My Little Universe: Season 8

by EquestrianKirin

A Lion Amongst Sheep

We got through to Steven again.

That sentence was all that really needed to be said to get everyone over together, in this case meeting at the barnhouse, to catch up on the otherside of the party. Their brief conversation almost a week ago was fine and all, but this one seemed to be a bit more important off of what they've been instructed by Steven Universe himself. At the barn, the first ones to await their return was Jasper, Fulgurite, and Star Quartz: the former getting the message first, the middle because of her fast speed in general, and the latter … well, she was already there to begin with so that was three stones down in lineup. The projection screen only showed Steven and Connie for the time being, but they had a idea that the others weren't too far away.

"So you went to this "Orthix" planet, and decided to just come home?" Jasper asked again.

"Yeah, but it's all cool now. We got the ship fixed and everyone's feeling a lot better now," Connie replied. "You ever heard of Orthix before?"

"Nah, not me," Jasper said, "But I'm not a space explorer like other Gems, so that's not saying much. Glad to see you're all in one piece."

"You too, Jay. … You are all together, right?" Steven asked.

"Oh yeah, we're fine over here. The others should be here any second now," Fulgurite promised. "Riiiight … about. … Now."

And then came the portal keys opening up numerous portals about the place. At least four other portals opened up with different groups coming back in, some having more ponies others having more Gems. It hardly took more than two minutes for the Harmony Gems to all be present and accounted for.

"HEY, Steven!" gasped Pinkie when coming in.

"Good to hear from you sugarcube. Been doin good?" added Applejack.

"Hey guys! Happy to report we're doing good here, mission control," Steven said jokingly, even throwing in a salute alongside Connie.

"Glad to hear it, kiddo. K, so what's the big news?" Fulgurite asked.

"Not yet, we're not all here," Rarity said, "We still have Fluttershy, Flint, Jade, and Emerald to come around."

"Not anymore."

What timing to say that, and soon one more Portal door opened up good and wide, showing the very Gems and pony in question coming through. Flint and Jade went through alright, but Emerald kinda found himself a little bit stuck with … well, something. He tried pulling it through, but wasn't doing so good.

"Eh, Emerald?" Amethyst asked.

"Hang on a minute folks, I'll *grunt* get there *grunt* eventually!" Emerald said, trying in his power to pull the object through. The portal, possibly thanks to the magic that made it, started to readjust itself and widened just enough for the object to fit. With the strength used though, it did kinda "pop" out, launching Emerald and his friend right into the barn with a good tumble. Fluttershy came out of the portal herself, though didn't end up as tumbled. The others were quick to check on him.

"Emerald?" asked Fluttershy.

"Holy smokes," said Amethyst and Ruby.

Not the best way to introduce Sessile to the barn, but nothing can ever really be perfect. Emerald was stuck under her (again) and he just managed to push her back upright. And THEN did he see the look from the others by the barn.

"I brought Sessile back with me. Hope it's cool," Emerald simply said with a "presenting" grin. Sessile felt a fluster coming on seeing the surprise from everyone else, covering her face as if trying to hide herself, but it hardly was working. It really was all she could do to keep herself from being noticed.

"What's going on?" Steven asked.

"Looks like Emerald brought back a guest," replied Jasper. Sessile didn't want to be pushed any further, but Emerald was insistant.

"Come on, Sessile, say hello to everyone."

"Nonononono, j-just leave me in here, I'll meet everyone later," Sessile insisted, "I'm just a waste of time anyway, p-pretend I'm not even here - EEP!"

"You're talking too much. Now, out you go," Emerald said. But before he could bring Sessile outside, Flint kinda helped her out and pulled Emerald outside, making him drop Sessile back on the ground upright.

"Hey!"

"Emerald, leave her be. We'll talk with her later, but for now let's see what Steven has to say," Flint insisted, closing the barn door and giving Sessile some time to adjust to the barn.

"Now Steven, we're all here. What's the status on your end?" Flint then asked. Steven was hoping someone would ask, and with him and Connie nodding, Steven started speaking.

"Alright, we've all talked it over and we got a brilliant idea. But before I tell you, we have someone who wants to say something."

"Wait, so do you have something for us, or does someone else have something for us?" asked Pinkie.

"We both do. But first, promise me you all won't be too judgey," Steven said, hopefully. Many of them promised though Connie did see Flint would rather see this person first.

"We're all ears, kiddo," Fulgurite said. Just what Steven wanted to hear. But then he went over to the communicator on his end, picked it up, and then moved the screen. Soon, the screen showed some of the others nearby: Sapphire, Bismuth, Blue Diamond, Pink Diamond, and Yellow Diamond, and ...well, someone that made all of them a bit worried at first.

"Everyone, I'd like you all to re-meet the friendly and compassionate White Diamond!" Steven declared.

"H-Hello," White said. Her tone of voice now brought some more confusion, especially since it sounded more insecure if anything.

"Friendly and compassionate?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah! Steven got through to her - for real. She's with us now," said Connie in full support. This was some REALLY good news to the others, some already in cheering, but that was until -

"YAY! WHITE'S ON OUR SIDE!" Pinkie beamed, as Fulgurite and Rainbow high-fived. White was still feeling a little bit uncomfortable, that pink blush returning to her face once again.

"Not so fast!" Flint shouted, quieting the cheering before turning to them again. "... Steven, Connie? There's a modification to the projector screen by the front of the communicator. Click it for me right now before you say anything else."

"Um. Ok?" Steven said, not sure what he was talking about. The projection screen namely only showed one color, but after clicking the communicator, it then showed the full color on their side. Yes, they were all as colorful as ever.

"Hmm … none of you look mind-controlled."

"Dude, seriously?" Amethyst groaned.

"She tried killing Earth AND us twice, of course I'm gonna be suspicious!"

"Flint, we're serious. She's working so hard, I saw her the whole time," Steven insisted.

"He's right," agreed Blue Diamond. "White has put more effort into this than many of her work before. She's doing wonderful."

"Yeah, and for what advantage on her part before she tries cutting you down again?" Flint questioned. Clearly this was gonna be harder than anticipated, at least with one of them. But White took a breath.

"... Look. I know it's uh … soon. For you to believe me over anything. After everything I did to you. No, I don't expect you to trust me so quickly. But we've been … talking. And … and … and you're about to hear two words from the cruelest … distant … most heartless Gem ever known. ……. I'm. Sorry. … For being a clod. ..."

I'm sorry. Two words that none of them for a long time EVER thought White Diamond would ever say to any of them, even if from a projection screen, and actually mean it. White Diamond was still blushing, ever fiddling with her fingers as she was saying this - all things that the former White Diamond would seem so foreign to. And what did they say? …

"White Diamond, you've tried to kill all of us twice now, destroy this planet however you could, force-fuse Blue and Yellow -"

And all of a sudden, Flint was cut off when they began to hear laughing. Not laughing in insult, but more in good vibes, and this time coming from Jasper first! Even the most hardcore of fighters had some bit of humor in them apparently. Course she wasn't alone as plenty of others joined in. White didn't get it.

"Guys!" snapped Flint, but they didn't stop laughing.

"W-what's so funny?" White asked.

"Sorry, but this is just some whiplash," said Jasper through some chuckling, "First you try to kill us, and suddenly you're acting like a wuss."

"A-A wuss?!" gasped White.

"Yeah, no way you're lying to us with like that. If I do say so myself, you do make a better ruler when you're actually true to your feelings," added in Rarity. White was very confused, unprepared for this quick forgiveness from them, and looked to the others for some explanation. All Blue Diamond gave her was a warm smile, something that said they weren't mocking her. White scrambled to get closer to the screen, down on her hands and knees so she was on more level with it.

"B-But wait. You're not upset with me? After I was so cruel to you?" White Diamond asked.

"To be honest with you, we're a bit used to it by now," admitted Ruby, "You just have a more creative way of doing it, that's all."

"Sure, and besides," added Rainbow Dash, "it's been what? Over a year since you actually did anything? It's kinda old news nowadays."

While this was what Sapphire was expecting them to say, looking to White Diamond with an equal reassurance, Flint simply stepped away briefly and out of their view, left to his own thoughts about this sudden shift of events. Maybe THEY were quick to trust Steven on this, but Flint was still on the edge of things.

"That's wonderful you're willing to accept her. It'll make things better during our celebration," said Blue Diamond.

"Celebration?" asked Ruby.

"Steven, it's your idea. You can tell them."

"Happily. Turning on excite mode," said Steven. He cleared his throat, looking pretty formal at first, but this was just to set up his "excitement mode", the stars in his eyes.

"We're gonna throw a huge ball on Homeworld, and you're all invited! Era 3 starts NOW!" Steven announced. There were some gasped, but Pinkie Pie was the biggest gasp of all. A party for Era 3 to begin was JUST the thing to get this new generation up and running, now that White's willing to help them out here.

"A huge ball? You mean you're all juggling?" Star Quartz asked, not getting it.

"No, no. Well, ok, me and Pink, but what I mean is that we're gonna be having a party! A huge Homeworld party, and we're gonna invite everyone!"

"A party for Homeworld? ERA! 3! HOMEWORLD?!" Pinkie gasped, getting very excited. HOW LONG has it been since she threw a proper party since the Everstorm passed through? Last week at most? WAY TOO LONG!

"That's right," said Pink Diamond, "Everyone's gonna be there, and bringing back PD over here AND White Diamond's gonna make this ball start Era 3 off with a bang!"

"A Homeworld ball. Dang, we haven't had one of those things for thousands of years. Unless that victory ceremony for the Osicone counts for one," said Jasper.

"Well we haven't had White Diamond AND Pink Diamond for thousands of years," said Blue Diamond, "If there's ever a true time to bring a celebration for all of Homeworld, now's the best time for it."

Well that was all convincing they needed.

"That case, it's about time we deserve a good celebration, what do you say? Who's ready for our PARTY?" Fulgurite asked.

"I'm down for some funky fun!" said Amethyst.

"Sounds like a blast!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, we can use a celebration," said Jade. And overtime, everyone around agreed to the plan of going to this celebration. … Well, everyone except for Flint of course, who acted as if this was just some nonsense.

"So sugarcube, when are y'all gonna pick us up?"

"Oh, we're not."

"Huh? But we don't have a Warp Pad to get to Homeworld, remember? Or is one of your other fleets gonna come in while you set up?" reminded Diopside.

"Nope. Surprise number two: activate!" Steven said, and suddenly he was given something by Pink Diamond. The object itself looked, to sum it up, like a flute of sorts.

"A … whistle?"

"You all outside the barn, right? Just watch to the hillside," Connie instructed, as Steven cleared his throat. A odd request, but they did as instructed, though it turned out it didn't matter entirely if they did or not. Steven took a deep breath and blew hard into the whistle as hard as he could. The whistle made a bit of a high pitch in sound, one that sounded a bit long any other whistle: fluent and pretty. But as he was doing that, they then saw a strange sign of a Warp Pad going off in the distance, the notable column going up into the sky. Now they did have a Warp Pad closer to the barn house, sure, but this wasn't in the same direction, and placed much further away …

"Wait a minute. NO WAY, you did not -" Rainbow Dash had to check for herself. In a quick bolt, she and Fulgurite bolted like lightning right off out of sight. It took them seconds to get there at such a speed, and seconds later to bolt back just to say -

"THE WARP PAD'S BACK!"

"What? But how - when'd you come by and do that?!" Rarity asked.

"Oh, just now: we teleported the teleporter!" Steven announced, giving a wink and thumbs up.

"Teleported the teleporter. You can do that?" wondered Fulgurite.

"Sweet, we're connected again! Kinda! We still need one in Equestria, but YAY for convenience!" said Pinkie. Flint felt himself cringe slightly on this news, though everyone was a bit distracted to really notice much of anything.

"Well you've all been informed and invited," Yellow Diamond said, "We're hoping you'll all be present during the celebration."

"Oh we will! It ain't no party without Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie beamed.

"A party for ALL OF HOMEWORLD. Have we ever had a celebration that big before?" Rarity wondered.

"I don't know, but NO WAY am I missing this. Oh, we gotta get the goods," said Amethyst. Now THAT was something Pinkie could agree on.

"If we're gonna be throwing the big party for Homeworld, then we're gonna need the ultimate Pinkie Pie package. Get your dancing shoes, this is gonna be a party to remember!" Pinkie Pie concluded, serious about this party. This was a party to outshine any other, and if that was the case Pinkie Pie's gotta bring her A game, and her top notch performance.

And then Flint spoke up again.

"Aren't you all jumping the gun a little bit? We still have a few problems: Twilight doesn't know about this, and neither do Steven and Connie's parents. And what about the Off-Colors?" Flint pointed out.

"That's hardly a problem: Fulgurite you can tell the parents, Applejack you tell Twilight, and I'll find the Off-Colors," said Ruby. Well that was solved quickly, and as Fulgurite bolted away, Applejack used her portal key to get to Canterlot, and Ruby ran off to find where they went with some help from Rainbow Dash. Flint was simply left groaning on that answer.

"Ok … but what about you guys? Steven, we're not going there and waiting a month for you all to show up. You have any remote idea how much longer you're all going to be?" Flint then asked, trying to keep his composure. Before any could answer, they then heard the doors open up, this time showing not only the rest of the gang, but the other Pearls as well.

"My Diamonds," said Yellow Pearl formally, "We've arrived at our destination, whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, Pearl," said Yellow Diamond. Flint felt like slamming his head.

"Well in that case, we'll be seeing you all shortly. Be ready to get your party on, Ste-man," Emerald said.

And so the communicator was cut short on that note, and the others then brought their attention towards Flint ... who was actually pushing his forehead into the wall. Everyone knew the drill already with this guy.

"Come on Flint, this is the biggest celebration in centuries! You HAVE to go, it's a MUST for your life goals!" Pinkie beamed, getting right in his face about it (literally).

"I can't hide a thing from you anymore can I?" Flint sighed, before pulling the mare off of him, and dropping her, "First of all, my life goals don't include the celebration. Secondly there's too much to do here: I'm studying Corruption right now, figuring out this Grogar situation top of that, not to mention there will be no one else here to actually watch over anything. Hard enough since much of our group's been off into space anyway."

"That, and you hate White Diamond," Jasper added in.

"And I hate White Diamond," Flint said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Boy nothing was gonna get passed em anymore.

"Flint, dude, didn't you see her just then?" Amethyst asked, "She looks like Fluttershy would. … Eh, no offense."

"No, I'm with you," agreed Fluttershy. Fluttershy wasn't gonna deny her shyness, and White did come pretty darn close if anything. But as they probably expected, Flint wasn't really convinced much at all.

"Flint," said Jade, "You could at least go and see for yourself. … Give her a chance."

"Cut it out, guys it's fine. You just go on ahead, I got things to do," and then he felt someone tug on his arm. He would expect Jade, or maybe Pinkie or something but instead it was Star Quartz.

"Star can you let go of me? I'm busy."

"Are you?" Star asked. Flint was getting frustrated.

"Alright then, what do you think is the reason why I want to stay?" Flint asked. He just had to ask, as Star Quartz worked what she had observed him do over the last week.

"... You don't think anything can work without you being there? You're always scared when something's not in your watch, like Steven being in space without you with him to track things. … But won't it be just as scary with you here and us on Homeworld? You won't do anything for us from here."

… You know, sometimes the scariest things are the ones that come right out of nowhere. Flint yanked his arm out and found his back on the barn wall, in a cold sweat as Star looked to him with an "innocently confused" look.

"... For stars sake - FINE I'll go," Flint finally concluded.

"THAT'S the reason?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"That explains a lot," Amethyst commented.

~~~~~~

"Ah. … Home sweet Home," sighed Blue.

Their arrival back on Homeworld grounds was what one could say a more relaxing part of it all. With how much action Steven and company have had off in space, it really was about time they were given a moment of clarity inside the main palace walls.

"Hello throne! Did you miss me?" said Pink Diamond, playfully jumping right onto it. A nice gesture to her throne, and there still was a bit of excitement from the others.

"Era 3, Steven you're already changing the world," said Pearl.

"You mean we're changing the world," corrected Steven, "I'm not going to take all the credit here."

"Well, Steven. It is you who uh … brought me around, as you kept putting it," said White Diamond, "That should count for something."
Steven didn't want to brag about it, rubbing the back of his head with a smile on his face. Always a modest fello Steven, and they all knew it as Bismuth fluffed his hair. Still, even if he did bring White around, the once tyrannical queen of Gemkind still felt uneasy about things.

"It's nice you're doing this for me, but … I don't know, should I be here?"

"Well sure. A part of this is because you came back," said Lapis as she flew by White Diamond's head.

"But you don't understand. This is a planet that I once tried to destroy! I mean, who knows what'll happen when they all see me now? … And how do I stop this pink color on my face? I-I can't let them see me like this," White pointed out, feeling that same pink blush come up again as she tried to "rub it away".

"Ok, White, think of it this way," said Bismuth, "we're practically as big of enemies as you can get with our track record with you, and if we're ready to forgive ya, what does that say about everyone else?"

"Thanks Bismuth," said Connie with a warm smile. White Diamond took a breath, adopting a particular breathing method from a particular Alicorn as she brought her hand to her chest, and brought it out with her exhale.

"Yeah. Yeah you're probably right. … This party, uh, did we decide when it'll be? I don't think we talked about that," White pointed out.

"What do you mean? We're getting it started today, and go for a few days afterwards," Lapis replied.

"A few days? A royal ball doesn't last for more than one night, why would you want to extend it for days on end?" added Yellow Diamond.

"Because this is the biggest thing to happen on Homeworld since, well, forever," replied Steven, "White Diamond's back, Pink Diamond's back and, if you really think about, we have a brand new diamond. FIVE Diamonds! How could we not push the envelope to celebrate?"

"Hmm. … Yes. It's brilliant," said Yellow. Pink may not be a diamond by cut, but an honorary Diamond was a diamond all the same.

"Think of it like a festival," explained Connie, "Festivals usually last at least three to five days. Though, I don't think I can really party for that long."

"That's fine, Connie, no one said you have to stay for the entire time," said Pearl. But this still had some concerns for the Diamonds.

"We might've had a royal ball before, but I don't think we've ever had a festival before," said Blue, though she was more curious than worried. Homeworld's first festival was surely something for the records. Pink Diamond though was the most excited for this.

"Don't worry about a thing: I've seen festivals happen all the time back in Equestria. I got some pretty good know-how here, and we're about to get the best party pony we know on the payroll! Trust me, you're in some good hands and hooves for THIS party."

"Pay? Roll?" White whispered to Yellow.

"Just roll with it White," Yellow replied, still confused about the word, but it wasn't important now. And they better start rolling with the punches now, because shortly after they decided this, the main doors to the palace began to open up on their own, revealing a familiar looking light coming from it.

"Something tells me you may want to take a couple steps back," suggested Peridot.

"Here she comes," said Sapphire. And before anyone could ask what -

"PARTY BOMB INCOMING!"

Bomb?! Blue and White Diamond were out of the clearing, but Yellow Diamond found that something big was coming their way, big enough that when Yellow Diamond caught it in her arms, it knocked her down onto her rear. Such a surprise, but who'd expect anything different from the Pink mare proudly sitting on top of the thing? Course the "bomb" didn't look anything like such at all, but more like some junk pile. And Pinkie wasn't alone.

"WOO! Now THAT'S how you make an entrance!" Fulgurite beamed.

"I thought I told you not to do that," Flint said.

"Guys!" gasped Steven.

It was a bit of a mixed bag on how they came in, some of their friends coming in with a blast on the "party bomb" while the rest were a bit more casual in coming in. Regardless of the case, they were all there either way and were on their way to meet up with the otherside of their party. The first to do so: Ruby reuniting with Sapphire.

"Hey Sapphire," said Ruby, "So, how'd you like the entrance?"

"It sure was a surprise. Pinkie Pie always was good at surprises, I love it," said Sapphire with a giggle. Ruby smirked.

"Was it Pinkie who thought of using the portal to bring it here?" Ruby asked smugly. Sapphire suddenly figured out the true culprit for the entrance.

"Oh you," Sapphire already got to kissing Ruby, the two giddy as ever as the others were checking in with the rest.

"Hey there, gang," said Amethyst, starting off with a friendly noogie to her favorite half Human, "Great to see the heroes back, changing the world and stuff."

"Great to be back," said Steven, laughing as he returned the gesture.

"Hey, hey, noogies are my thing!" Amethyst laughed. It was nice for them all to meet up, but there still was some confusion over their "party bomb". Star Quartz then noticed Peridot off a ways, going over to her.

"Hello mom. Did everything go okay?"

"Hah! Nothing we can't handle," Peridot said with pride, "We've went to Heiligdom, Farid, and even Orthix, and none of them could hold us down. By the way, are the others with you?"

"They said they didn't want to be apart of this scare tactic," replied Star. Peridot could already guess who might that be from.

Exchanges like this were passed around a bit, many of them glad to see eachother, but Flint personally was the most distant out of them all. Especially with White diamond standing only a good twenty feet away (which for a diamond wasn't that much).

"Uh … hey Chief," said White Diamond reluctantly.

"... Hey chief," replied Flint, also reluctantly but for different reasons. White was feeling a bit uneasy, yet that was as far as Flint was willing to consort with White Diamond, and apparently it would be the same for White here too.

"Well it looks like everyone made it," said Blue Diamond.

"Well, more or less," said Applejack, "We wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Good. Now listen: this is the biggest event in all of Homeworld. If you're planning on making this a celebration, then everything must be perfect. … With your own special flare of course."

"Sweet! Because we didn't pile up the confetti for the confetti cannons for nothing here!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Dibs on being the confetti cannon," Amethyst added.

"We know you're excited, but there's still at least some limitations that need to be acquired. We're not breaking laws just for this event to happen," stated Yellow Diamond said, though this response wasn't taken too roughly.

"Don't worry about a thing, no one's getting beat up over this, and everyone's gonna be happy," reassured Steven.

"That isn't what I meant. Steven, you sure you all can manage this "party" on your own?"

All of a sudden, the pink mare was off the ground, bolting directly up Yellow Diamond's body until she was right in her face.

"Are you doubting our competence, my friend? I'll have you know we have a specific set of skills. Skills that guarantee that the grandest of grand-o of parties can and will occur on this very planet, in this very city! Do I NEED to remind of the epicness that was Ruby and Sapphire's wedding?!"

"I think she gets the point, Pinkie," Lapis said, helping the pink mare off of her and bringing her down to the ground. "But really, we'll keep to what regulations there is and still have a great time."

"Excellent. While we get reacquainted, our Pearls can help you get started if you'd like," Blue Diamond suggested.

"That'd be great, thanks!" said Connie. Soon, Blue Pearl and Yellow Pearl were up in attendance. However, while they were present and accounted for, there still was a Pearl missing from the lineup.

"Didn't we have a third Pearl with us?" asked Peridot.

"She'll be around," Steven promised, though he didn't go over much more details on that.

"Pearl," instructed Yellow Diamond, "Help them get reacquainted with our Homeworld rules and regulations so this event doesn't end up violating much of them."

"As you wish, my diamond," Yellow Pearl replied.

"Thank you Yellow! thank you Blue. Come on party pearls!" Steven beamed. While this was good and all, Yellow Diamond had one more thing to go over with them, a finger signaling one of them (Fluttershy in this case) come closer to her.

"If you know what's good for you, try not to have my Pearl any … fashion control," Yellow Diamond whispered.

"Huh? But why?" Fluttershy asked. But then …

"Let's get preparations started! Get ready for impact!"

"Impact - wait, no NO PINKIE HOLD IT!" Ruby's words were left unanswered.

*BOOOM*

Let's just say the party bomb was more than just a namesake. Pinkie Pie bucked the party bomb, just for the seemingly non-sensical mess of items to start ticking and blowing up! Hardly much time to actually react to any of it, except to block the blast. Ok, that alone had to violate something.

"Mare, what in the stars was that - … for? …"

Yellow Diamond would've just punish them right then and there if she didn't see what the end result even was first. Soon as the smoke cleared, the entire room around them was already decorated! The pillars pining the sides of the room were lined with colorful streamers in a spiral fashion. The floor was aligned with a fine red carpet, diamond insignias lining the rims, from the thrones to the main entrance doorway. Speaking of doorframe, silk curtains lined the frames to give a special formal feel. A few tables were also suddenly there, all rounded and lining along the floors in organized fashion like the tables in Canterlot. The biggest addition to the room was the chandelier ow hanging gracefully above the room: a giant spread of shining glass opened in such a way that resembled a large flower. And in the center of this flower were a number of different diamonds, each one colored in a different way depending on their placement. As this was a festival of course, some of Pinkie's party plans were also added in: some balloons tied to the columns, some party hats, and a few sets of party cannons on standby just in case things get boring.

"Aha! And that is a great presentation of Pinkie Pie's puzzling yet peachy party bombs! Fancy prancy edition," said Pinkie Pie.

"...…. I'm not gonna ask," concluded Yellow.

"Good, because I'd have a really hard time explaining," Pearl replied.

~~~~~~

So after the Diamonds had left, the others were left to the ballroom festivities. Since decoration was all handled, as unorthodox of a way that even was, next came the events to come up for the next couple of days. There's only much you can do when given this much time, but there's also so much you can do it's hard to pick out what to do when. The group was casually around the place, some sitting at the tables while others just stood nearby. As with any of these events, a good list was being made and carried out, plenty of ideas being put in.

"And the third day we can work in some fireworks for everyone to enjoy!" Steven said, "Nothing says a celebration like fireworks.

"OOO, how about a few contests? I got an hankering for a good ol' spaceship derby," suggested Emerald.

"OH YEAH," agreed Rainbow Dash, "Racing with you guys is fun and all, but I always wanted to test my speed against a spaceship." and she flew in circles as emphasis about it.

"We better find an open area for that one," advised Diopside, "I don't think flying into buildings is the best idea ever."

"And take away the fun?" said daredevil Fulgurite. Yellow Pearl and Blue Pearl had been hearing these suggestions get tossed back and forth, but only now did they actually speak up.

"Races are allowed on Homeworld, but NOT within city limits," advised Yellow Pearl. "And these "fireworks" you're talking about are unprecedented, and therefore out of the question."

"Oh. Well ok, no fireworks. Uh, do lasers sound ok then?" Fulgurite suggested.

"GOOD STARS NO! you want to evaporate everything in Homeworld?!"

"I meant show lasers, completely harmless," corrected Fulgurite, but it barely worked.

"ANY lasers are forbidden to be used," Yellow Pearl made clear. Well that was already a few things restricted already. "However, you did suggest "show presentations". Those are alright to do, so long as it is controlled."

"Yes," said Lapis. Some dancing would be great to do during the event, plus dancing in a royal ball wasn't unheard of at all. In fact, it was encouraged.

"What do you mean controlled? you can't hold dancing back," said Steven.

"Allow me to demonstrate," Yellow Pearl said. She then got onto her tip toes, and began to … dance? … Well, that word might not be exactly correct, as all she did was stand at attention and turn this way and that. Think of it like a wind up box with a ballerina. It didn't take long until they got their opinions.

"BOO! Come on, when you dance, you gotta GET IN IT!" Amethyst said, getting up and immediately presenting her own kind of dancing, hers a lot more vibrant and "freestyle": some twerks, slide steps, ending with a spin and a pose. Nothing too crazy but still the point was made.

"Now cut that out! this is still a royal celebration, everything must be perfect, so please restrain yourself."

"Really? This is starting to sound dry."

"Liquids are forbidden in the ballroom."

"Maybe the art gallery's still alright to do," Rarity said, "A quiet time, and a friendly contest showing off artistry and creativity."
Yellow Pearl had to think on this one, though some of them were really hoping this wouldn't be excluded from the festival. Blue Pearl was silently praying to the stars it would stay, a hand behind her back with crossed fingers but keeping quiet overall.

"Hmm … I don't see why anyone would be too interested. But I don't see what rules that would be against so … keep it from being too … too … what's the word? explicit?"

"Lewd," said Amethyst.

"Oh, of course," said Rarity. Blue Pearl gave a breath of relief.

"But Karaoke's still good right?" Connie asked, "There's a lot of songs we can sing, and anyone can give it a try if they wanted to."

"I think the Earth term is "I draw the line" at that. Singing is fine, but the Sessile is in charge of all music provided during royal ball event. There's no need for anyone else to sing," Yellow Pearl explained. Suddenly some of them started to feel a little bit shook up, reminded of the particular Sessile stuck at the barn still.

"The … Sessile?"

"Correct: the Sessile is perched up above the ballroom attached to one of the pillars, as you can plainly see on your third column to the right."

"See what?" Applejack asked. Confused, Yellow Pearl turned to look … just to find nothing there. not even the flattened part of the pedestal for the Sessile to rest on was present, just the stony attachment.

"... Uh …"

"Uh, maybe they're uh … mending it?" Emerald shrugged, praying that it would be true. …

"Well perhaps, it has been a while for a maintenance check up."

Lucky break.

"So what is "precedented" and therefore "in the question" then?" Star Quartz then asked. A good question since many of the things that make up a party didn't seem to really fit into the statement all too much.

"Finally someone asks," Yellow Pearl commented. NOW to lay down how this worked, starting with Steven.

"Steven, as there're two Pink Diamonds currently, you are to sit with Pink Diamond on her elevated throne whilst the members of your court indicate to you that they're present," Yellow Pearl explained, gesturing to the throne off nearby.

"I have a court?"

"Well of course you do! You are a Diamond yourself, and by technicality you already had your court right there," Yellow Pearl explained, gesturing to the Harmony Gems behind him. Steven wouldn't exactly call them apart of his court, but Homeworld rules did kinda dictate such things.

"Well, okay give me a second," Steven said. He didn't even try jumping high this time, experience before leaving him just stuck floating if he didn't watch it, so this time Lapis simply lifted him up to the throne as Yellow Pearl followed, actually standing on the very ends of her feet might it be added.

"From here," Yellow Pearl continued, "You can accept and reject your court members at your leisure. My Diamond will do the same, as with Blue Diamond, Pink Diamond, and if we are so lucky, we'll all get the ultimate judgement from White Diamond … At least it would've been good before our incidents with her."

"So … what happens to those that're rejected?"

"Well that's simple: they're not allowed to join the event," Yellow Pearl replied. Seemed pretty simple, but Steven himself had to draw the line at that as he got himself down.

"Now wait, I don't want this festival to separate everyone," Steven said, "Why should anyone be rejected from having any fun?"

"Steven, a royal ball is a time to present the Diamonds' best selves, which includes those following under their step! WHY wouldn't you deny at least one member in your court?"

"Because this isn't just any Royal Ball, it's a festival," retorted Steven, "We're allowed to have some different stuff applied if we want to, and Blue Diamond said we can add our own flare! As long as no one gets hurt or upsets anybody, then I promise these events will be just fine."

"... Can we at the very least apply this to the first day?" Yellow Pearl asked meekly, "just to start it off?"

"Hmm … well I guess there's no harm in that. Ok, for introduction we can have it like any other Royal Ball," Steven decided, adding that under the "first day" part of the list. Well at least this festival was gonna have some bit of formality, Yellow Pearl feeling pretty good about it …

"And we can get to know eachother better on the dancefloor."

And just like that it was trouble all over again.

"Stop! Your court will do the dancing for you, all you have to do is sit there and observe."

"Are all Royal Balls this strict?" Pinkie Pie questioned, "How can you boogie down if you're not even allowed to boogie?!"

"There isn't a reason for a diamond to … uh. "boogie down"," Yellow Pearl stated. Steven began to suddenly feel a bit less enthused by the royal ball idea.

"So, all I'm allowed to do is sit on my throne, and basically judge everyone?" Steven confirmed.

"W-Well, not in exact terms but ……. that would be the extent of it."

And just like that, Steven erased that from the list. This festival shouldn't have it be nothing but judgement, not if they had anything to do with it. Yellow Pearl felt a bit shot down for trying to make it work.

"This festival is a judgement free celebration," Steven concluded.

"... Can we at least introduce the same way?" Yellow Pearl asked.

"... Oh, alright, we can do that if you want to," Steven decided, as he and the others continued going over the list. It'll be a while before they could really figure everything out, many suggestions already written down as it was. But what they said next was probably fated to happen ...

"Oh, I know!" said Rarity, "there's quite a bit of aristocratic Gems from what I remember, and plenty of beauty to go around. How about we work into the festival a fashion show?"

Uh oh. Soon as the words "fashion display" struck Yellow Pearl's ears, the Gem suddenly grew a lot more perky.

"Fashion show?"

"Oh it's nothing harmful dear," Rarity reassured, "All that happens is that someone walks down a path and back, and all the while show off fabulous outfits! I think I remember the spring fashion line-up couple of months back being such a hit too."

"Was that the same time you modeled an outfit after me?" Diopside asked.

"Think that was last year," Rarity replied.

"Is this "fashion display" open to anyone?"

"If you're willing to give it a try, then I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to," Rarity replied. And Yellow Pearl was sold, even going as far as to write down the extra event on the list for them, her eyes sparkling. Sure she wrote it in Gem language, not English or Ponish, but it was there either way.

"And it's a guarantee on the fashion display," Steven concluded. Though he had to go and write a "translation" by the gem writing first to make it easier. With this and other things written down though, Jade did feel like she should tell them something.

"Guys? … You think you can do me a favor?"

"A favor? Well sure Jade, what is it?" Connie asked.

"I'd be grateful," said Jade, "if you can help Flint have a good time too. I know he doesn't want to be here, but I'd like to see him enjoy himself."

That was simple enough, but then Peridot had one question.

"Speaking of which. Where is he?"

~~~~~~

As they were going through this though, one of the members had already slipped away, leaving them to work out the rest for themselves. For him it was just silent enough for him to go without any of them noticing, though he slipped on his camo cloak, just to be sure no one did catch him going away from the situation. With them busy in the ballroom, he just decided a simple walk around the palace would get him some time away from all of this chitchat.

"Biggest event in all of Homeworld," he thought, "My friends' minds turned to mush. Did they just forget how much she did to us? To Gem kind even? And what if she's just acting all over again? … oh moon goddess, If she ends up making them all her goons, I dunno what I'm gonna do."

Just the very image of all of them left as White Diamond's puppets left him in nothing but chills down his back. At the least the walk around the palace did leave him a bit calmer (ironically). No Diamonds to look down at him, none of the Harmony Gems to chat with him, just him with his own thoughts and the scenery around him.

"... I don't know. What was even with her today? I've never seen her look so … unsure with herself. Shy? Flustered? What kind of act are you trying here, White Diamond? … What is it you want?"
Flint's thoughts continued down this kind of path as memories of their past affairs continued going through his head. His time with White diamond as one of her hybrids, his multiple fights and encounters over the past … and that exchange of books too. Flint never could trust her before, and he knew what she was capable of no doubt about it. Yet, his walk began to take him towards somewhere that seemingly would give him some sort of answer.

And according to the faint glow, he knew exactly who was inside the next room.

"By yourself, White? Well that didn't take long," he thought. He took some looking around before he began to near the room in question. If he wanted to see what she was up to, he might as well go and find out for himself. Keeping on his cloak to keep out of sight, he neared the door and took the approach of peering into the room itself.
Well he was correct: Pink Diamond, Yellow Diamond, nor Blue Diamond were present inside the rather colorless room. But there was something else a bit off here.

"... Wait. White? … Where are you?" Flint thought. It was enough to even make him come into the room to try and find her, but even with the glow he didn't seem to see her anywhere. The room looked no different from the other diamond bedrooms, but even so he might as well check the area. After all, some dirt to find wouldn't be too bad to locate. He began to work out where something would be for dirt, starting off with what looked to be a makeup table, mirror included. Flint jumped up onto the counter.

"Hmm … no documents or plans here. …"
Flint took a minute too to check the drawers to the table, but he didn't find that much their either. Some makeup products sure, but that was about it. Sure he was still invisible and thinking his statements rather than speaking, but him rummaging through drawers couldn't be hidden away for too long.

"Flint?"

He found her. Flint stopped his work and looked over by the bed, just to find White Diamond huddled away on the floor. Flint was not amused.

"White," he said, this time removing the invisible cloak. No point in hiding when they already knew you were there. Looking at her too, he started to notice that her face looked a bit different. A bit more gray than the pink he saw her with.

"Trying out beauty products are we?" Flint questioned, arms crossed. "I'm still seeing that blush."

And it was true. No matter the fake blush, he was still seeing pink just underneath it. White Diamond felt defeated again, taking a nearby rag and wiping it off her face, revealing the full blush again.

"This is so humiliating. I can't let the world see me like this, they'll all laugh at me," White Diamond said, worried as ever. A perfect Gem with a pink stain just can't be called such. Flint could see the troubled look on White's face, but he no longer wanted any of it.

"You can stop acting, White," Flint stated coldly. White did stop talking and looked to him, hand failing to hide her blushing face.

"... I wish I was."

"Come on. I've known you for too long White, and it would be far better off if you never came at all," Flint boldly remarked. White Diamond felt a shiver run through her.

"But I've realized I was wrong."

"Liar. I think I heard Pinkie said this saying once or twice: you can't find some rotten bit of candy on the street, slap on a fancy new wrapper, and call it delicious."

"But I -"

"SHUT IT," Flint yelled, making White quiet. "... You've tortured hundreds of Gems, used them for experiments over and over again, wiped out planet after planet, caused an entire Gem War to occur without you even batting an eye about it, you even tried force-fusing Yellow and Blue! And you expect me to trust you?"

"... I … I just wanted to make everything better ……."

White was smart enough despite her insecurity to know what the "rotten bit of candy" was in this scenario. Normally White would just wipe it off with her signature smile, but instead White Diamond felt the words sting her as she huddled up again, burying her face in her knees, even a tear slipping from her eye (which she tried to wipe away to make it stop). Flint wasn't really fazed by this reaction, and in fact grew even more annoyed.

"Don't cry, you're not THAT good an actor. You've fooled everyone else, but you're not fooling me."

"What do you want me to say?" White asked gravely, as if already knowing the answer. Flint groaned, hand to forehead.

"You can say you're sorry until you're blue in the face, it's not going to work. You were proud of all your torment, and you know it. I'm finished with you, and once more I'm going to make sure everyone else is," Flint concluded. White diamond, as if by pure impulse, suddenly brought her arm out and did a karate chop right in front of Flint. Flint saw his own reflection in White Diamond's hand.

"Wait! Wait. Just hear me out," White pleaded. Flint couldn't believe this … but he stopped himself.

"Well, I'm listening."

Flint said this as he summoned his Gem pistol shooter, keeping his gaze away from White Diamond so she wouldn't notice.

"... You're right. I was proud of everything. I was proud of my accomplishments in my work, even if it meant torturing everyone else. And I was proud of what came out of it. ... I was very proud of myself. Too proud. My pride blinded me and kept me distant from everything that happened. … What torture it truly done. And what it was turning those closer to me into. ……. I'm sor -" *BANG*

Flint shot her. Not in the gemstone, but actually in her arm, leaving a blackened ask mark into it. Even more so, the shot Flint made was full power, just to be sure that it did the sting he wanted to give. White Diamond held her arm back, teeth gritting from the hit in pain. As for Flint, he simply stood there, pistol aimed and ready but he didn't give off another blast, despite his arm physically shaky and ready to just get rid of her. He could too, with her standing right there. no one else around. He could do it.

But …

"...…. You know. … that's the thing I hate most about you. ……. How unpredictable you are, and all. … It's just so hard to know what you're going to do sometimes. You're really talented at that. …"

And Flint actually felt tears come from his own eyes again. He dropped his weapon and wiped a tear away. He actually started to chuckle weakly.

"Look at that. I'm crying again. …… That's the second time in my life something made me cry. …...." Flint took a minute to let the tears fall some more before wiping them away. Only then did he look up towards White Diamond, seeing her look equally troubled, a tear still on her face. Flint felt himself smile. "....... and I think this is the first time I saw you cry."

"Yeah ....... same ..." White Diamond wiped away some of the tears from her own face, the blush returning once again. Eventually though, both Flint and White did stop crying, but still felt a bit of emotion still brewing in them. Flint spoke up again.

"Look. I know we haven't had the best history together, but those Gems and ponies out there gave me and Jade a home when no one else would. I don't want to lose any of that, understand me?"

White Diamond simply nodded. It was probably the best he was gonna get for now, him prying into her more than enough already. and in a way, he didn't want to be pried open any further than now, so he placed his gem weapon away and he began to go back over to the door. Eventually though he did stop briefly when White spoke.

"And Flint … don't hold back if I can't keep my promise," White Diamond said.

"Understood. … Oh, and White, one thing," Flint said. He took a glance over to the makeup table, and hopped up. White Diamond got up to him. He then checked the drawers until he found what looked to be some cream.

"Bring me your arm," Flint said. White Diamond brought her hurt arm over, and using the makeup, Flint began cleaning up the blackened stains on her arm until it was as clean and reflective as the rest of her.

"Thank you."

"Sorry about that. … I may act cold, but I do have a heart. Just keep that in mind."

White nodded, looking to her arm.

…

"And that goes double for EVERYONE OUTSIDE!" Flint shouted.

"He found out!"

"ABORT! ABORT!"

"I-It's time to go, guys!"

"Honestly," Flint sighed. But at least one of them did have the decency to come out of hiding, the figure coming in being not Ruby, nor Sapphire, but Garnet.

"You heard everything huh?"

"Thanks for giving her a chance, Flint. … Now, shall we begin?"

~~~~~~

It was amazing how quick an event can kick off.

With all the chitchat going on with Flint and White Diamond, it was enough to get the aristocrats of the Gem world up and in attendance. However, as this still was just the opening, most of the ones that did arrived were either royal court members or just aristocratic Gems in general. sure a few quartzes, rubies and what not were there but that was mainly for convenience sake as most were under command of a royal Gem elite. The Harmony Gems were amongst the crowd of course, some keeping by Steven while others were with the other Gems.

"This is looking great," said Pearl. "The diamonds will be very impressed."

"I sure hope so," said Steven, still sitting on the throne right next to Pink Diamond. "This is Era 3 we're starting off here."

"Everything looks alright, Steven," said Pink Diamond.
As the two were sitting there, a pair of Gems then started to come over. Both of these Gems appeared aristocratic … and apparently with heads the shape of hammers. Steven didn't even want to know what kind of Gems those were for.

"Pink Diamonds," said the two Gems, "It's so wonderful to be in your presence."

"Oh, thank you," said Steven.

"Wow, so radiant and sparkling."

The two Gems then seemed to "slide away" as another pair came forward … which looked pretty much the same.

"Pink Diamonds," they both said.

"Yep, that us, both your sparkling Pink Diamonds."

"WOW, so radiant and exquisite," they said, as they slid off again. Pink Diamond did remember the parties she was involved with, new and old, but when it came to the royal balls on Homeworld … well, she kinda forgot how this opening part was so boring.

"Geesh. I've been so used to seeing a lot more excitement with these celebrations, all of this is so … dull," Pink Diamond said.

"It'll hype up soon. Remember, right after this we can kickstart the festival with some of our party games," Connie reminded.

"Hopefully," said Steven and Pink Diamond. After the Gem matches went through, then in came the Sapphires and Rubies. Typically they would come in side by side, but this time Garnet was the one taking the lead. Funny thing too: each of Garnet's gemstone components were on the correct side: her sapphire stone with the sapphires, and her ruby gemstone with the rubies. Some curious banter was about, but none of them said anything to insult the Diamond decision.

"My Diamonds," said Garnet with a smile.

"Garnet, hi! Come on up," said Pink. The other Rubies and Sapphires went to their respected places as Garnet went right over to the throne. Both sides did actually feel a little bit envious, but as with the comments they didn't want to show it in front of the diamonds.

"Garnet, you're looking great," Pink Diamond said, "It's been a while."

"It's good to be me again," said Garnet, "You both did a good job here. It's looking wonderful." Garnet placed a hand on Steven's head, Steven smiling.

"thanks. How's the rest of the festival?"

"All set up and ready to go."

And finally Yellow Pearl began to come into view.

"Everyone, behold! The daunting beauty that is, YELLOW DIAMOND!" Yellow Pearl announced. A set of Aquamarines went right on the word and moved the curtains out of the way. Yellow Diamond stood there in regal attendance, and brought her arms out spread and body gleaning in the light. All of the others in attendance kept their diamond symbols notable, eyes closed in respect as Yellow Diamond walked on by them. It was a pretty good attendance with many different Gems all present, albeit in their respected groups for sake of performance.

"A fare turnout, Pink," said Yellow.

"I appreciate your attendance, Yellow," said Pink regally, as Yellow Diamond went to her throne. Next up: Blue Pearl.

"Everyone. Prepare yourselves emotionally, for the caring and holy wonder that is, Blue Diamond," said Blue Pearl. A second set of Aquamarines moved the curtains out of the way, and sure enough Blue Diamond was there and present, her appearance met with smiles. Most still kept the diamond insignia and close eyes, though those that followed under Blue Diamond did look, and a few even cried a little bit. Blue Diamond won't force formality on anyone, and she didn't mind that some were so happy to see her.

"You're both doing great," Blue whispered.

"Thank you, Blue," said Steven. Blue Diamond went to her throne. Steven, Pink Diamond and company glanced to one another, more than happy that they were able to do this at all. And suddenly, the lights cut out altogether. This could only mean one thing, as the spotlights went towards the curtains. And presenting the surprise Steven had mentioned at the start.

"Welcome back," Steven sighed.

"To all those attended to the Era 3 ball," said Pink Pearl, her eyes closed and gleaning her pink coloration, "May I present to all of you. The mind and soul of Homeworld ..." the crowd held their breath as there was a literal drum roll in the back, the Aquamarines ready to do their work.

"... White Diamond."

The lights all cut off, leaving only the illuminating light of White Diamond coming in. Only when she passed through the curtains did the lights come back on, White Diamond's arms out spread and gracing everyone with her presence. White managed to remove the blackened stain, and got the white blush just enough to hide the pink true blush underneath, though no one was going to point it out to her either way. White Diamond only stopped briefly when in presence of the two Pink Diamonds in front of her. She didn't know too much on what to say to them, or to Steven specifically all things considered.

And there they were. All five Diamonds for all to see. And it was Steven Diamond Quartz Universe that had the honors to say the next four words to start the festival.

"Welcome to Era 3!"

Author's Note:

And here we begin Era 3, and the big festival to get things rolling ^^ Now it's time to see how well this festival fares. Backstories will be explored, revelations will be shown, some randomness may or may not be implimented - why am I talking like it's a movie trailer? XD I know someone's gonna point out that no one noticed the obviously tons of items stolen from the palace. ... They'll get to it eventually

hope i'm doing well so far. Please tell me if i am or not

Comments

[Angel Star]

Oh my gosh! I got SOOOO nervous when Flint drew out his flipping pistol! The whole time I was like, "DON'T DO IT, DON'T DO IT, DON'T DO IT!!!!"
There's also this:

"And Flint … don't hold back if I can't keep my promise," White Diamond said.

Just what are you implying here EquestrianKirin?.......
And:

"To all those attended to the Era 3 ball," said Pink Pearl, her eyes closed and gleaning her pink coloration, "May I present to all of you. The mind and soul of Homeworld ..." the crowd held their breath as there was a literal drum roll in the back, the Aquamarines ready to do their work.

I was wondering where the pink cinnamon roll was! (I thought she was gonna be mad tho? Aw well...)
Did Steven heal her eye? If so, then AWESOME!!!

This chapter was brilliant! It also makes me kinda nervous as to what's going to happen in the future. It's fine tho, I'm good....
Anyways, awesome chapter as always!

[EquestrianKirin]

9477920
I'm just glad that the chapter's doing good so far ^^ glad you're enjoying it

[Macdaverin]

Great chapter!

[EquestrianKirin]

9481810
thank you ^^

[Macdaverin]

Hope you give Chrysalis some love in this. I'd love to see that development.
P.S. Is she still stranded on Earth or what?

[EquestrianKirin]

9491361
Well last we saw she fell off a Kindergarten clifface with all her limbs torn off by Windigo soooo … who knows?

[eric-emanwu]

Hmm, seems to me that perhaps the harmony gems just need to start getting a little mischievious with Homeworld if they're going to shake up "precedent" and start introducing earth stuff into their festivities. Which...might be a bit traumatizing at first for the gems who haven't known anything but structure before this. But on the other hand, perhaps it'll be like Footloose, where all that pent up energy is released in a GOOOD time.

Thinking about the start of the chapter, there's a lot to point out, what with there being just so many people in the "family" that getting everyone together is a real stretch. And even bringing in the new lady is going to be a lot. Especially what with her own Fluttershy behavior.

But anyhow, it seems that things are about to get fun. As gems and ponies finally reunite to begin a new era for homeworld. However, instead of being defined by creation, or cutting back due to cost saving measures, Era 3 is going to be marked by social restructuring. With White taking a bigger backseat to the overall work, a reunion of all 4 leaders, and a desire to reform the system from within. And Pinkie's starting it out with a BANG. A party blast of epic proportions.

This again leads into what I mentioned before. That "fusing" earth and gem culture is going to get prickly, but that with a little mischief, I'm sure they can shake things up for the better. Especially with Pinkie and her desire for the "best party ever" along with Rainbow wanting flash and excitement in her stuff. Yellow Pearl is going to be in for a shock. But, at least they're starting off with something "softer". Easing them into the new era.

Meanwhile, Flint was off to confront his destiny. Azlet to Diamond. And to be fair, in terms of actions, Flint had every reason to still be uneasy, though as Jasper pointed out, no way White would be so sheepish around everyone without some change of spirit. But either way, the 2 finally had their confrontation in White's dressing room. Trying to find an alternative to her emotional reaction, worrying they won't respect her if they see her without her look. Oh white. You can try to hide all you want, but the truth ALWAYS finds a way out.

And whatever the case, White was too honest with herself anymore to put on any manner of show for her experiment. Even giving a Kung Fu Panda style speech. You know, how "I have always been proud. But in the end, it blinded me. And now that I have truly seen how I made some things worse, I owe an apology to those around me." Which, definitely got Flint riled, but ultimately unable to go to MURDER. It's also notable that despite that whole "shoot the arm" thing, that didn't cause White to poof. Which seems to indicate that a diamond's construct has some extra durability compared to other gems.

And so the festivities began. The pinks receiving their "court", the senior diamonds arriving, and importantly, a broken pearl being given a new chance. Back in Pink. (hmmm, character beat coming up? between Pearl and Pink Pearl or Pearlis?)

Anyhow, this chapter is a lot of table setting, in preparing for the next challenge for the harmony gems what with creating a celebration and getting Homeworld to accept the new change. It gives Flint a lot to think about as the primary dissenter in seeing White's transformation, and sets up how Sessile might be a bit more important than we might know in her "harvested" form.

On the other hand, we also have to be careful in bringing them all together again for this. What with Fulgurite telling Greg and Connie's folks about the big change, Twilight still out of the loop, and of course bringing Sessile into the circle after this delay. No need to neglect her for longer than necessary. And in terms of looming tension, there's the fact that Grogar still has a stake in ruining the party with his own plans.

Hmm, maybe they can have Discord provide some party fun along the way too. After all, he can really "liven" up a stale party with his host of "friends" he can bring along. And, it'd be the first time he meets the Diamonds too. Play off the straight gems if he wanted to.

Anyhow, write on. We've got a long way to go.

[EquestrianKirin]

9501291
Well actually, Discord's acquainted with Blue Diamond before, but that's about it

[Macdaverin]

So when's the new update? I'm excited!

[Macdaverin]

Who would you see as voice actors for your gem OC's? I can already see Emerald as Lewie from Ducktales:^)

[EquestrianKirin]

9509866
Well it's coming in a bit slowly but I'm trying my best with it.
9509871
Voice actors eh? Hmm, well I've been imagining Flint and Jade having the same voice as Fox and Vixen of Animals of Farthing Wood lately, but as for the others I'm not too sure just yet. Haven't been thinking about it … but after checking lewie, it fits Emerald so well XD