Blue Diamond stepped down from the bubble alongside Yellow Diamond, both of them moving with a calculated, almost perfect elegance—as if every single movement was designed to remind everyone who was in charge.
Imposing.
Untouchable.
A crowd of Gems began celebrating in an orderly fashion. Some had diamond-shaped facets of various colors, all praising them as if their very existence depended on it... which, to be completely honest, it probably did.
Though some of them looked... forced.
Tense smiles.
Mechanical movements.
But of course, who was going to question the Diamonds? Nobody who wanted to keep existing.
The Diamonds paid them no mind and kept walking while their Pearls introduced them with that irritating perfection only they possessed.
At the end of the presentation, a figure appeared.
White Pearl.
"Welcome, Yellow Diamond, Blue Diamond. How did it go?"
Both of them tensed up just a fraction.
A tiny detail.
Almost imperceptible.
But it was there.
Even so, they nodded.
White Pearl stared at them intently.
In a T-pose.
Yes.
Literally in a T-pose.
Absolute dominance... or a universe bug, I wasn't sure.
She looked out at the Empire, gave a perfect bow...
And left.
Just like that.
Nothing more.
Like an elegant jumpscare.
...
...
The Diamonds called for their palanquins: one yellow, one blue.
They stepped inside with their Pearls without saying a single word.
And they left.
As if that whole spectacle...
Had been nothing at all.
Without noticing Steven... or the Pebble.
Both of them were right under where the Diamonds had been standing.
Literally beneath the floor.
Hidden.
Waiting.
Several nearby Pebbles looked at them, confused, as if trying to process what on earth was going on down there.
Pebble 1 rolled forward a bit, catching their attention.
"Uh... don't panic," she said totally naturally. "I brought a guest."
Silence.
Stares.
A lot of stares.
"...Guest?" one Pebble repeated.
"Yep," Pebble 1 replied. "A weird version of Pink."
"Steven!" I corrected from my small form, raising a hand.
The Pebbles stayed silent for a few seconds.
Processing.
Processing real hard.
"...He looks tiny," one said.
"And shiny," another added.
"And suspicious," a third chimed in.
"Thanks, you're all very kind," I muttered.
Pebble 1 sighed.
"Listen, there's no time. He's important."
"That's what everyone says right before something goes wrong," another Pebble shot back.
"Well, perfect, because this is going to go wrong," I said. "But I need your help."
More silence.
More stares.
"It's Pink," one said.
"It's Steven," another corrected.
"It's trouble," a third concluded.
"Can confirm," I muttered.
Pebble 1 stepped in before more chaos broke out.
"He's going to see White Diamond."
...
...
...
Now that did it.
Dead silence.
The heavy kind.
"...Ah," one Pebble said.
"...So we really are screwed," another added.
"Correct," I replied.
They sighed.
"Well," one finally said. "If he's made it this far... I guess helping out is the least we can do."
"Besides," another added, "I want to see how this ends."
"Me too," said a third.
I nodded.
"Awesome."
Because yeah.
Obviously, this could only get worse.
And we all knew it.
"Alright... just let me rest for a bit," I said, looking around.
I needed a breather.
My brain was already overheating to a god-tier level.
"Hey... can you guys make a space that's, like, three by three meters?" I asked, scratching my head.
"Hell yeah," a Pebble said without hesitation.
The Pebbles got straight to work.
Literally.
They started grinding like an express construction crew. The stone shifted, settled, and shaped itself with surprising precision.
In a matter of seconds...
There was a space.
Simple.
Made of stone.
But comfortable.
More than I expected, to be honest.
"Damn... five-star service," I muttered.
Without wasting time, I lay down, letting out a long sigh.
My body needed it.
My mind was begging for it.
I turned my head slightly toward Pebble 1.
"Don't wake me up... just in case."
"Got it," she replied.
I slowly closed my eyes.
For the first time since I got to Homeworld...
I allowed myself to relax.
Even if just a little.
Even if it was dangerous.
Because in a place like this...
Falling asleep peacefully was probably another bad decision.
Oh well.
I'd already made plenty.
One more wasn't gonna make a difference.
I'd let my body rest, letting it shrink back to its original size while I slept.
Steven woke up... or rather, opened his eyes inside that black void.
Again.
The exact same place.
Silent. Infinite.
"I'm getting better control over this every day..." I thought with a small smile.
I looked around, but quickly shook my head.
No time to get distracted.
"I need to focus."
I closed my eyes slightly and thought of someone.
A face.
An energy.
Someone specific.
Amethyst.
The tug was instant.
I felt something pull me, as if my body—or whatever this was—were being dragged through space.
The void filled with stars.
Thousands of them.
But they quickly blurred together from the speed.
I didn't fight it.
I just let myself get carried away.
Like always.
When I arrived, everything stabilized.
And, like always...
I was somewhere else.
I looked around.
A room.
Strange.
Metallic.
"...A ship?" I muttered.
I took a closer look.
There they were.
Pearl. Amethyst. Garnet. Bismuth. Lapis. Peridot.
All of them.
Gathered in front of what was clearly a control panel.
And then I noticed it.
The stars moving outside.
Fast.
Way too fast.
They were in space.
No.
Heading somewhere.
"If my calculations are correct, we'll arrive in two Earth days," Peridot said, clearly frustrated. "I did what I could, but this is the best we've got."
"Take it easy," Lapis replied with an unusual calm, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Garnet stared fixedly at the coordinates.
Her fists clenched.
She didn't say anything.
She didn't need to.
I looked in the exact same direction.
Toward where they were heading.
And I felt my own fists clench.
Homeworld.
...
"Great," I muttered.
"Everyone having the exact same suicidal idea at the same time."
"Perfect."
This was definitely not going to end well.
Out of nowhere, I felt a yank.
My eyes snapped open as everything distorted around me... and snapped back into my body.
"...What the hell," I muttered.
It was weird.
But I instantly understood why.
A blue aura flared up.
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
It clashed with mine, as if crushing everything in its path.
I was stuck in that black void again, forced to fall back, shutting my eyes while waiting for it to pass.
"...Blue," I thought.
When I opened them again, everything came back.
The floor.
The hideout.
The Pebbles.
Crying.
Every single one of them.
Without exception.
Their tears streamed down uncontrollably, as if they couldn't stop even if they wanted to.
I had tears in my eyes too... but I wiped them away carefully, forcing myself to stay calm.
I waited.
One second.
Two.
Until the aura faded.
The weight lifted.
Silence returned.
"...Are you guys okay?" I asked, looking around.
"Alright... I'm just gonna grab something to eat," I said, reaching for some food. "Gotta stay nourished... or at least not die trying."
Priorities, after all.
The great thing about the Pebbles was that they just went wherever they were needed. No complaining. No hesitating.
Efficient.
I walked up beside Pebble 1.
"Are you sure about this, Pink?" she asked.
"Dead sure," I replied, deadpan.
"...That doesn't make me feel any better."
"Me neither," I admitted.
"Alright, let's go," she said as several Pebbles moved aside to let us through.
I shrank down to her size and we started navigating the hallways.
Silent.
Long.
Way too organized.
"...This place gives me a bad vibe," I muttered.
"That's normal," Pebble 1 replied. "The Empire was designed for that."
I glanced at her sideways.
"To be scary?"
"To control," she corrected. "Fear is just a tool."
We kept walking.
"The Diamonds don't need to be everywhere," she continued. "That's what the Agates are for. They run everything."
"I'm guessing they're the ones calling the shots day-to-day," I said.
"Exactly. They control colonies, punish mistakes, assign roles... basically, if you breathe wrong, they write it down."
"Great... I hate them already."
"Then there are the Pearls," she added. "They're... assistants. But don't underestimate them. They see everything. They hear everything."
"Yeah, I noticed... creeps in silence."
Pebble 1 nodded.
"The Amethysts and other soldiers handle the heavy lifting. They patrol, fight, keep order."
"And you guys?" I asked.
"Us... we observe," she replied. "We're not important, so nobody pays attention to us."
"Perfect for hiding," I muttered.
"Bingo."
We turned down another corridor.
The atmosphere felt increasingly... pristine.
Too perfect.
And that only made it worse.
"What about White Diamond?" I asked.
Pebble 1 took a moment to answer.
"She's different."
"That doesn't sound good."
"It isn't," she said. "She doesn't yell like Yellow. She doesn't cry like Blue."
"...Then what does she do?"
"She corrects."
That word hung in the air.
"Corrects?" I repeated.
"If something isn't perfect... she makes it perfect."
I frowned.
"That sounds pretty messed up."
"It is."
We kept moving forward.
Every step brought me closer to her.
"What if she doesn't like what she sees?" I asked.
Pebble 1 didn't look at me.
"Then you stop existing the way you are."
...
"Ah."
Silence.
"...Well," I muttered. "No pressure, then."
Pebble 1 let out a soft chuckle.
"Pink..."
"Steven."
"...Steven," she corrected. "If anyone can do this..."
I shook my head.
"No. I'm not special."
I looked ahead.
"I'm just the idiot who decided to try."
And honestly...
That was already enough of a problem.
We walked for hours.
Hours.
I ate every now and then, rested a bit—even though I didn't strictly need to—because I wanted to save up as much energy as possible before committing... well, the biggest mistake of my life.
Suicide with extra steps.
Awesome.
After a long while, we reached a different area.
Quieter.
Cleaner.
"We're almost there," Pebble 1 said.
The minutes that followed were probably the most tense of my life.
Every step felt heavy.
Every sound seemed too loud.
Until finally...
We stopped in front of a wall.
...
...
...
"This is it," the Pebble said.
I nodded slowly.
Okay.
Time to make the worst possible decision.
I prepped myself mentally.
Deep breath.
One.
Two.
Pebble 1 looked at me.
"Are you ready, Pink?"
"Steven," I corrected out of reflex... though without any real heart in it anymore.
I looked at her seriously.
"Get out of here. Just in case things go sideways."
A pause.
"I don't want you getting dragged into this any more than you already are."
Pebble 1 hesitated for a second.
But in the end, she nodded.
No arguments.
"...Good luck."
She backed away quickly and opened a small gap in the floor, vanishing silently.
And there I stood.
Alone.
In front of that wall.
"Okay..." I muttered.
"Time to knock on the door of the most dangerous entity in the universe."
I raised my hand.
"Flawless plan."
...
"What the hell am I doing."
I stepped through the gap.
And there she was.
An imposing figure.
Tall.
Flawless.
White.
Beside her, a White Pearl stood watching what looked like colonies, as if reviewing real-time data.
I... shook my head.
No turning back now.
I sighed.
Kept quiet.
Took another breath.
And shifted back to my normal size.
They hadn't noticed me yet.
Good.
I walked slowly toward them.
One step.
Then another.
The Pearl was the first to turn around.
And as soon as she saw me...
Her smile vanished.
At that exact moment, White Diamond stopped smiling.
Both of them stared at me.
Right at me.
White Diamond raised an eyebrow.
"Oh... an organic creature?" she said, without the slightest bit of tact. "What are you doing here, piece of trash?"
I raised an eyebrow back.
Okay.
Starting off strong.
Still, I kept moving forward.
I raised a hand in a small wave.
"Hey, White. Long time no see."
White Diamond raised her eyebrow even higher.
"What inappropriately familiar language," she replied. "Do we know each other?"
She hasn't squished me with a foot yet. That's a good sign.
"I'm the child of someone you know," I said, stepping up until I was right in front of her.
Face to... well, more or less face.
Because she was massive.
Ridiculously huge.
But there I was.
In front of the most powerful Diamond.
No Plan B.
No clear escape route.
Just words.
"Fascinating," White whispered, tilting her head slightly. "I don't recall authorizing the existence of something like you."
White Pearl said nothing.
She just watched.
Analyzing.
Like she was already calculating how to tear me apart piece by piece.
"Your form is... incorrect," White continued. "Your presence... disorderly."
She gave a faint smile.
Conceited, not sweet.
The kind of smile that lets you know you're completely screwed.
"Let's correct it."
...
"Wait," I said quickly, throwing my hand up.
Miraculously...
She paused.
"I'm Pink's son."
Silence.
Dead.
Absolute.
Not even the Pearl moved.
Not even the air.
Nothing.
For the first time...
White Diamond didn't speak immediately.
She just stared at me.
Intently.
Like she was looking at something impossible.
Something that didn't fit.
Something that shouldn't exist.
And that...
Was probably worse than if she had just attacked me outright.
"Oh... Pink. It's you. How fascinating," White Diamond said, looking me up and down like I was... an interesting experiment.
Not a person.
Just in case, Steven pulled up his shirt to show the gem.
White Pearl immediately stepped closer, leaning down slightly for a better look.
She analyzed it in silence.
Too long.
Too close.
White Diamond nodded.
"No quartz possesses that color in their gem," she said with total nonchalance, like she was categorizing an object.
I slowly pulled my shirt back down.
This was going exactly how I didn't want it to.
"Are you finished with your little tantrum, Pink?" White continued. "I must admit, this... little game took quite some time."
She smiled.
That smile.
"I would punish you... but I was entertained."
...
Okay.
Nope.
Not this.
"You know you aren't the perfect one," she added, her tone bordering on playful mockery. "I am."
She let out a soft laugh.
"Hahaha..."
Silence.
I looked at her.
And shook my head.
"...No," I said.
Simple.
Direct.
"First off, I'm not Pink."
I took a step forward.
"Second... this isn't a game."
White Pearl tensed up slightly.
White Diamond's expression didn't change.
"I'm Steven," I continued. "And I'm not here to play along with you."
Pause.
"I'm here to make you listen."
Now that caught her attention.
Just a little.
Enough.
"Because all of this," I gestured around us, at the Empire, the colonies, all of it, "isn't working."
White's smile didn't go away.
It just turned... colder.
"How interesting," she murmured. "Pink always had trouble accepting perfection."
She tilted her head.
"And now... even fragmented... she's still the same."
I clenched my fists.
"You're wrong."
Silence.
"I'm not a mistake you need to fix," I said. "And neither is anyone else."
White Pearl stared right at me.
White Diamond...
Was still smiling.
But her eyes...
They weren't playing around anymore.
"Then explain to me," she said softly. "What are you supposed to be?"
I took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
"I'm what happens when someone stops trying to be perfect..."
I looked her dead in the eye.
"And starts trying to be better."
...
Okay.
Yeah.
This could definitely go very, very wrong.
White Diamond smiled.
"Oh, Pink... it seems you just don't understand."
She looked at me again, as if she'd already decided what I was.
"This organic body of yours... it's making it so, well, you aren't yourself. Don't worry... I will set you free."
In this timeline...
She was direct.
Way too direct.
She reached out, trying to grab me.
But I didn't let her.
I slapped her hand away.
The smack echoed across the white room.
Sharp.
Clear.
White Diamond's eyes went wide.
Pure shock.
I held her glare, hand still raised.
Guard held high.
"Oh... my," she said, her smile fading into something forced. "That's new."
"You're not taking my gem," I said, firm.
"Oh, Pink... I've had just about enough of you."
Her smile only widened further.
Tenser.
Wronger.
"Do you know why I let you play your little game?" she asked, not actually caring about my response.
I said nothing.
"You see... the rebellion was the perfect excuse to shatter gems."
...
...
...
I stayed quiet.
No reaction.
Giving her nothing.
"Ah..." White huffed, almost annoyed by the lack of response. "Well, I assume you already know about the Cluster."
She wasn't even looking at me anymore.
She was just talking.
Like she was recalling something amusing.
"Let's just say I was the one who gave Yellow the idea to do that."
Pause.
"Do you know why?"
Silence.
I didn't answer.
I just stared right at her.
Waiting.
"Do you know why I hate fusion, Pink?" White Diamond asked.
...
...
...
"Because I can't fuse with others."
That caught me off guard.
I stared at her, eyebrow raised.
"Well... I can," she corrected herself, pointing at her Pearl, who was still standing completely rigid. "But only with those I control."
The Pearl didn't react.
Not a twitch.
Nothing.
"I fused with her... but it's not the same. It's not perfect," she said, making a slight face.
There was something off about her voice now.
Tenser.
More... obsessive.
"And I..." she continued, bringing a hand to her chest. "I am perfect."
Silence.
"And the Cluster was going to help me with that."
I felt a cold sweat run down my spine.
I did not like where this was going.
Not one bit.
"Of course I gave her the idea," she went on, her gaze locking onto me now. "If I could take fragments of the three Diamonds... and force them together with me... that would be a fusion, wouldn't it?"
This time, I actually backed up a few steps.
"And since I would be whole... I would be in control," she continued. "Their consciousnesses would be in there, of course... helping me achieve absolute perfection."
"What the absolute hell...?" I muttered, eyes wide.
This wasn't just messed up anymore.
This was next-level insane.
White Diamond raised her hand slightly, as if imagining something right in front of her.
"I was waiting for you, you know?"
Her eyes locked onto mine.
"Waiting for the right moment to fulfill my objective."
Another step back.
My body was reacting on pure instinct now.
"To join together the way we're supposed to," she said, slowly raising both arms. "To become one... with me as perfection."
Her smile twisted.
It wasn't elegant anymore.
It was... disturbing.
"Don't you think it's magnificent, Pink?" she asked. "You'll be part of perfection. You'll help complete it."
Her voice dropped a notch.
Almost a whisper.
"Doesn't that fill you with glory?"
I looked at her.
And for the first time since I got here...
I felt something crystal clear.
Not doubt.
Not fear.
Rage.
"...No."
My voice came out steady.
"That's not perfection."
I clenched my fists.
"That's control. That's forcing people. That's breaking others just to make yourself feel whole."
White's smile didn't disappear.
But her eyes...
They hardened into ice.
"And I'm not going to let you do that," I added.
Heavy silence.
"Oh, Pink..." White Diamond said with a smile.
"You don't have a choice."
And out of nowhere—
A white beam shot straight at me.
"Holy shit!" I yelled.
End of Chapter 83