention. The respected Pearls present kept themselves lined up in a row nearby the thrones, once again keeping themselves in position. Peridot … didn't knew where to go. Peridots don't usually stay in the throne room with the Diamonds, but she wasn't gonna ditch out of the scene for the sake of principal.
"Peridot, get into position! Please, White will be here any moment," whispered Blue.
"What position?!" Peridot asked. It'd been too long since she'd been around here, and she was rusty on where Peridots would go. Heck, she barely knew the rules were even active again until now!
"This is gonna be a disaster," Yellow groaned.
"Everything will be fine, Yellow, just you wait and see."
"Be realistic Steven, we'd be lucky if she ever speaks to us again after this. She knows your the real Pink Diamond, so that would make the last thousand years of war another galactic embarrassment. …"
"Another?" Steven asked. Yellow was in NO MOOD to keep talking about past flops.
"If you don't want to be bubbled for the next millennium, I suggest you let me do the talking," advised Yellow Diamond.
There was little more time to actually discuss what they should do next, because the minute they were done talking with eachother, the doors leading to the Throne Room opened up good and wide. Peridot had to think fast, and all she could do was bolt and hide behind Pink Diamond's throne for the moment. Normally there would be someone to present White Diamond, but she really didn't need it. Hence why White Pearl stayed quiet as White Diamond presented herself in all her glory.
"Such presentation, my Diamonds. So nice to see you," White Diamond said, eerily cheery in tone as White Pearl just moved over towards the other Pearls with that same smile on her face. White Diamond moved forward a bit, but her "prisoner", Stubby, her to keep himself hidden very close to her, as to not get caught by anyone else.
"Good to see you too. White." Yellow felt like snapping her own neck for saying that, her hands gripping the arms of her own throne.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Blue asked, though she too felt a little bit uneasy herself. What pleasure was there exactly? White didn't answer right away, then seeing little Steven by Pink Diamond.
"Why so shy, Starlight? You look a little bit pale there. Or is everything out of your system yet," White inquired. Well so much for keeping quiet. For some reason, seeing her here made her a bit scarier than seeing her in her throne room. Perhaps it was her knowing look in her eyes, or maybe it was her being here at all, but Steven found that his mind was scrambled up.
"O-K, Steven. Ok, remember, you're a lion. You're a lion," Steven thought, looking up to White Diamond again. The others could see he was having more trouble, even moreso when White Diamond kept her smile and gaze locked on him. Geesh, it was the trial all over again! His eyes looked around to the others around him, all waiting for Steven to say something to her. Steven took a deep breath, hand to his heart, and exhaling he brought his hand out. He can't collapse with her right there.
"It's good to see you too, White," Steven said.
At least White was letting him finish talking this time.
"Oh, how sweet. Sorry we couldn't talk that much during out last chat, but I had some work to catch up on. You know how it is, being a diamond and all that noise." and White even put in some chuckles after that statement, like a jolly old Gem. Steven tried to keep himself together.
"So … is that a new Pearl?" Steven asked, looking to White Pearl.
"Oh, I've had her on retainer for a long time, but she's just been too busy, have you old girl?"
"Yes, my Diamond," said White Pearl. The other Pearls didn't know what kind of "busy" White Pearl had to do, but they didn't want to think about it too much with the scar on her face.
"Well, that aside, how has it been with you, sweetheart? Having fun catching up with your sisters today?"
"It's been fine. Really like the new castle, and the sauna too," Steven replied. White Diamond brought her hand to her mouth, covering some bit of her smile.
"The sauna? Oh you. Did you see anything intriguing in there, by chance?~"
Steven grew very red on that question, and quickly shook his head for no.
"W-White!" Yellow gasped, just for White to laugh.
"Oh, just joking dear, I'm sure it's nothing you're not familiar with already."
"Yeah … ok …" Steven was struggling here, and many of his friends really didn't have that much of a clue on where this conversation would go. Though, that answer became a bit more clear when White Diamond brought her finger out, and both Steven and Pink Diamond jumped when a white bubble popped up behind them. White diamond brought out her other hand, and the bubble popped just to see Peridot in it.
"P-Peridot!" Steven murmured.
"...…. Hi," Peridot simply said.
"Hello there, my little green jewel. You don't have to hide from me, I'm not going to kill you all," White Diamond reassured, petting Peridot on the head, the green Gem knowing White Diamond could crush her at any moment.
"White, can you put her down? … Please?" A bit forward, but Steven didn't want Peridot hurt. Still, White did so and dropped Peridot down nearby Pink Diamond, who went on to catch her.
"Ok, sorry to keep you all wondering. Here I am rambling again," White said, "You want the point yet or do you want to keep chatting?"
"The point would be good, White. You wouldn't just show up for no reason," said Yellow Diamond, keeping her tone respectable as much as she hated to. White Diamond smiled, but before she could begin explaining, Sapphire suddenly caught future sight of one particular scenario, and tried whispering this to her Diamond and friends as White began talking.
"Ever since reclaiming my home planet, I've been noticing a lot of tough work. I mean, let's not be naïve here: you three had been working way more than you should for a Diamond. It's as if you can't rely on your own Gems anymore, for stars sake! Diamonds don't typically have to do anything, yet everyone's as jumpy as a shooting star."
"I wonder why," thought Pearl. For the sake of performance though, she didn't dare say it allowed. But then ...
"Ladies? How does a little getaway around the cosmos sound to you?"
Did they hear her right?
"... what?" they all asked.
"A getaway … you mean like a vacation?" Pink asked.
"That's about right: a few weeks perhaps, exploring the vastness of this great universe of ours, stopping at a few planets. We could use the fresh air and exercise, and some time to reflect without getting ourselves in another pinch. What do you think about that, my little starlight?"
"AND pointed out again," Steven thought. But however, this idea started to come into his mind a little bit more …
"Hmm … actually, that's not a bad idea. Yeah. Yeah!"
"No!" shouted Yellow, finally losing patience, "White, you nearly shattered your own planet, and Homeworld's trying to recover, and you suggest we all just leave and take a "vacation"?! You can't even leave anyway without Homeworld collapsing!"
There was a bit of silence, as everyone waited for White Diamond's reaction.
"Huh? … OH, that aura! No, that's just for looks, and to remind who's really in charge of Gemkind. I've used my own magic to permanently keep the planet from breaking up more than it has already."
"... WHAT?! B-But you said -"
"That's just so you wouldn't kick me out of the castle when I arrived in the first place. I got you, didn't I?" White chuckled, even giving Yellow Diamond a wink. What a sick and cruel joke to make her stay.
"Wait a minute, maybe this won't be such a bad thing," Steven said, "As long as we don't enslave any races or wipe out planets while doing it. We can spend some more time together and - whoa!" White suddenly had Steven again, but this time letting him stand on her hands, and White gently cuddling him.
"Oh alright, Pink, I'll hold myself back for your sake. It's been far too long since we all had such a fun time together," White said. Well, Steven might as well go with this. It could give him time to teach White Diamond some moral values anyway.
"W-White, wait," said Blue, "It does sound interesting to do, but I don't think now's such a good time. You and St - er, Pink, can go and do that if you want, but we have to keep track of what happened here, at least until it's more stable."
"Is that what you think you're going to do?" White asked, still smiling to them, "We have a little diamond here! And a sweet little Diamond like my little Starlight deserves a fun ride with her family. Besides, we don't want another "incident" like that one around six thousand years ago, do we?"
"You wouldn't!" Yellow said, jumping to her feet, just for White to laugh again.
"Oh Yellow, you can be so gullible I swear. But really though, we'll be there to make sure nothing bad happens to her, and I know she wants to have a family fun time for one in her thousands of years."
"I-I don't think she's joking, Yellow do something!" Blue said in a frantic tone, quiet and in a whisper of course. Yellow kept trying.
"White, think, if we just leave Homeworld now, who knows what could happen to it while we're away. We might not even have a Homeworld by the time we -"
"What's this? You're saying my little Starlight doesn't deserve having a break? After that "war game" we all played, all that work she did to make Earth and Homeworld friends again, even making friends with that Equus planet? And after I kept Homeworld in tact, agreed to leave Earth alone for it to grow for a bit, even letting you recover Homeworld in the first place? Is that what you're saying?"
OH GOD her manipulation was a killer all itself, but the fact she agreed to leave Earth alone was questionable at best. All that time at odds, why would she just stop everything now?
"No White, not at all, we don't!" Pink Diamond said.
"Excellent. Because, to be honest, that was an order not a request. ALL those present within this room are invited to the vacation too, and yes that includes your Bismuth. I know how much you LOVE my little sweetheart," White said, specifically pointing out Pearl with her eyes. Pearl couldn't even look at her, her white face turning blue.
"... Wow … Thanks?" Peridot said, VERY perplexed and confused.
"No trouble at all. Now here's your Diamond and, Starlight, I'll even let you pick where we go. There's a lot of planets on our star maps, you know," White said, placing Steven down gently. Nice gesture, but Steven didn't forget about the others back on Earth.
"Huh. Thanks, White. But, you think I can call in my uh … colony? I think they'll freak out if I'm gone more than one day," Steven said, using terms White might be better familiar with for the moment.
"Oh, of course Starlight! I know there're some that can be so clingy," White said. "Everyone get ready, we'll be leaving tomorrow morning. Tata~"
And with that, White Pearl and White Diamond both left the company. Everyone kept silent for a bit more, and just moments after those doors closed …
"Steven Diamond Universe, are you out of your mind?" asked Yellow Diamond.
"No I'm not! I want to teach her friendship and harmony, what better way to do that than on a family vacation? You, me, Blue, Pink, and everyone else going around in the cosmos. And this way, it won't bother anybody here, Earth, or Equestria," Steven made clear.
"Hmm … he does have a point," said Blue Diamond, "And White did say you can choose which planets to go Steven. Oh, I've been wanting to show you around the galaxy."
"Really?" Steven asked, "Well as we say on Earth: killing two birds with one stone!"
"I think a stone can kill a lot more than just two "birds" if White commands them to," said Yellow Pearl.
"It's just a saying. That means we're getting two things done at once."
"How beneficial," said Peridot in glee, "And don't worry about location Steven, I've been traveling the cosmos for most of my existence, so I can help you choose different planets if it's all the same to you."
"Perfect! You guys tell Bismuth, I got to phone back home, tell them what we're doing."
"You want me to talk to them, Steven?" Sapphire asked, her Future Vision probably giving a bit of a warning on that part. This whole decision was, while beneficial for their goal, a bit sketchy and out of nowhere too.
"Don't worry, after I explain everything to them, they'll understand."
…….
"WHAT?! YOU MUST BE JOKING!" snapped Flint from the otherside of the projector screen. Very nice to have an ENTIRELY supportive family, isn't it?
"But Flint, I know I can make this work."
"There's nothing to work! Steven, it's WHITE DIAMOND you're talking about - she's nearly killed you, several times!"
"So did Jasper, Bismuth, Lapis, Starlight, and a few others. I'm used to it. Besides, won't it be better if White Diamond wasn't after everyone anymore?" Steven admitted. The others from the other end were overhearing the conversation.
"Well, I suppose so. Even if it means going away from communication … off to strange worlds with strange things, facing danger which you might never return! DON'T GO STEVEN!"
"I gotta go, Flint, White Diamond kind of made the order for the diamonds to go on this vacation."
"How's that any better?!"
"Are you done screaming, Flint?" Jasper said, "This is Steven we're talking about here."
"Jasper, don't be stupid, you should recognize the danger here!"
"I'm not stupid!" Jasper retorted, before taking over the screen for a bit. "Steven, watch yourself with her while you're out there, ok? Keep that Portal Key at the ready if things end up going downhill."
"Oh, of course. Get ready guys: Steven's class for friendship is in session! … Tomorrow."
"You got this, soldier. Good luck."
"Love you guys!"
With the message now given to home, Steven and Earth were cut off.