Author's Note: From here on, this will be the peak of the story. We're heading straight toward the ending, so please support this story so I get even more motivated to write and finally finish it, damn it. Also, I want to see how this format looks with the dark mode tint to see what's up. Let's continue.
Steven was opening his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't at home. Everything around him was different, unfamiliar, and for a moment his mind didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there.
"Uh... where am I?" he said, still confused, as his hands touched the damp ground.
He took a deep breath and slowly stood up, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. He didn't know why he was crying, nor could he even explain the empty feeling burning in his chest.
"Why am I crying...?" he muttered, walking aimlessly, guided only by a vague sensation that there was a path in front of him.
His eyes were barely half-open, as if he hadn't rested enough, and every blink required effort. He moved slowly through the trees and bushes, unaware that each step was bringing him closer to something that could be dangerous, something he couldn't foresee.
Cut to another perspective:
"Guys... where's Steven?" Amethyst said, watching with slight discomfort as Ruby and Sapphire showed affection on the couch. She raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I don't know, I'm making him breakfast," Pearl replied, skillfully flipping a pancake in the pan. Every movement was calm, as if routine helped keep her grounded.
"Strange..." Amethyst said, looking at the horizon, the sea ahead of her, her eyes fixed on the foam gently breaking over the sand. She seemed philosophical, thoughtful, but there was concern in her voice.
"He left," Lapis said, looking up from her tablet and looking at the others.
"He left?" Pearl asked, raising an eyebrow, confused.
"Yeah... he was crying," Lapis answered, as if that explained everything. "With his eyes closed... something humans do, I guess."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Sapphire froze, her gaze fixed on the horizon as if trying to anticipate something Steven couldn't yet understand. Her hands closed slightly, and a chill ran down her spine.
"He was crying... with a smile?" she said, her voice barely audible, as if she couldn't believe it.
"Yeah?" Lapis asked, shrugging, a bit unsure.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, quickly grabbing Ruby by the hand. In an instant, they both fused, forming Garnet, her presence now imposing and charged with determination.
"We're going to Korea," Garnet said quickly, pointing toward a warp pad near the palanquin. Her voice left no room for discussion; it was urgent. She started running toward it, every step firm and decisive.
The others reacted immediately. Pearl clenched her fist tightly, setting the pancakes aside, and started following her. Lapis floated and launched herself into the air with a speed that surprised even herself. Amethyst didn't need to be told anything; her instinct led her to run behind Garnet, leaving the sea and sand behind.
As they moved forward, the wind whipped through each Gem's hair and clothes. The tension was palpable, a sharp silence broken only by everyone's heavy breathing and the echo of their footsteps. None of them said a word, but they all felt that something was happening to Steven—something that required speed and caution.
Steven, for his part, was still walking among the trees, unaware of how quickly the rest of the group had reacted. His tears kept falling, but now there was a thread of clarity in his mind. He knew he had to reach the warp pad, even if he didn't fully understand why, and that he had to do it alone to face whatever came next.
To the warp pad, he told himself, still confused. Steven observed the place more closely, though his mind remained scattered, as if he hadn't fully finished waking up.
Why am I crying?, he thought, noticing the tears sliding down his cheeks. He raised a hand and touched them with his fingertips, surprised they were real.
"Whatever," he said to himself as he kept walking, his mind blank—that strange state where the body moves out of habit while the mind lags several steps behind. It was normal when he hadn't slept well, or when something inside him had broken without him noticing.
A few minutes passed. Tall trees, half-buried Homeworld structures, the air thick and heavy. Steven kept moving without a clear direction until a voice broke the silence.
"Oh, my Pink."
The world stopped.
Steven went completely rigid, as if the ground had turned fragile beneath his feet. He didn't move. He felt his gem beating fast, though it didn't glow. He slowly turned his head toward the voice, and then he saw her.
He hadn't noticed her presence before, as if his mind refused to accept it. The massive figure wasn't looking at him yet, but someone else was.
A Blue Pearl was watching him with her head tilted, curious, as if trying to understand what a human was doing there...
Steven awkwardly raised his hand, unsure what gesture was appropriate in a situation like this. A greeting didn't feel like enough. An attack was unthinkable. His mind screamed a single question.
What the hell am I doing here? And what am I going to do next?
"My Diamond, we have a visitor," the Blue Pearl said after a few seconds of awkward silence.
"Huh?" the giant figure replied, clearly confused.
Blue Diamond slowly turned her head, first checking her surroundings, as if she thought it was just another illusion. Then, her gaze rested on Steven. Her eyes opened just a little wider.
Steven looked at her, not knowing what to feel. She wasn't the image he had imagined so many times. She wasn't just imposing; she was broken. Her features showed weariness, sorrow accumulated over a long time—to put it simply, she looked like absolute shit.
Blue Diamond looked at him with a mix of confusion that was completely out of place.
Steven swallowed hard, his hand still raised.
"What's up?" he finally said, breaking the silence in the least elegant way possible.
Blue Diamond remained silent for several seconds. Her gaze didn't leave Steven, as if she were observing something impossible to decipher. Then, slowly, she raised her hand and carefully picked him up between her fingers. Steven didn't resist. He felt no hostility, no pressure, no pain. Only an immense sadness enveloping everything.
"Are you a human?" Blue Diamond finally asked.
"Yeah?" Steven replied, raising an eyebrow with feigned naturalness.
Silence returned.
Blue Diamond stared at him as if he had the code to the universe written on his forehead, as if he were an equation she couldn't solve.
Steven swallowed hard and, without knowing why, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"I'm handsome, aren't I?" he said, because his brain decided to betray him at the worst possible moment.
Blue Diamond blinked.
The Blue Pearl blinked.
They both stared at each other for an eternal second.
And then the unthinkable happened.
They both started laughing.
A real, loud laughter, devoid of elegance or solemnity. A burst of laughter that broke centuries of built-up grief. Blue Diamond brought a hand to her face as she laughed, and the Pearl even had to lean over a bit, unable to contain herself.
"HAHAHAHA."
Steven stood still, still in the palm of Blue Diamond's hand, his eyes wide as saucers.
No way, he thought. I made them laugh. The Universe charm is real, what the fuck.
"My, human," Blue Diamond said through her laughter, wiping away a tear. "It's been... a long time since I laughed like that. Tell me, what is your name?"
Steven took a deep breath.
"My name is... Justin," he said with rehearsed calm. No fucking way was he giving her his real name.
"Justin," Blue Diamond repeated, testing the name. "It is strange."
"Not to me, but to you I guess," Steven replied, shrugging as best he could while trapped in a giant palm.
"And you?" he added, looking at her face with a chibi expression.
"Blue Diamond," she said calmly.
"Whoa," Steven whispered, looking down at the gem embedded in her chest. "Is it because of that gem you have right there?"
The question was deliberately innocent. Feigned. Steven knew the answer perfectly well, but he wasn't going to be stupid enough to show it.
Blue Diamond looked at her own gem and nodded slowly.
"That's right. It is a blue diamond. It is what I am."
Steven raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting," he said, observing her with apparent fascination. "Are you like... a boss or something?"
He looked at the size difference between them, then at the Blue Pearl standing beside her, still holding back quiet giggles.
Blue Diamond smiled softly.
"That's right," she replied. "You are quite perceptive for a human."
"Thanks?" Steven said, unsure whether that was a compliment or an observation that he wasn't an idiot.
"Many millennia ago, humans were not this smart," Blue Diamond commented, bringing a hand to her chin.
"People change," Steven replied calmly.
"Change?" Blue Diamond repeated, tilting her head.
"Change," Steven affirmed, keeping his tone calm.
On the inside, however, he was completely terrified. His heart was pounding. Every second that passed without him being discovered was a miracle. He was talking to a Diamond, holding up a lie as fragile as glass, and yet... she was listening to him.
Blue Diamond observed him for several more seconds with a different expression.
It was curiosity.
And that, as Steven knew, could be even more dangerous.
"I like you. I will take you with me," Blue Diamond said with a soft smile.
"Huh?" I said, confused, feeling my stomach drop as my soul left my chibi form.
"Pearl, prepare the ship. We are taking the palanquin."
"Understood, my Diamond," the Pearl replied, activating a tablet and rapidly executing several commands.
Out of nowhere, Blue Diamond's hand—which was actually part of the ship—began to rise. An intense blue light covered the palanquin, and in an instant, the entire ground beneath us was ripped from the surface. The earth, the structures, and we ourselves were enveloped by energy and transported directly toward the ship.
...
What the fuck just happened?, Steven thought, watching in horror as the landscape vanished beneath his feet. The ground moved further away, the sky grew immense, and within seconds, everything was ascending at an absurd speed until breaking through the atmosphere.
"Goodbye," Blue Diamond said with a peaceful smile. "Say goodbye to this world."
... ... ...
I remained in silence, watching from the cockpit as Earth grew smaller and smaller. The blue of the planet contrasted with the infinite void of space, and my mind simply couldn't process it.
What the fuck just happened?, I thought again, trying to piece events together. Everything had happened in less than twenty minutes.
I woke up, walked aimlessly, and now I was being kidnapped by a Diamond.
"Shit," I muttered, while Blue Diamond held me against her shoulder as if I were a plush toy.
At least she didn't kill me, I thought with a bit of relief.
But that relief didn't last long.
And now... where are we going?, I thought, unable to hide my worry.
The silence of space gave no answer.
2000 Words.
Author's Note: Here I'll continue as usual so you can see the difference.
"So...", I said after a few minutes that felt to me like an awkwardly long silence. "What are we doing here or what?" I added, trying to stay calm even though something inside me wouldn't stop churning.
Blue Diamond didn't answer right away. Her gaze was fixed on the void, on the planet she was barely looking at directly anymore, as if it were a blurry memory.
...
When she finally spoke, she did so with a calmness that made my skin crawl.
"This planet won't last much longer," she said without emotion.
She remained silent for a few seconds and continued.
"So I came for the only thing that reminds me of someone who left me a long time ago."
I stayed silent. What else was I supposed to say? "Get well soon"?
"It's fascinating, isn't it?" she added suddenly.
"Space?" I asked, taking a second too long to react.
She nodded slowly.
"I guess," I replied. "I never really thought of it that way."
I adjusted myself slightly without realizing it, feeling how strangely comfortable her shoulder was. That only made me feel worse.
At least I'm not fighting White Diamond, I thought, shaking my body slightly as if that thought could drive away the fear.
Blue Diamond shifted her gaze toward her Pearl, who was watching me with overly attentive curiosity.
"Pearl, take him anywhere," she said with total naturalness. "I want to have a presentable pet."
... ...
I was left with a completely lost expression, utterly defeated.
"If Pink could have pets, why can't I?" she added, returning her attention to the screens as if she had just asked for something trivial.
Before I could say anything, the Pearl grabbed me and carried me like a sack of potatoes. The world took a small spin as she lifted me off Blue Diamond's shoulder.
"Let's go," she said simply.
And just like that, without further explanation, she began leading me through the ship while I tried to process at what exact moment everything had gone so terribly out of control.
As I walked, still feeling the slight sway of the ship's movement, I observed how we passed through different corridors and rooms that were impossible for the human eye. Everything was blue—like the blue sea, damn what a great song—spotless, silent, far too large for something that was supposed to feel like a home.
"Hey, I can walk," I said calmly, breaking the silence.
The Pearl stopped and carefully set me down on the polished floor. She stood there staring at me intently, as if analyzing every detail.
"What?" I said, uncomfortable.
"You look familiar to me," she replied, tilting her head.
"There are Gems of my color," I said, raising an eyebrow. By that point, I had already heard about some of Blue Diamond's protocols, so it wasn't strange for me to know about this. "It shouldn't be that rare," I added so as not to raise suspicion.
"Darker... and redder," she corrected. "Yes."
I nodded, but then she added something that chilled my spine a little.
"Though you look like another one. Like a Diamond, I don't know why," Pearl added with a face like she knew everything and nothing at the same time, that son of a bitch.
... ...
I was left with an expression even more lost than usual.
I decided to change the subject before my face gave me away.
"So, what do you like to do?" I asked, filling the awkward silence as best I could.
"I like to draw," the Pearl replied naturally.
"Draw?" I repeated, genuinely surprised; I didn't remember much of the show anymore.
"Yes," she said as she started walking again and gestured for me to follow. "Come with me."
We moved into a spacious room with translucent walls and surfaces that seemed to respond to touch. On one of them, the Pearl rested her hand, and the surface illuminated, projecting floating figures, strokes, and shapes.
"I draw maps," she explained. "Designs. Memories. Things my Diamond doesn't want to forget."
The images shifted slowly: structures, symbols, impossible gardens, stars seen from angles I had never imagined.
"It's... pretty," I said without overthinking it.
The Pearl looked at me out of the corner of her eye.
"Not many humans say that."
"Well," I replied, shrugging, "not many humans see this."
In my mind, I was cursing the injector that created her.
We kept walking. She showed me huge rooms where ancient objects were stored, empty chambers that seemed made for someone who was no longer there, and corridors where silence weighed heavier than metal.
"This ship is old," she commented. "It has traveled a lot. Before, it was... noisier."
"Noisier?" I asked.
"There were more voices," she said simply.
I didn't ask further. Maybe the Gems who were here before knew too much and were sent off to space politicians.
We passed through a room with massive windows overlooking space. The stars seemed within arm's reach. I stood still for a few seconds, looking at them.
"Don't you ever get tired of this?" I asked, knowing that Pearls at this point simply answer questions.
"No," the Pearl replied. "It's the only thing I wouldn't change."
I nodded slowly.
"I guess that's good... and bad at the same time."
The Pearl observed me again, with that same insistent curiosity.
"You talk strange for a human."
As if you know what a human thinks, I thought with three black anger lines on my face, but I kept those thoughts to myself and just said:
"I get that a lot," I replied.
We continued the tour. I walked attentively, memorizing routes, doors, heights—everything that could serve me later. She talked more than I expected, explaining basic functions, pointing out forbidden places, and others that simply weren't used anymore.
"And you must not enter here," she said at the end, pointing to a door locked with ancient symbols.
"Why?" I asked.
The Pearl hesitated.
"Just don't enter."
I didn't push it.
We kept walking in silence.
"So... why was I brought here?" I said, now with an eyebrow raised.
"Well," the Pearl replied while checking her tablet without looking at me, "you were... how to put it... a third party. You weren't planned."
Holy shit, I thought, suddenly remembering my past life, how I hadn't been planned either. Even so, they loved me. I shook my head, shaking off the memory.
"So, what?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" the Pearl said, still focused on her tablet.
"Where are we going, or what am I supposed to do?"
The Pearl remained silent as she kept walking. Her steps echoed softly on the ship's floor.
"You'll go to a zoo, I suppose," she finally said in a neutral tone.
"Okay?" I replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, is that all you need?" she added, as if it were a simple formality.
"Can I walk around the whole place?" I asked.
The Pearl stopped and thought for a few seconds.
"Yes," she said at last. "But don't go to the places I told you about."
"Got it," I replied.
I watched her walk away, heading back toward the cockpit, leaving me alone in the middle of a massive, quiet hallway.
... ... ...
I stood still. The noise of the ship, so distant and constant, began to weigh on me. I felt tears start to fall without being able to stop them.
How the fuck did I end up on the mountain?, I thought, feeling that strange disconnect, as if I had jumped straight out of my bed into this impossible place.
One second I was on Earth.
The next, I was alone on a spaceship, on my way to a space zoo.
Perspective shift to a memory:
Steven was dreaming, something that rarely happened. He was walking through a place he remembered with exact detail, as if his mind had memorized every millimeter. Each step brought him closer to familiar scenes, but something was strange: he saw himself. He watched himself with fear as he moved down that street, that building.
He walked and walked, following his own silhouette, while his eyes crossed paths with a girl he had never been able to forget. Only her—the one who had always supported him with her eloquence and calm—appeared in his memory.
What would she think of me now?, he asked himself within the dream, his heart beating fast even though he knew it wasn't real.
What Steven didn't know was that while he walked in that world, something in the real world was beginning to move.
In reality, Steven got out of bed with his eyes still wet with tears.
Lapis, who was beside him fighting Noobmaster666, raised an eyebrow and watched him in silence. Steven naturally put on his flip-flops without opening his eyes and began descending the stairs step by step. Upon reaching the warp pad, he activated it and vanished without saying a word.
"...It's a human thing, I guess," Lapis muttered as she refocused on the game. "Maybe he's training his eyes... or something," she even asked Noobmaster, who only replied with a "fuck off, 6-year-old kid," an insult Lapis couldn't let slide.
Returning to Steven's mind, his memory grew more intense. He observed his final moments in detail: how a giant rock wall was descending upon him.
Every time the scene repeated in his head, he always found a way to save himself. No matter how many times the wall rushed down, he found a small gap, a precise movement, a moment of luck that allowed him to survive.
The dream and memory intertwined, confusing him, leaving him trapped between what had been and what could still be.
Every step he took in that familiar place was a mixture of fear and learning, a reminder that even if reality was harsh, there was always a way to keep going.
But something was key. After dying, Steven noticed the look of horror on the face of the girl who had saved him.
He knew who she was; he had her name on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't fully remember it. That feeling made him hesitate for a moment, as if his mind were trapped between memory and uncertainty.
Moved by his mother's gem, Steven tried to look for someone close, someone who could help him in that moment.
For a moment he thought of Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet... but something inside him told him it wasn't the time nor the place. The logic of the situation was strange, almost unreal: instead of turning to the Gems he knew and loved, Steven felt drawn toward someone more powerful—someone who, under normal circumstances, he would never consider close support.
And so, unexpectedly, his instinct led him toward Blue Diamond. She was the most distant, the most imposing, the one who always seemed untouchable, and yet, in that moment, she became the target of his silent search.
As he walked and moved forward without thinking, Steven barely noticed his own body. It was as if he were sleepwalking, moving across the Earth with a purpose he himself barely understood.
Every step brought him closer to Blue Diamond; every breath was filled with tension and a strange sense of safety at the same time.
He didn't need words; he didn't need explanations. He just wanted to get as close as possible, to feel close to someone who could understand, if only for a brief moment, the weight of everything that was happening.
The world around him seemed to fade while his half-closed eyes followed the blue silhouette standing out against the sky.
Everything was quiet, everything was calm, and yet, every little detail, every reflection of light, every shadow seemed to amplify his vulnerability.
Steven didn't know it, but every movement of his was guided by something deeper than logic.
It was an impulse born from the need for comfort, the search for an anchor amidst the chaos. And so, step by step, almost without realizing it, he managed to get close enough to Blue Diamond to feel... safe, if only for a brief moment before reality caught up with him again.
Author's Note: I hope this final part came out clear. It's Steven and Pink Diamond's gem seeking the comfort that a fellow Diamond should give him—just like Rubies stick with other Rubies, Pearls communicate with each other, and Amethysts joke around. Here, since Steven didn't want to bother those closest to him, his gem went into a mode he doesn't understand, but it's something that should have happened in the show.
End of Chapter 77.