//------------------------------// // To Face the Symphony // Story: My Little Universe: Season 8 // by EquestrianKirin //------------------------------// Farid was well behind them by this point. The Pink Diamond ship kept its route along through space, though unlike before they had a more direct path to their third planet of choice. It was the last stop they got going for them after all before making their way back to Homeworld. However, unlike the other planets though, this one in particular was a pretty long flight there so they got plenty of time to do more casual time. In this moment, as the others were busy handling White Diamond's lessons (a activity that was mainly a common practice after a while), Sapphire herself was taking some quiet time off and looking at the galaxies of their universe go by them. The stars sure looked nice from the view of the ship's window, Sapphire keeping her gaze viewed to the world beyond the ship. Quiet and dexterity surely gave Sapphire time to reflect and think about the future, with or without her future visions giving her possible ideas of what that could be. It was a quiet time, and seemingly left Sapphire not realizing when Blue Pearl came by to find her. "... Can I join you?" Blue Pearl asked, walking over to the fortune teller. "Pearl. Of course," Sapphire replied. Blue Pearl quietly went over to Sapphire's side, and looked off to space alongside Sapphire for a bit. At first the two didn't say much, just casually watching the universe go by. It was only themselves here. "Looks nice," said Blue Pearl at one point. "Yes it is. Humans always called it the final frontier for a reason," Sapphire replied. not hard to see why that would be. Blue Pearl nodded and looked back to the horizon in front of them. Sapphire glanced over to Blue Pearl briefly, the quieter pearl feeling a little bit troubled about something, her hands together and gaze keeping away from Sapphire. "You don't need to worry about her, Pearl," Sapphire reassured. Blue Pearl clammed up even more about it. "I-I didn't say …" "You were going to ask me if Blue Diamond will be okay throughout our trip. If it makes you feel better, I don't see any futures which that'll happen." "... Are you sure? … I … don't want to lose her again." Blue Pearl's voice was quieter on saying that, as if she thought someone else was there with her. It wasn't that far to think though with their company being a typical Gem hybridizer and experimental maniac, among other things. Sapphire placed a hand on Blue Pearl's side for comfort. "I know you care deeply about Blue Diamond, Pearl. I care about her too, and so does everyone else. We'll make sure we all return home safe and sound. Ok?" "... Um. Ok. I trust you. … I just lost her a lot already. White Diamond and her experiments. That magic snake. …" "Everything will be fine. We have one more planet to visit, and then we'll head for home," Sapphire promised. Blue Pearl didn't have Sapphire's special abilities so she simply had to take her word for it. "Um … alright. Are you coming back with us?" "In a minute," Sapphire replied. Blue Pearl nodded, and she simply walked away, leaving Sapphire to look out to the galaxy some more. Sapphire brought her mind back to the thoughts of the past, present, and the many futures that await them. The trips in Heiligdom and Farid went through her mind, though while they were a bit mixed, Sapphire was a bit more focused on what Blue Pearl had said. Namely with White Diamond. Flashes of the experiments she had seen raced through her mind, not to mention the images of Yellow and Blue being prepared for the perma-fusion of Green Diamond. Not to mention the other possible experiments, the Zoomans and Zoomares she kept, and other things Sapphire probably didn't want to find out herself. Then a familiar voice started ringing in her head. 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. "... I wonder if Steven's finished yet." ……. Happiness. The teacher in question was having a bit of a good time, no teaching going on with White Diamond for now. In fact, Steven wasn't even on the ship, but instead back in "his" room on Homeworld. Well, kind of. Typically something as sudden as this would be put into question, but Steven was having too much fun. With some bubbles made, he took some time to enjoy a little party activity. In this case, juggling. Each bubble had a different item inside: one with an Equestrian princess crown, one with a stuffed "Sleepy Pals" teddy bear, and one with a mess of sparkling shards. Each one Steven juggled about with relative ease, as another figure watched off nearby, her eyes following the juggling bubbles with bewilderment, like a young child watching a circus act. And she looked just as happy too, applauding Steven once he finished. Steven make a gallivant leap above his audience, landing off nearby and blowing his watcher a kiss, with a wink. This was again given the same response of clapping and a smile. But at one point there was a little interruption, as the door to his room opened up. Peering in then was Yellow Diamond, the only parts visible being the hand, head and neck. Yellow Diamond looked suspicious in the face, but by the time she looked in, Steven and his companion were suddenly off at a dressing mirror, his companion checking his outfit as Steven held still, much like how Rarity would handle her clients. Yellow's neck elongated and lengthened like the body of a snake until her head was literally right behind Steven. Steven waved a good hello to her fellow Diamond, and apparently that was good enough for the Yellow Diamond there as her neck retracted back along its path. With a content smile, Yellow Diamond left Steven and his companion to their leisure. The two started laughing together again once they were alone, but while his company was still laughing, Steven had to pause for a moment as he felt something dry in his throat. Something that felt a bit like a cotton ball. A few coughs got this cotton ball out of his throat, and what did he find? Hair. Pink, curly hair. And everything started to go dark, the room starting to rain for some reason. "... Steven? ……. Steven? …" ……. "Steven? You okay?" Steven woke back up with a little startle, back in the same room on his Pink Diamond ship once again. Steven found Lapis was trying to comfort him again with some massaging of her water wings, which probably would explain the rain at the end of his dream. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Steven replied, sitting up and trying to wake up. It never was fun to wake up after a nightmare. He wasn't alone here though: Sapphire and Connie off nearby, Connie still sleeping as Sapphire was by Steven's side. As Steven was stirring, Connie began to wake up a little bit too. "Hey guys. Morning," she yawned. "Morning. I hope you slept well," said Sapphire. "Oh, I just had a weird nightmare, that's all. Nothing to worry about," Steven said. "Good. … Though, apart of that is what I wanted to ask you about," Sapphire admitted. The others turned to her. "What's up Sapphire?" "It's the lessons," Sapphire answered. "I want to know the progress you've been making with her. Has she been taking any of the lessons you given her to heart or does she still think it's just a game you're playing with her?" Not exactly the best question to ask so deep into their trip, nevermind one to just wake up to. Steven and Connie both took more time to wake up before they tried to think about their passed lessons over the last two weeks. "Eh … well, it's kinda hard to say. I mean, she acts like it's a game, but she's been very … open-minded lately? It's a little confusing," Steven admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Sapphire felt a little troubled on the answer. "Don't tell me you're doubting the plan too," said Lapis. "No, I'm not. But I just got reminded how dangerous she can be, and I wanted to make sure," Sapphire replied, thinking back to what Blue Pearl said. Steven then got up. "Well we have to be making some progress. Here, White gave me a little something just before I went to bed as a present, see? She even allowed Blue Pearl to draw it," Steven said, going to his backpack and pulling out the present White Diamond gave him. To their surprise, it was kinda small, and mostly just a picture with all four Diamonds together, Steven in front with Pink Diamond, Yellow and Blue Diamond side by side, and White Diamond smiling in the back. A good picture, but still a bit odd. "Even so. … I think we should put in more effort. Something beyond just giving her lectures and lessons." "You mean a hands-on approach?" Steven asked. "Something like that. Friendship is more experience rather than taught in a classroom." "I think you're right: Twilight did say she didn't figure out much about friendship until after she made friends in Ponyville.. Maybe we can do the same for White?" Lapis asked. "Sounds great! … But, isn't it a little bit too soon? We've only been teaching her for at least over a week, and as someone who had to earn her diploma in swordsmanship, lessons need a LOT more time before they can just go forward," Connie pointed out. "I'm gonna try anyway. At least enough so White Diamond can see that this is more than just a game," Steven concluded. He then started to think. "Hmm … where does an otherworldly conqueror start when making actual friends?" "We can … try Earth? Peridot and Jasper became good after -" "NO." Sapphire, Lapis, and Connie said. Steven got quiet again, but he got the point. White Diamond would try to kill Earth anyway, why bring her there now? "Ok, ok, no Earth. Um … Homeworld? I mean, she's already controlling it." "No, I think we might run into a similar problem," Lapis admitted. Not destroying the planet exactly, but White Diamond sure looked willing to do that upon arriving there according to the other Diamonds. "Oh yeah. control over everything. Right. … Ok, I guess the only thing is somewhere on the star maps not owned by the Diamonds," Steven concluded, shrugging. "Hope Bismuth's up for it," said Lapis Lazuli, getting up and exiting. Spending more time with White Diamond may not suit too well for the Blacksmith, or for that matter the others off back home. Before any of them could go off and try to get that sorted out, there was someone else coming in from their door. Lapis, Connie, Sapphire, and Steven looked over, finding that White Pearl was standing there. "Pink Diamond. Your presence is required." "For the last time, it's Steven," Steven sighed. He had to give this reminder so many times … "... Pink Diamond. You're requested in the pilot room." And so many times it's left ignored. "Fine. … What's wrong?" ~~~~~~ "But why CAN'T we just go through, might I ask? My Starlight wouldn't want to just wait until we find the next planet, would she?" "The safety of our ship's more important White. I think "Starlight" would understand soon as we explain everything." By the time Steven was brought in the main room, with the others following, the Diamonds were left in a bit of trouble over some navigation. And shockingly they were willing to speak their mind towards White Diamond (Blue Diamond at least was). The front screen was showing the universe ahead of them, stars and planets abounding, but they weren't moving anywhere. The ship equivalent of parking on the side of the road, they could say. Steven would just ease himself in, but White Pearl whistled good and loud to get their attention. "Pink Diamond has arrived," White Pearl announced, putting Steven on the spot already. Apart of him didn't want to get annoyed with White Pearl (or Pink Pearl rather), but another part of him couldn't help itself. "Steven!" said Pink Diamond, going right over to him. "Hey guys. Uh, my presence was required?" Steven asked. "We just have a slight situation, Starlight," explained White Diamond, "I know how much you want to be at our next planet for our fun together as soon as possible. But it seems Yellow and Blue don't believe you deserve to arrive so soon." "What she means," corrected Blue, "Is that we need to make a decision. Come here Steven, Pink, I'll show you the problem." So Steven and Pink Diamond went over towards Blue Diamond. The others went over to her with the exception of White Pearl, who moved over to White Diamond. They'd rather be by Blue than White anyway. When they got a good view of the front, they're then presented with a projection screen of the map ahead. The map showed themselves at the bottom, and the planet way off in front of them, but a few other planets were amongst the map, one of which was very close to their flight path. "Here's the last planet on our trip. However, there is one planet in our way, which I really wish to keep clear of. But White kept suggesting to just fly through to cut time short." "What's wrong with that planet?" Steven asked, curious. "My thoughts exactly, Starlight. One simple planet shouldn't keep in our little trip," White Diamond cut in, suddenly having Steven in her hold again, and "cuddling" him (pushing him into her cheek as she smiled). "T-That's not what I meant," Steven muttered. Luckily Sapphire quickly got him and placed him back down by Blue Diamond. "Blue and I think it's dangerous to pass the planet so recklessly, and would be better to just fly around it," Yellow made clear sternly, a slight glance to White as she did so. "Oh, you keep saying that, you two, but isn't that unfair towards my little Starlight? She wants to reach the next planet so badly, and you keep postponing our arrival at the rate you're going. You saying she doesn't deserve -" "Wait, wait, I got a better idea!" Steven cut in before White could manipulate them any further. White did stop talking and turned to Steven, waiting to hear what he had to say. The look she gave though did make Steven clam up a little bit. "Uh … Oh! Sapphire!" Steven said, turning to the fortune teller. "Steven?" "I'm sorry to ask but, you think you can see what would happen?" Steven asked. He didn't want to push her too much, but Sapphire understood and took some time to look on ahead. … And she ended up getting a cold shiver through her body. "Uh oh," the Harmony Gems thought. Sapphire looked over towards White Diamond, but instead of answering right away, she went for the controls. "We need to move away, now," Sapphire said, trying to make the controls operate to get them moving. However, White Diamond picked up the quick Sapphire by the back of her collar. "Now, now, it's not your call to suddenly start the ship my little Sapphire. What's the hurry?" "We can't stay here, we have to get going. If we don't move now, we'll end up on the other planet whether we want it or not. At least move the ship a mile ahead," Sapphire instructed. To White Diamond. White smiled. "Hasty aren't we? I think you're misunderstanding where you're in - giving ME orders. Starlight, what do you think we should do? Should we listen to her?" White asked, turning to Steven before placing Sapphire down away from the controls. "Yeah, I think we should! Start the ship and let's go!" Steven insisted. He didn't want to ask what the details were, and if they have to go they had to go now. "But what even is the trouble? Think carefully now," White questioned. W-Was she stalling?! "White, listen to her and let's go away from -" "Uh guys? There's something coming," Connie asked, pointing ahead of them. If White wanted them to get into some trouble, then she succeeded. That distraction, unfortunately, lasted just long enough for whatever it was to arrive on the scene. Connie, having her enhanced vision, brought her gaze to the space outside, and amongst the stars and planets in question something was becoming visible far off in the distance. A large stray asteroid. Far off, and closing in fast. Soon as this was sighted by them, Sapphire felt defeated. "Hardly a problem, I'll just move us out of the way," sighed White, taking control and only then deciding to move the ship. Or at least she tried to. "White, don't!" shouted Sapphire. But it was too late to do much now. There seemed to be one of them, but it didn't take long until smaller asteroids (smaller in comparison to the ship), started to appear from nowhere and begin to hit the ship! The asteroids slammed into the ship, but while most of them didn't do as much damage to the ship, one particular stray space rock made a precise mark on the ship's foot. A freak shot, but somehow it was just strong enough to strike the knee. Strong enough in fact, that the asteroid disabled the rocket propulsions on that leg! The red screen warning flashed on the screen. "What? How'd they go offline? One of those space rocks must've disabled the thrusters!" Yellow Diamond demanded, trying to regain some control over the ship. With only one leg working though, it left the ship spinning a little, hardly even able to move properly. There wasn't a chance in Tartarus they were gonna get away from this. "Brace for impact," Sapphire said. And then it struck. The giant asteroid, easily as big as the ship itself, clocked the Pink Diamond ship square in the front. While the asteroid went off on its own way through space, the entire ship suddenly went into a spin through space, launched off to who knows where in an uncontrollable tumble. It was strong enough to even make White Diamond stumble over her own feet, and anyone not weighing at least over a ton was thrown to the back wall. The ship was stuck spinning, leaving most of the crew tossing around like ragdolls. Steven did manage to get a bubble around some of them, but it was too hectic to get it around all of them. The great Pink Diamond ship continued to careen out of control, none of them able to see where they were exactly going or how fast they were going. With only one part of the ship's propulsions even working, it was impossible to try and get the ship to move in any proper direction without making it worse. Out of all of them, only White Diamond herself really noticed where they were going, if only for a brief moment. Since they were spinning, the screen was going all over the place, yet a planet did become more visible with each spin, getting bigger and bigger until it completely covered up the whole of the screen. The once dark yet sparkling fabric of space began being replaced by the air of the planet before - *CRASH* The land shook upon the impact of the ship, the spinning and craziness FINALLY stopping all at once. The only one still left standing after that entire mess was White Pearl (if floating on her toes counted as standing), and when the dust cleared outside it showed the pink legs outstretched and sprawled on the ground. After a moment, the Pink Diamond ship started to move a bit, and then got into a more comfortable position, sitting on its knees and straightening up. Only then did the others were able to get their bearings together, dazed but overall still in one piece. "Ok … that was something. Everybody okay?" Connie asked, dazed. "I think so, but where did we land?" replied Steven, one of the first to get himself up to his feet. Yellow, Pink, White, and Blue managed to fin their feet themselves as Steven walked over to the front window to see the result. Up at front, the screen only showed a red flashing warning of "error". That crash did a bit more damage than anticipated. Yellow had some choice words for White, but had to hold some back. "I'm not sure entirely how that could happen, BUT I KNOW THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Yellow snapped at White, her anger overriding some of her common sense again. White Diamond was barely fazed, and simply shrugged. The white demon struck them all into trouble. However, a well-controlled jump got Steven floating right in between both White and Yellow. "No, no, don't fight! That won't solve anything! Let's find out what's wrong and where we are first before playing the blame game, okay?" Steven quickly said, before any blows could be made. Yellow Diamond groaned, and kept herself back, but the look on White Diamond's face said that, perhaps, White expected this from Steven. Meanwhile, Pink Diamond moved passed the error screen and got a better view of outside, unable to really see … well, much of anything. "Uh, where did we end up? I don't think even the original Pink Diamond seen this place," Pink asked, her finger pointing outside, pressing on the seeing glass. If there was any memory of this place she would have, this Pink Diamond would know, but nothing was coming up. However, with her gaze looking to them instead of outside, Pink wasn't noticing anything peering back at her. "Pink, get away from there!" *BAM!* "EEK!" and just like that, and admittedly a bit fast, the group found one of the alien residents scaring the gravel out of Pink Diamond, making her bolt right to the back wall. As for this creature, it looked a bit like a plant more than any creature: tentacles shaped like a flower sticking to the window. Luckily for most of them, this window was left too strong, and the creature just slithered off elsewhere, leaving a star-shaped mark on the window. "Out of ALL the planets to crash-land onto, it had to be this one," Yellow grumbled. "But what is "this one"?" Connie asked. "Don't worry your little head," cooed White Diamond, "and if it helps you, my little Starlight, I'll go and see that your ship gets off the ground again." "OH NO you don't, I'll go and do it!" insisted Yellow, "I'll probably get it done faster -" "NOTHING LEAVES THIS SHIP!" Blue suddenly bellowed, silencing everything in the room. Blue Diamond had a look of worry on her face in that demand, but still sternness enough so she would be taken seriously. Such a bellowing tone that the whole ship shuttered. "Blue? Why not? What's the matter, c-can we not breathe out there?" Connie asked. Yellow and Blue took a look to one another, and then did Yellow Diamond start talking. "Everyone. Welcome to our other galactic embarrassment. Orthix," Yellow Diamond said, though she hated to say it. They did remember Yellow Diamond mention something about that before they left on this trip. The red screen dropped and everyone got a look outside at the world. Or what world they could see. The landscape beyond the window was shaded by a sort of fog, making sight impossible after at least twenty to thirty feet. But from what they could see, the land was a bit barren, like the K-Bora tower in Heiligdom, or the Peridot colony grounds. "Was this a colony before?" Pink asked. "It's a complicated story …" "Well, we been through complicated stories before, so go ahead," said Steven. Blue Diamond sat down, trying to calm down. "... Orthix was one of the earlier planets that White and I tried to colonize together," Blue explained. "And the colony was going so well too. It was meant to be the original Homeworld planet for Gem kind." "WHOA WHOA, what? The original Homeworld? Here?!" Pink asked. "But what happened, this place looks awful!" Blue Diamond felt troubled on answering, but if they were stuck here, even for a while, then she understood that she had to make them knowledgeable too. "... Look outside. That substance, floating in the atmosphere." "What about it?" Connie asked. "A few hundred years in our work, that substance started to appear on the surface of this planet, and started spreading everywhere. Most of the native life wasn't effected, but … but …" "But what?" Steven asked. "But this substance … it has some strange effects on us. Just fifty years after it started appearing, I kept getting reports of warnings, accusations, off-color sightings. My Gems couldn't handle any task properly thanks to it, and we couldn't even make any Gems here anymore without them coming out effected by the substance. … So none of you are to exit the Pink Diamond ship, understand me?" "But what even happened to them?" "... Let's not get into that," Blue said gravely. Looking off outside, they were left to wonder what exactly happened to the world they fell onto. But whatever this substance did, if it was enough to completely abandon the colony when it was close to completion, then it must've had a devastating impact whatever the case. "Seems simple enough. Alright my dears, no running off now. One of you tell the others once they find their way here, would you?" White then said. All of a sudden … "The others … wait, Lapis! Pearl, Peridot, Bismuth! Where're they, are they still on board? I'll be right back," Steven said. However, White Diamond got her fingernails clamped onto Steven's collar. "Don't worry yourself I'll handle it. Pearl, mind checking the ship for my Starlight's subjects?" White instructed. Before anyone else could get a word in edge wise, White Pearl was off on her way like lightning. Sapphire, starting to worry a little bit, also began to go off with her to see where they ended up. It really couldn't hurt having an extra eye looking around the perimeter. Both gems went all over the ship to try and find the four in question, or at the least the types of Gems suggested, but eventually White Pearl and Sapphire came back with some rather troubling news. "Their presence is negative, my Diamond." "You gotta be joking," Yellow said, not amused at all by this news. White Pearl didn't answer and simply went back to White Diamond. "My pearl doesn't have a reason to lie, Yellow. Well, you all can ease your minds, I'll go and see if I can get the ship flying off again. I know you wouldn't want to stay here, my Starlight," noted White. This time there wasn't time for discussion as White Diamond left the room, and everyone else. Well, apart of it felt like they were making progress, as White was working to fix her actions, but on the other hand it left Yellow Diamond infuriated. "For the record, I blame you for this Steven!" "What? What'd I do, I didn't make us crash," Steven retorted. "You thought it was a good idea to go on this trip in the first place, and I've told you OVER AND OVER AGAIN how dangerous White Diamond is, and NOW look where it got us! We didn't leave when we could, I hope you're happy now," Yellow roared. Steven felt his body and soul tremble in Yellow's anger, but arguing with her wasn't going to get them anywhere now. "Ok, I messed up. I'm sorry. But we're still stuck here, and there's still our friends stuck outside. We have to go and get them back." "You actually believe her? White Pearl just said that so we'd leave the ship and White Diamond left to fly off without us, even you could see that. Sapphire, tell him." Sapphire was quiet. "Sapphire?" asked Blue Diamond. "... She didn't lie," Sapphire admitted. ~~~~~~ While barely able to grasp what actually happened, the nasty crash left Lapis Lazuli just coming to in an area even she hadn't seen or heard of before. Her vision was a bit blurry coming around, though even so it hardly was better once it cleared up. All she could see around her was the fog, and dry ground at her feet. She still felt dazed and weak from her tumble, but her first thoughts weren't on herself. "What is this place? Where are we?" Lapis wondered, though "we" might not be the correct word. As she was there though, her nose took a whiff of the air and immediately she was starting to cringe a little. The air around her reeked of a smell that almost mirrored that of chemical gasoline with smoke. "Ugh, that smell. … GUYS?!" No response outside of her own echo. There was no sign of them anywhere. Lapis managed to find her feet, albeit a little bit shaky, but then she tried to fly. All this accomplished was her jumping up into the air, and falling flat on her face. "No water. … Wait a minute. I didn't -" but as Lapis checked with her hand, the truth became clear enough. Her hand was placed on her gemstone, and found that the fall was more than just brutal. With a notable crack within the gemstone, that fall almost killed her! A gem with mirror eyes now left lost in Orthix's fog. "Oh no, not again. I can't be cracked again, not at a time like this. Stars, I hope the others are still in one piece," Lapis said to herself, now stuck just walking in the fog instead of flying above it. Mirror eyes or no, she couldn't figure out where to exactly go from here, the fog making most landmarks very hard to even see or make out. "STEVEN! … CONNIE! … PEARL! PERIDOT! ANYONE?!" Each call she made too wasn't met with all that much either. If there were some ears nearby though, it didn't belong to any of her friends, leaving Lapis Lazuli all alone again. "Oh no. This is like that mirror all over again. … Well, at least they're somewhere here this time. I better find them before something else does," Lapis told herself as she continued walking and looking around for them. However, it seemed that each step she took wasn't leading her to anywhere specific, as it all appeared to be the same. Just an expanse of landscape she couldn't figure out too well from this fog. It sure was a much slower process than flying around the place, but at least it was something. … "HEY! ANYONE THERE?! Get me down!" "Bismuth!" gasped Lapis, as she immediately started following the noise. It sounded pretty distant, so it did take her some time of running through the fog. She could only hope she wasn't too late for the blacksmith of their team. She kept running as fast as she could but with this fog and mirror eyes, she couldn't exactly see what was coming up ahead of her so clearly. And then she fell: one extra step and suddenly Lapis was tumbling down the next hill. Lapis fell head over heels for a good three seconds before she finally, and abruptly stopped once she rolled into what felt like the base of one of the local "trees". As if being cracked wasn't bad enough. Lapis shook off the hit, and tried to regain herself. "Hey, Lapis, is that you?!" And just like that, there they were. The fall from the ship must've struck them out at a different time, because Pearl, Peridot, and bismuth were all kinda stuck in the same place, just too far to reach eachother. Lapis looked up and found them all tangled up in the tree's vines, not even Pearl able to get herself free so easily as close as she was from getting out. Peridot and Bismuth were just too tangled up to even move properly. "Guys, there you are! You three okay?" "We'll be much better so as we get down from here. Mind flying up here and giving us a hand?" Bismuth asked. "I … kinda can't. But don't worry, I'll get you down," Lapis promised. This was gonna be difficult, Lapis could tell, but she wasn't gonna leave them there in the trees. The only thing she could do was start climbing the same tree, but given how she usually flied instead of climbed, this was a bit of a daunting task for her. The sides of this tree were pretty smooth as well, leaving her with little to grab and soon she ended up sliding right down to the bottom. Lapis of course gave it another try, only to just fall to the ground again. "Come on, Lazuli!" Peridot encouraged. "Ok, ok, I can do this," Lapis told herself, rubbing her hands together before starting another climb up. This climb was a bit better than before, her able to reach the branches and get some more proper footing … just for the branch to start cracking. Lapis would've fallen to the ground again if she didn't grab a branch above her first, but the one she stood on fell down to the ground without her. "L-Lapis, your gem," Pearl gasped. "Don't worry about it. Ok, hang on, I think I got it," Lapis replied, just managing to reach the vines gripping Pearl. If she could get Pearl free, the other two should be easy. Lapis got to the vines wrapping around Pearl's back, and with some force of her pulls and tugs, the vines started to snap off. It was just enough to get Pearl's arm free, and she immediately went for her own gemstone (hers fully intact), and summoned out her sharp spear. A good swing of it got the other vines off of Pearl, getting her free. She would've fallen to the ground though if Lapis didn't grab the spear first. "Thanks," Pearl simply said. With Pearl hanging off the other end, Pearl began to swing herself over towards Bismuth, until the tips of her feet just managed to reach the supporting vines, a good kick cutting them with ease like blades. Not the most graceful way for Bismuth, but at least she was down to the ground. Pearl got to Peridot in one more swing, and jumped right to her. A simple cut of her vines got her down too, the green Gem landing in Bismuth's arms as Pearl helped Lapis back down. "OK, that's it! White Diamond, I swear to the stars she's behind this, it's time to teach her MY lesson," Bismuth said, soon as they all got down. "Wait, wait, let's not jump to conclusions, we don't know what actually happened," Pearl insisted, but Bismuth had about enough of this. "Pearl, we crash-landed on a random rock, with Steven stuck with a Diamond that can brain-wash him. You got any OTHER ideas who could be behind this?" Bismuth pointed out. "Okay, okay!" Lapis said, moving in between Bismuth and Pearl, "Come on, let's try to find our way back." Lapis Lazuli didn't want to say anything, but she was starting to wonder if Bismuth did have a point there or not. White Diamond was hard to read regardless of the transformation from White Diamond to "glowing White Diamond". "I hope you're still in one piece Steven," Bismuth thought. ……. "NO YOU'RE NOT GOING OUT THERE!" Yellow Diamond yelled, as Steven was getting some supplies together, with Connie doing the same. "I have to do something," insisted Steven, "I can't just sit here, and let my friends get stuck out there. I'll be alright, and be back in no time." "Steven, please don't. I want them safe just the same as you, but you'll be lost in that fog. If either of you go out there, you won't be able to come back!" Blue Diamond said. "They won't be either if we don't find them! Besides -" Steven paused just to bring his hands around his head, summoning up a good bubble around himself. "- The gas can't effect us in here." Blue Diamond popped the bubble quick. "Steven, it's not just the substance. Listen, you weren't there like I was," Blue Diamond said, "I'm telling you don't go. I won't allow it!" "What about the others out there?! Pearl? Peridot? Bismuth? Lapis?!" "I said no!" "Since when did she have a temper like this?" Yellow Pearl quietly asked Blue Pearl, who at this point was trembling. Such a temper wasn't uncommon for Yellow Diamond, but Blue Diamond … it just felt scary. Someone had to say something to her before they all would end up consumed in her blue aura. "My Diamond, please. Have some faith in him. If he goes now, he'll have the best chance of finding them and bringing them back home safely," Sapphire reassured. "... You sure he'll be okay?" Blue Diamond asked. "No. B-But let's not give up. Let's change the future!" Sapphire insisted with a rather hesitant smile. Apparently even the calm Sapphire was a bit reluctant about this plan on a personal level. "Don't worry, mam, I'll protect him from whatever comes our way. I'm not going to lose my jam bud to any hungry aliens," Connie promised, showing her weapon to her as emphasis. "Jam bud?" Yellow questioned. "I think she means Steven," Blue replied. "Someone has to go and get them, and I'm not going to wait here. I'll be back, I promise," Steven reassured, reforming the bubble around him and Connie. Blue Diamond still didn't want him to go, reluctant and everything. "Steven, I don't want you -" "Ready to go, Connie?" Steven asked. Connie nodded in agreement. "Steven, I'm warning you, if you go out that door then … then …" "I'm sorry Blue, but I'm going," Steven said again. Before any of them could say anything, Steven and Connie were starting out the door! Steven got the door open, the sudden substance of the world outside immediately finding its way into the ship. The others had to step back, and Steven and Connie were soon out the door, and out into the world in their bubble. The door closed behind them, and just like that there was no turning back. Blue felt some mixed emotions about this. "That … boy. I swear, he gets this from your side of the family," Blue Diamond said to Yellow, not thinking straight from her emotions. A odd remark. "What? what're you talking about Blue, he's not even our son! … And stop crying, I can't see," said Yellow Diamond. "Sorry. …" Blue then felt more tears again, just thinking about Steven out in the world. This emotion was shared amongst the others, even after Blue Diamond got her emotions under control a little bit. They didn't have too many details on what the fog actually did to them, but if it was enough to keep the Diamonds back, then they could only wonder what would become of Steven and Connie outside. But White Diamond had a darn good idea, slipping away to make some preparations. … ~~~~~~ Now with both sides out in the field, it's up to Orthix itself to decide how well they even do. While Steven and Connie had at least some protection against the fog around them, Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, and Pearl weren't so lucky, left exposed as they could be to whatever effects the fog could have on them. Since leaving their tree, the four had been going through the landscape as best they could manage, keeping their guard up against whatever was lurking out there in the fog. During this, without Lapis to just fly up to try and see, they had to resort to other, less orthodox tactics to figure it out. One of these included Pearl being thrown high into the air by Bismuth to try and look over the fog. Risky, naturally. And after the third throw, Pearl landed down by the others. "Nothing. This fog's just far too thick to see anything," Pearl replied gravely. "We have to keep trying," said Lapis, "You sure you couldn't see the ship from up there Pearl?" "If I saw it, I'd say so. Oh Steven … he must be so worried about us." "Knowing him, he's probably looking for us out here," Bismuth said, "I would. so we better find him and the ship soon, some of us are getting a little antsy." "What do you mean?" Lapis asked. Bismuth simply pointed over to where Peridot was at. Peridot wasn't too far back from the group, yet something was going on with the green Gem, who was off behind a ways and frantically looking around her, trying her best to keep close to the others for protection. Bismuth kept a hammer arm at the ready just in case, a bit on edge herself. "Let's keep going, we can't have landed that far away," Pearl encouraged. They began to go off again into the fog's thicket, all on guard, though Pearl still was seeing Lapis's cracked up gemstone the whole way. "Lapis? … How're you holding up?" Pearl asked, referring to the gemstone. Lapis simply glanced back to Pearl as they kept walking. "I'm fine. Steven can heal me when we get back," Lapis said, though this was actually more to herself if anyone. Steven would be the only one who could heal her on this trip, without the fountain to return to back home, or if one would stretch the definition, Jade to help as well. "... Alright." … And just like that, one of their group suddenly stopped moving altogether. This time it was Bismuth who halted herself, her eyes looking around as if she heard something off in the distance. None of them heard anything though, so her just abruptly stopping left them a bit confused. "Bismuth, what is it? Did you hear something?" "Y-Yes," Bismuth replied. "Don't you hear it? … they're everywhere around us. … The monsters, t-they're hiding outside of the fog, w-waiting to come for us." Oh no. "Bismuth, you're seeing things! There's nothing out here except us, there're NO monsters." "YES THERE ARE! And if we don't watch it, they're gonna eat every one of us!" Bismuth suddenly shouted. Was this the same Bismuth they knew over the years? Bismuth wouldn't act this jumpy over just being lost in the fog, but that didn't mean it didn't leave them spooked anymore than what they are already, Peridot left screaming. But NOT because of the monsters in the fog. "AAHH! W-Who're you guys?!" Peridot shrieked, eyes wide and freaking out. "What? Peridot, calm down, we're you're friends," insisted Pearl, trying to calm Peridot down. However, looking into Peridot's eyes began to suggest something else, both eyes having a bit of a greener tint in them, more than usual. "No. N-n-n-n-no, you're just illusions! Fakes!! YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME ALIVE!" Peridot shrieked, before suddenly kicking Pearl back and running off into the fog in a complete panic. "If you're hungry, you beasts, this Gem isn't going down without a fight. I MEAN BISMUTH, SO BRING IT ON!" Bismuth suddenly shouted, summoning her hammer arms and running blindly into the fog herself. "No! Peridot, Bismuth, come back!" shouted Lapis. But it was no use. Soon, Peridot and Bismuth both were off and out of sight in Orthix's fog. If they ran off after them, they would get lost themselves, but if they left them alone the two would be in even more danger. Just to hear - "There you are -" *GAH!* "Bismuth?!" Pearl gasped. "AAHH!" "Peridot!!" shrieked Lapis. It all happened too quickly, and whatever was lurking out in the fog suddenly had both Peridot and Bismuth! Hardly much other sound was heard apart from some strange, quiet screech. Think of it like a Fluttershy scream in the distance, and with no Fluttershy within lightyears, that was disturbing to hear with each snatch. Pearl and Peridot were left torn, back and forth their glances went to each direction of their friends. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, what do we do?" Lapis asked, starting to panic. "Keep it together! Keep it together!" Pearl insisted. *thump* … *thump* … *thump* … *thump* … They didn't have to wait for long. With their minds now feeling a bit more frazzled, the responsible snatcher began to slowly move in towards them from the shades of the fog. The Fluttershy screeches echoed around them as the thumps grew closer and closer. Pearl instinctively brought out her spear to face this creature, yet Lapis could only stand behind her, her cracked Gemstone leaving her unable to fight with either wing or water. Soon they began to see the figure walking out towards them. To call this creature an animal of some sort perhaps might not be the correct word, though saying it was alive was also questionable. The entire body was a complete mess: moist in drabs of trash and wet fur that almost looked like sewage of sorts. It stood vaguely upright, though with its arms so long and thick, and its legs so stubby and short, it was hard to tell exactly. It had what seemed to be an eye, though it looked either blind or fake like that of a doll's eye. In the body of this being, Lapis felt her entire body shake and shutter by what she saw: Bismuth and Peridot inside! Bismuth was still fighting, but quickly being consumed, as Peridot could only kick her feet with little success. "LET THEM GO YOU - … THING!" Pearl demanded, rushing to the creature. But this odd mass of sewage barely even flinched even while Pearl tried to cut one of them out. they were being sucked in. Lapis could barely even utter a breath before Pearl found herself stuck to the mass as well. "No no no no no, DON'T LEAVE ME!" Lapis pleaded. The thing wasn't listening, and all three of them were soon "swallowed", disappearing inside the sludge. Lapis stepped back in horror to this beast, as it almost was unfazed by the people it just swallowed up, or the cut it was given. It began closing in on the poor, now alone Gem, the terrified Gem stumbling over her own feet, and with the mixture of the fog and the creature starting to consume her, she was forced to run. "Pearl. Bismuth. Peridot." Lapis's thoughts echoed those three names as she ran for it, the beast hardly making much of an effort to keep up. In fact, Lapis found that she was leagues ahead of it, the mass taking its sweet time in following her, as if knowing there was no escape from it. Lapis looked back again, but in doing so made her trip over her feet and fall to the ground in a rough tumble. "Wait, what am I doing?! Lapis, get a grip on yourself, calm down. Calm down!" Lapis told herself, but for some reason she wasn't doing so well. In fact, it was having the opposite effect on her, especially as she heard those thumps of the mass's approach. It just ate her friends, and she decided to run instead of fight? Before she could reach a proper decision though, she saw the shadow start to come over her. Lapis turned and there was the mass again, the sheer size about half tall as her own Diamond, though that could just be from it's "meal" it just had. Lapis wasn't sure what to do, and with nothing around her for weaponry, she was defenseless. Then she started hearing something hiss from the mass, coming out as a substance similar to the fog, and even more awful in stench. "Oh, stars," she groaned, the smell so horrid it was making her eyes water. … Wait. Water! "HANG ON GUYS!" It was a short amount, but it was the best she got. As the mass closed in, Lapis got out what tears came out, and was using it to slice at the mass. The beast was humbled, but only for a brief moment. The water she managed to get out was a short blade to this mass, and even with the weapon it wasn't doing much. In fact, each slice only was regrown back on the body, and the water getting soaked in a little bit more. Suddenly, water was out, and the mass was still standing … "Lapis Lazuli!" "We're coming, hold on!" Lapis knew that grand pair of voices anywhere, a smile on her face despite the monster in front of her. Out of the fog, and just in time to help Lapis out, Steven and Connie had found who they were looking for (one of them anyway). The mass was struck back by their pink bubble, knocking the figure back a good five feet. "Lapis, there you are!" Connie said. "Steven, Connie, I'm so glad to see you," said Lapis. "Did you see any of the others?" Steven asked. "ASK THAT," Lapis replied, pointing to the monster, now regathered and heading their way again. With its bulbous and bumpy body, the two got it together pretty quickly what happened to the three, giving them both shivers. "Oh boy. Ok, that's all we need to know. Connie, ready?" Steven asked. "Wait, don't attack - it just sucks you in!" Lapis quickly said before they could go in. Seeing one protected and one not, the mass picked out the easier target and began to close in on Lapis Lazuli. Steven and Connie rolled in the way of the mass, but it didn't effect the path. In fact, it slammed right into the bubble, its weight pushing down onto Steven's work! Steven and Connie looked to one another, the bubble suddenly shrinking down until the two were having to hold one another just to fit. "NO!" … Suddenly, the mass began to expand. *BOOM* "FREEDOM!" Saved! In an explosion of sewage and drabs, the five were out of the mass's grip, all three on the ground. Bismuth, Peridot, and Pearl all needed a minute to come around, but the fog was still getting to Bismuth and Peridot: Bismuth thrashing for the "monsters" around her while Peridot was still panicking over these strangers she was seeing. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" Bismuth shouted, hitting nothing much around her. Peridot got around, and terrified she began to try and run for it, but Pearl managed to grab hold of her. "HEY! Let go of me!" Peridot demanded, squirming and struggling like a madman. "Uh oh. The fog must be messing with them. Come on, let's hurry back," Connie suggested. "The fog?" Lapis asked. "It's complicated, but apparently this fog makes everyone lose it after a while. Maybe if we take them back and onto the ship, they'll come back around again," Steven said. not entirely what Blue Diamond said, but they saw the effects more than enough. "I hope so. And uh, think you could …" "OH, sure, come here," Steven said. Lapis turned around, and Steven stuck his hand out of the bubble with healing spit at the ready. Steven had to fix this before anything else, and one touch of the healing powers began to heal up Lapis's gemstone. Finally, she was back in one piece, water wings and all! And just in time for Bismuth to notice. "OH think you can sneak up on me, eh? You can't stop this fight train THAT easily!" Bismuth said, preparing to charge, her eyes now blood red. "WAIT A MINUTE!" Steven shouted, but Bismuth didn't hesitate, sending her hammer right onto Steven's bubble! One hit, and the bubble ended up cracked open! Before Bismuth could bring down another hit though, Lapis brought herself forward and grabbed one of Bismuth's arms to hold her back with her water regained from her gemstone. All she needed to do was wrap her up in a water bind and Bismuth wasn't going anywhere. Much like the sludge that had her before, Bismuth couldn't shake herself free of the binds, though that didn't mean she didn't try. "Thanks, Lapis," Connie said. "Happy to help. Pearl, you need anything with Peridot?" "I think I got it," Pearl replied, a bit dazed and scuffled up but she finally got a firm grip on Peridot. As humiliating as it was, Peridot was being held to Pearl's side as if she was some luggage, Peridot left terrified for her life. She could pummel Pearl, having the fighting ability to do so, but her blind panic wasn't having her thinking straight and left her just thrashing like some mad dog. "Come on, let's go," Steven insisted, "I just hope we're not too late." With that said, they went off on their way: Lapis and Pearl following Steven and Connie while restraining Peridot and Bismuth. As long as they get back together without any trouble from here on out, it wouldn't get any worse from here, leaving the mass behind them … And a tiny piece of it kept a little visual on them the whole way ... ~~~~~~ As one could probably guess, and what the others hoped to see, the Pink Diamond Ship didn't end up THAT far away. It still took their time to go through the fog and all, but Lapis and Pearl toughed it out just enough to keep themselves from snapping. "So they just broke?" Connie asked. "Something like that. It just kinda happened. If you didn't show up, I don't think there would be anyone left to save," explained Lapis. "So you sure they'll come back around?" "Well maybe. But I can heal them too while in there, just to be on the safe side," Steven decided, giving a thumbs up. With little idea on what this even was, Lapis only hoped that it could be enough to help them. Eventually, they reached the front of the ship, ready to go in. "Well let's try to relax. … This fog's starting to get to me," Lapis said, a hand to her head. And then the door opened up. The others weren't present in the front room, with the only exception being Sapphire who was standing in attendance for them to come back. Guess Sapphire wanted to make sure they came back safely. "Hello! We're back, and we got everyone safe and sound! I told you we'd be alright," beamed Steven. "Welcome back. It's good to see you," replied Sapphire. "It's great to see - … wait. Sapphire? You sound different." The lights then came on. Just ONE trip away from the group was all it took from the entire crew of the ship to turn from colorful to colorless. Sapphire stood there at attention, eerily still in her position, with her arms out and spread, hands up as if they were holding something. A smile was spread across her face, a slight mirror of Emerald's cracked grin. Sapphire's hair was no longer the curly, flowing cloud of blue, but instead a smoothed, flat plate of grey, her eye wide open and exposed. This same thing could be said for the others in attendance: Yellow Diamond and her Pearl, Blue Diamond and her Pearl, Pink Diamond. All three were in the same situation. All colorless. All standing in position. All smiles. "I sound perfect. Pink." "I KNEW IT! WHAT'D I TELL YOU, WHITE DIAMOND'S OUT TO KILL US! Unbind me before she shatters us!" Bismuth suddenly shouted, slightly influenced by the fog still messing with her head. This was disturbing enough without the fog influencing and making everything even more terrifying. "White?! Where're you?! What happened while we're gone?!" Steven called. "Right here, Starlight," White Diamond chimed in, stepping in from nearby with that same grin on her face, in the same position as everyone else. There was some silence at first, Steven needing to take this all in. "W-What did you do to them? They're -" *ssssshhhh* And along with White Diamond, the other colorless Gems did the exact same thing, even down to the very same speech and voice. She closed her eyes for a moment, but upon opening them a white light suddenly flashed out! Steven and Connie managed to get themselves out of the way whether they wanted to or not, but the other Gems were struck blind-sided by the strike! The hit was all it took to make them all collapse, their colors drained, and knocked out cold. "White! Stop!" "Starlight. You've been having a lot of fun with this game haven't you? Playing around with "friendship", playing around with these "lessons" of yours, this whole little family trip we've been doing. Was it good for you?" "Wait a minute, what did you do to them?!" "Me? … Well, my little sweetheart. I took time to think while you were away, and something occurred to me. You've been encouraging them, haven't you? Making them lower than what they are now. All I'm doing is helping them be better. Watch." And White diamond began to demonstrate. She snapped her fingers, the echo flowing around the room, and then … "Why thank you, White Diamond!" said Lapis. "We feel so much better, White Diamond," added Peridot. "You're so caring and considerate, White Diamond," added Pearl. "Oh, we wish we can be as perfect as you, White Diamond," finished Bismuth. All four were standing the exact same way as the others nearby, now under the control of White Diamond's influence. Steven felt his heart shatter. "Was this one of your lessons, Starlight? To help others without expecting anything in return, AND to help others reach their full potential? I think you made a joke description with a earth duck turning into a swan about that one before," White said. "But this isn't what I meant!" retorted Steven. "Is it not, though? Your friends weren't going to listen to me otherwise, when all I want from them is to be better." "This ISN'T better! This is all wrong! White, you can't just force someone -" Steven tried stepping forward, just for White Pearl to jump in out of nowhere, and almost "skewer" him in her jump, landing on her tip toes. This was just enough to keep Steven quiet. Connie tried to go and help, but the mind-controlled Pearl suddenly grabbed her and held her tight, covering her mouth to keep her quiet. Then White spoke again ... "Oh, there you go again, trying to talk about ideas that don't make any sense in the grand scheme of things. Friendship and obedience are two different factors that can't mold together in what can make it perfection. Steven Universe." "You … you were FAKING?! You knew I was Steven this whole time?!" Steven gasped. White Diamond simply laughed, everyone else outside of Connie laughing with her. "Oh you're such a naïve little thing, my dear. Even after I return to Homeworld, after that little VOW I made to break all of you one day, and even after nearly destroying Homeworld you still think you can actually find a way to work with me. And I suppose you have some special explanation, do you?" "But why? I ... I thought we were getting somewhere! I just wanted you to -" "To do what you wish. Is that right?" "No! To show you friendship! I know it sounds strange, and very stupid to some people, but I wanted to be friends with you, honest!" "Same thing, when all is said and done. I mean when you really think about it, Pink, my method has the same result to it. All of my friends are right here with me, smiles and all, just like you wanted. The only difference between our methods is that mine gives better results faster than yours did. THAT, and you had to go through so much heartache and repression to make it all happen. You do find it annoying at times when you can't just let yourself go, don't you? When you can't just be who you are, without others to question your choices. … But that isn't much to worry about now. I've removed their flaws! Now there is nothing to hinder my white light from sparking through them. I'd rather not spread my uninhibited self so thin, you know, but you've made it absolutely necessary. Now, the impurities you've encouraged in them are gone. Now, they are brilliant! Now, they are perfect! Now... they are me!" "YOU'RE WRONG!" A shocking amount of anger filled Steven's voice with this demand, but it did get White Diamond to quit talking for a brief moment. This has gone far enough. "White listen to me! My friends don't need to be fixed, they're perfect just the way they are flaws and all. Sure, it might not be good to have flaws, but if we're all flawless, we're not alive! We NEED flaws to grow into better people." "We're not "people" Starlight. We're Gems, we don't NEED flaws to "grow" - we don't even grow to begin with. Where do you get such ideas?" "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Steven hollered, desperately trying his best to get through to her, "You want things to be perfect, but does this look perfect to you?! Look at them, White, they're suffering from what you're doing to them. This isn't perfect, this is torture!" White Diamond paused and looked around at each of the Gems under her control, each of the copies following in synch to her. "They wouldn't fix their flaws, so I helped them, my little Starlight," White Diamond replied. Steven felt a recoil on his part when hearing her address him as such again, though he didn't know if she truly thought he was Steven or Pink Diamond. "I'm not Starlight. I have her gem, but I'm her son, Steven," Steven made clear, even showing his gemstone to her. White Diamond leaned down to him. White smiled. "You're so sure of that, aren't you? You disguised yourself as Rose Quartz to deceive your fellow species, and now it's even worse as now you're even deceiving yourself. Even when stuck in that human child, your light can't help but shine through." "No. NO, stop messing with my head! White, I'm not Pink Diamond, I'm her son. Which is, kind of an Earth thing." "Sure you are. but really, Starlight, stop lying to me. I think it's time to turn back now," White insisted, no longer finding that much enjoyment in "Starlight"'s tone of voice. SOMETHING had to get through to her. "I'm half Human, I can't just "turn back"! … I'd probably kill myself if I tried." "Still? First surrounding yourself with inferior Gems just so you appear as the best of the worst. And now flat out denying what is clearly the truth. How typical of you, my Starlight." "... Stop it. …" "You call it friendship, but by the end of the day it's just another "gentler" way to get your way across to them. Look at them: Dependent. Obsessed. Stuck in the past. To encourage their faults, to make sure they pick YOU over anyone else, to make sure they're loyal to you. All just so you won't ever feel like you're nothing." "Stop it." Steven began to feel tears come down from his eyes now. His vision getting blurry. "Isn't it obvious? You know you're in there. You've known it all along. Stop cowering inside your gem. You can hide from yourself, but you can't hide from me, Pink." "STOP IT!" A shocking amount of anger coming out of Steven's voice, his voice echoing around the room. "Even if that's true, or was true, you're talking about my mom, you're not talking about me! I'm NOT PINK DIAMOND, what do I have to do to prove it?" White Diamond sighed. "You are Pink Diamond, that's who you are no matter HOW MANY FORMS you take. I know who you are, and I can make you absolutely perfect. Wish I could say the same for your fellow Diamonds: Yellow with her pride and anger, always refusing to put her true self out there for the sake of her "image". And Blue with her emotions, always letting them override her judgement like the wreck it is. But now they're perfect, just like me!" … But what if I'm not? … Who said that? White looked around the place a little bit, trying to find who said that, or who MADE her say that. Steven heard her loud and clear with that question "White, it's okay to not be perfect, don't let that get to you." "Quiet, I didn't say anything that time!" White bellowed. But what if he's right? "Who's saying that?!" White demanded. but with only Steven technically able to talk, there was no one else speaking to her. Steven looked around and then something suddenly came across his mind, as the memory of that hit in the ship's knee flashed in his mind. None of them did mend that, did they? "What's going on Steven?" Connie asked. Unfortunately White Diamond heard her. "She's NOT STEVEN, STOP CALLING HER THAT! She's Pink Diamond! That's Pink Diamond's gem!" White roared suddenly starting to act way off the beaten path, her foot stomping the ground, each one shaking the ship. "Pink, you do not LOOK like this! You do not SOUND like this! You're not half-Human! Y-Y-You're acting like a child!!" Steven only had one thing to say to her after that. "... I am a child. What's your excuse?" Silence. Well, with the exception of Connie actually giggling, in spite of the situation. What was her excuse? She was the oldest Gem to exist far as everyone knew, and she just threw a tantrum just now. Just like what Pink used to do. White's face suddenly started to do something unexpected. Unprecedented. And Off-Color. Her face slowly began to blush a shade of pink. And this was spread around to everyone under her control, each one in a shade of pink across their face. White froze. "W-Wait. what is this? … They're turning pink? But they shouldn't, I'm in control!" You're not. "S-Stop, I am! I'M perfection, they shouldn't be anything BUT White!" Yet you're wrong. "QUIET! WHERE'RE YOU?!" White's eyes started to look around the room for this voice talking to her. Steven and Connie watched as White Diamond was, for a lack of a better word, losing her mind bit by bit. NO ONE was talking to her, so where was this coming from? White Diamond began to feel different now, and along with that shade of pink, her eyes slowly started to turn from White to red, something she noticed on every other gem in control too. EVERYTHING was turning red. "No, no, no, you're not supposed to be turning color! You're all white! I'M WHITE! I'M PERFECT, what's happening with all of you?!" hehehehehe … Now she was succumbing: the room began to disappear, White Diamond left in a landscape far beyond anywhere anyone else knew. All the figures around White Diamond started to morph outside of their "perfect" shape into abominations of their former selves, glitching and warping until they weren't even Gem anymore. As for the laughing, it grew louder and louder, taking away any other sound White could hear. Morphed animals, corrupted aliens, whatever you want to call them now they were beyond anything normal now. "No! Stop! You can't do this, You're all under my control, I MADE YOU - " White Diamond suddenly stopped. The answer struck her. "Wait … t-that's it. Something's wrong! WITH ME!" Her voice echoed, but only briefly. The laughing figures suddenly shifted almost immediately, growing taller than White diamond, towering over her all over again. THIS TIME the morphing stopped and they all looked the same, even having a human-like shape, but none of them matched her at all. Strange markings started to glow all over their bodies, like some sort of foreign written language of sorts. And they ALL started to pile in. White Diamond was crumbling ... Won't you look at that embarrassment! What a disgrace! An OFF-COLOR Diamond?! She's just like all those other animals of hers! Why not save yourself the breath and find an asteroid to fly into?! "NO!" White couldn't take it anymore. The colorless white from the Gems in her control started to seep away from them, each Gem starting to turn back into their respected colors. but being switched under White Diamond's control did make them worn out, some just collapsing on the spot while others needed a bit to come back around. "Guys!" Connie and Steven gasped, reaching for them and hugging them. "My head. What happened?" Lapis asked, trying not to get too bad of a migraine. "I think Steven got through to her," Connie replied. That claim was hard to say, but when they begin to look over to White Diamond, there was more than enough proof to say that SOMETHING was made clear to her. They could hear her breathing heavily, distraught and huddled up in the corner. "What did you say to her? She's shaking like a piece of chalk," Bismuth quietly inquired. Steven didn't answer. "I … I feel ridiculous. … Yellow. Blue. …" White turned to the other Diamonds, still having that pink blush all over her face. She brought her hand out to them, but the sight of this … well, alien sight caught them ALL by surprise. since when did White Diamond look ANYTHING like this? Yellow even turned away. "S-She's off color," Yellow Diamond stated. This only made White Diamond feel even more conflicted, even without the mockery of those other beings just moments ago. Everything calmed down as best it could, Steven went over to her side. "T-This … this can't be happening. I can't have flaws. I-I'm … supposed to be flawless. I'm supposed to make the right decisions, I … if I'm not perfect then, who am I? I-If you're not Pink, then who're you? W-Who is anyone?!" "... You know," said Steven, "If you let everyone just be whoever they are. Then maybe you can let yourself be whoever you are too." "B-But I'm not supposed to be like this. I'm supposed to know better, to be better, I'm supposed to make everything better!" "And you still can. But first, we got some lessons to go over." Blue Diamond, going over to her side, and placing a hand on her shoulder. The one other Gem that knew White Diamond almost since the beginning. "Blue? … Even after everything I've done to you …" "I was your friend once before. And I'd be grateful to be your friend now. North Star." White gasped. "Y-You … you still remember. …" "Come here," Blue simply said. With a smile, Blue leaned in and wrapped her arms around her fellow Diamond. White Diamond was wide-eyed, silent at first, but then she felt some tears start to form. White didn't know what to say, or what to think, but all she did in the end was return the gesture. This whole scene was revolutionary. But there was still one matter to handle. "Uh, sorry for intruding, but we're … still kinda stuck here? The ship being wrecked and all," Peridot meekly reminded. "Of course. White, you coming?" "... Yes. I'll fix this mess." As he saw Blue and White go off to repair the damages, there was a moment of accomplishment for the others. It was still early stages, but they've finally began to get through to White after way too long. Homeworld's going to see a whole new kind of White Diamond once they get back. Meantime, Steven began thinking over the next friendship lessons to teach to his student.