Chapter 3

Steven began traveling to Homeworld more frequently, chatting with Morganite more and more each time. He of course still saw the Diamonds and his other friends on Homeworld but Morganite was now a prime focus as well. About a few weeks passed like this until one day.

"Hey Steven," Morganite tossed the bouncy ball back at him through the cell bars. "What's earth like, huh? It must be great if...your mom started a rebellion to protect it."

Steven and Morganite continued bouncing the ball to each other as they spoke.

"Earth is certainly...different. There's weather, food, plants, animals...all kinds of stuff."

"What purpose do they serve?" Morganite asked.

"They create the life that lives on the planet," Steven informed.

"All organic life?"

"Uh...I guess so...I mean, there's barely any gems if that's what you mean..."

"Yeah...basically."

"Maybe one day when you're out of gem jail I can take you to earth," Steven suggested.

��About that… Steven, can you do me a big favour?" Morganite asked.

"Sure, what?" Steven stashed the bouncy ball in his bag.

"Can you take me to Diamonds? I'd like to apologize to them."

"Um…" Steven hesitated.

"Come on, Steven," Morganite insisted. "I thought you forgave every gem no matter what they did. Won't you at least give me a chance to prove I've changed?"

"I guess so." Morganite grinned as Steven pulled the cell door open. The gem slipped out, following Steven down the road to the throne room. Sighing, Steven pushed the door open, revealing the three diamonds chatting with each other.

"Hey guys," Steven sighed. The three Diamonds glared down at Morganite. Blue hid behind Yellow, shaking.

"What is SHE doing outside of her cell?" White demanded.

"She's here to apologize," Steven explained. "I swear, everything is fine." The three Diamonds exchanged glances, their eyebrows raised.

Morganite's head was hung low beside Steven. "I'm sorry…" Morganite's gem lit up, her weapon flailing out of her head. "...For not doing this sooner." Before she could be restrained, Morganite flung herself at the diamonds, her flail swinging through them. Their physical forms disappeared in flashes of light. The gemstones fell to the ground with clinks. Steven gasped.

"Morganite, what did you do?!"

She turned to him, cackling. "I can't believe you actually fell for that act! You're just as stupid and clueless as you've always been...Pink Diamond!" Steven struggled to shake away his horror as he lunged for the Diamonds' gems. None of them were cracked. He scooped them into his arms, immediately being pulled to the ground by their weight.

"Why are you doing this?!" Steven exclaimed, from the ground.

"Why do you think?" Morganite exclaimed. "I was supposed to be leader, but no. The other diamonds just didn't want anyone to replace their defective little Pink Diamond. And how much better were they?! Blue Diamond was an emotional sad sack for five thousand years, Yellow Diamond did nothing but coddle her, and White Diamond never even left her own ship. And now all any of them care about is pleasing a defective gem. The diamonds are weak leaders, including you!"

Morganite lunged toward Steven, her weapon slashing just above him. Steven tried to run, grunting as the gemstones weighed down his arms like boulders. Morganite swung her flail back, preparing to attack. Steven jumped out of the way, hearing two clinks behind him. Grabbing the last gem tighter, Steven dashed toward the exit.

"Get back here you little defect!" Morganite snapped, chasing him down the street. Steven kept running, struggling not to drop the gemstone in his arms. He could barely see in front of him and he was too slow to go much faster than a turtle. However, he couldn't bring himself to drop White's gemstone. He had already lost Yellow and Blue's gems. White was his last hope. Just before Morganite caught up to him, Steven tripped, falling and hitting something further below. Steven pulled White's gem close to his chest as he tumbled down. Finally, he landed at the very bottom. Standing up, Steven dashed into a nearby tunnel. Once he knew he was out of sight, Steven crashed on the ground, dropping White's gemstone. Looking around, Steven immediately recognized this place. It was the tunnel leading to the huge Kindergarten. Steven crawled through a small hole, struggling to drag White's gemstone along with him. He flopped down to the very bottom, probably breaking all of his bones in the process. Meanwhile, White's gemstone lay dormant, completely pristine without a single scratch or dent. Steven stared intently at the gemstone. Please reform within a day.

After what was probably hours, the gemstone was enveloped in light and kept floating higher into the air. Light flooded from the gem, taking the form of White Diamond. With a final flash, White appeared from the light. She landed on her knees with a splat, her head down bent like a broken branch. White looked up at him, her eyes wild. Steven only noticed one difference in her new form right away: a black star near the top of her dress.

"What happened?" She asked, looking around. "Are we in the Kindergarten? Where are Yellow and Blue?"

"They got poofed," Steven sighed. "...Their physical forms were destroyed," he added when he noticed White's confusion.

"Morganite!" She gasped. "Why did you let her out of her cell?!"

"She said she wanted to apologize-"

"And you believed her?!" White snapped. Steven took a step back, his eyes huge. "Why did you let a dangerous criminal out of her cell without at least asking us?!"

Steven was shaking now. "I...I thought she-"

"Well you thought wrong! I told you not everyone can be convinced, I specifically told you! And you didn't listen! What were you thinking?!"

"I-I didn't mean too…" Steven sobbed.

"I don't care what you 'meant' to do!" White snapped. "All of Homeworld is in danger because of you!" She breathed deeply before continuing, attempting to calm her voice. "So what's your plan now, genius?!" It didn't work.

"We...we.." Steven covered his eyes with his hands. White's eyes widened. "We have to get back to earth...the crystal gems...we need them."

"We'll have to take your ship," White replied, "Taking mine would arouse too much suspicion. Come on." She held out her hand. Steven reluctantly stepped on, hugging his knees into his chest. Shapeshifting smaller, White managed to push herself out of the Kindergarten. Her gem took up almost her whole face. Steven leaped out her hand. Both kept their heads low as they dashed through the streets of Homeworld. While running, Steven caught something out of the corner of his eye. He skidded to a halt. Blue Pearl, Yellow Pearl, and Pink Pearl sat talking on a bench, oblivious to Steven's presence.

"Steven!" White called from up ahead. "What are you doing?" She dashed back to him, her eyes wide. Steven pointed to the three Pearls.

"White, we have to get them out of here!" He whispered.

"What?! WHY?!"

"They could be helpful," Steven explained. "Besides, they're my friends. I don't want them to be in danger!"

White sighed, "Fine, go get them, but be quick!" Steven nodded, dashing toward the three gems.

"Steven!" They exclaimed.

"We didn't see you come in," Pink Pearl replied. "How are you-" Her eyes widened. "Is that White Diamond?!" She gasped.

"I can explain later!" Steven whispered. "Right now, you have to come with us. All of Homeworld is in grave danger...and it's all my fault." Yellow Pearl and Pink Pearl exchanged wide-eyed glances. Blue Pearl as well shook uneasily.

"Is this threat really worse than White Diamond?" Pink Pearl asked.

"Yes!" Steven exclaimed. "Now let's go!" Blue Pearl leaped up immediately. Yellow Pearl grabbed the shaking Pink Pearl by the wrist and dragged her after them. The five of them kept running until eventually reaching the docking bay. Steven leaped into the ship, immediately jumping to take off. White sat in one of the chairs, returning to her normal size. The three Pearls shared the second seat. Steven didn't slow down until the ringed planet was out of sight. He nearly fell over in exhaustion. However, Steven forced himself to keep moving. They had to get to Earth. They needed the Crystal Gems' help to fix his mistake. All my fault...this is all my fault.

"Steven…" White murmured. He tensed, meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry for snapping earlier. You're still in trouble for releasing Morganite but I know you didn't mean for anything else to happen. I'm just...worried about Yellow and Blue. I regret the way I treated them. We were once so close. We spent most of our lives together and I really care about them. It's like how you are with the Crystal Gems. Do you...maybe have a human term for this?"

"We call it family."

"Yellow and Blue are my family...and so was Pink and...I suppose you are too." Steven smiled at her.

"So…Steven." He glanced back at the three Pearls. Blue Pearl stroked Pink Pearl's hair as the shaking gem clung to her. Beside them, Yellow Pearl glared daggers at Steven as she spoke, "Care to explain to us why it was so important that we leave Homeworld?"

"Morganite is loose," Steven sighed.

Blue Pearl let out a gasp and stopped stroking her friend's hair. Pink Pearl and Yellow Pearl tilted their heads in confusion.

"Which Morganite?" Yellow Pearl asked.

"Cut 3XM," White Diamond informed.

Yellow and Pink Pearl's eyes widened. "You mean the one that was put in jail?!" Yellow Pearl gasped. White nodded. Pink Pearl jerked in fear, her eye wide.

"So what's the plan?" Blue Pearl asked.

"We're going to get the rest of the Crystal Gems to help us save Blue and Yellow," Steven explained. Yellow Pearl's eyes widened at the mention of her former diamond.

"What happened to Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond?" Yellow Pearl gasped.

"Morganite poofed all of them," Steven sighed. "I was able to retrieve White's gem but...not Blue or Yellow…"

"Could Morganite have shattered them?" Blue Pearl asked.

"I hope not," White's eyes were wide with horror, even as her voice was as smooth as her gem. "But it's very possible."

The drive to Earth went on for a while more in silence. Steven let out a yawn, slouching slightly as he continued moving his legs.

"Steven… are you alright?" White's eyes were full of concern.

Steven glanced back at her, "Yeah… I'm just getting tired," He explained.

"Tired?"

"I need to sleep."

"Sleep?" Steven nodded, letting out another yawn. "Oh...right. Organics need to conserve their energy. Sleep is the word you use to describe closing your eyes and doing nothing for hours at a time?"

Steven nodded. "How do you know about that?"

"I picked up a bit about organics through having so many colonies...those should really be outlawed as well come to think of it." Steven yawned again. "Here." White tapped Steven with the tip of her fingernail, pushing him out of the control field. White replaced him with two of her fingers. "I'll control the ship while you sleep."

"Thanks," Steven yawned, hobbling through the ship. The ship floor was cold and hard, not suitable sleeping conditions at all. Without even thinking about it, Steven laid down in White Diamond's lap. She tensed for a moment before going back to controlling the ship. Steven slowly fell into a deep sleep.

"Steven! Wake up!" A voice murmured. Steven jerked awake, eyes wide. White Diamond was staring down at him.

"Are we there?" Steven yawned.

White nodded. Steven leaped onto the ground, glancing out the door of the ship. The sky was pink-orange as the sun was barely above the ocean. Yawning, Steven stepped out of the ship. Pink Pearl, Blue Pearl, Yellow Pearl, and White Diamond followed him through the beach. The gems on the beach gawked at White Diamond, who kept her gaze fixed on the ground. No one said a thing. The only sounds were the seagulls and waves. Shaking, Steven knocked on the front door. After a few moments, Pearl answered.

"Steven, where were you all night?!" she gasped, throwing her arms around him. "We were so worried about you!" Garnet and Amethyst peered at him through the doorway.

"He was on Homeworld," White informed. Pearl's eyes widened. "Which is now in danger. That's why it took so long."

"Woah what?!" Amethyst gasped.

"Danger?!" Pearl demanded.

"He let Morganite out of jail," White glared at him as she spoke. "What followed was not his intent but he should still be punished for releasing a dangerous criminal."

"Well, that's your call," Garnet replied. Pearl nodded.

"But… you've been her caretakers longer."

"Um… White?" She glanced down at Steven. "Could you please call me a 'he' instead of a 'she?'"

"What's the difference?"

"It's…" Steven froze. "It's just what I prefer."

White looked back at the Crystal Gems. "Can you come up with HIS punishment?" she corrected.

"This is Homeworld related business," Pearl argued. "It has nothing to do with us."

"Alright fine. Steven, you are not allowed to throw or attend any more balls for the next thousand years."

"What?!" Steven exclaimed. "But I'm not gonna live for a thousand years!"

"Ugh," she groaned. "Until further notice then. Let's focus on what's important: defeating Morganite."

"Yeah, that's the whole reason we came," Steven agreed.

"Well, I suppose we can help," Pearl replied. "We don't want her to attack Earth after all."

Garnet nodded, "I'll go round up all the gems who want to come. Everyone who doesn't can hold down the fort." She made her way down the stairs.

"Well be quick!" White called. "We have to go immediately!"

"But we can't," Steven protested. "I need food first...and a weapon."

White let out a groan. "Fine, we can wait, but I'm going to the ship." Pink Pearl let out a sigh of relief once White was out of sight. Pearl turned to the other three Pearls.

"Are you three going to help us fight?" Pearl asked. Yellow and Blue Pearl nodded. Pink Pearl glanced at her friends with a wide eye.

She let out a sigh, "I can't let you two go without me… but come on, none of us know of how to fight. We don't even have weapons!"

"Every gem can summon a weapon," Pearl informed, pulling out her spear. "I can show you how." The three Pearls nodded enthusiastically. Pearl turned to Steven. "Steven, while I do that, you go eat and get Bismuth to make you a weapon." He nodded and dashed into the house. Pouring a bowl of cereal, Steven caught sight of his phone. Five notifications. As he sat down to eat, Steven unlocked the phone. One notification was an arbitrary app update, and the other four were missed calls from Connie. Steven immediately began dialing her number, holding the phone up to his ear. The ringing filled his ear as he tapped his foot on the floor.

"Hello? This is the Maheshwaran residence."

"Hi, Mrs. Maheswaran. It's Steven calling, can I talk to Connie?" he asked.

"Alright, stand by please." Silence followed. Steven took a bite of cereal, continuing to tap his foot.

"Steven?!" A shocked voice broke the silence. Steven nearly spat out his cereal. "Is everything okay?!"

"I wish I could say yes," Steven sighed. "But Homeworld and maybe even Earth is in danger...because of me."

"Well that doesn't sound right," Connie replied. "What happened?"

"You remember that gem the Diamonds put in jail? Morganite?"

"Yeah!" Connie paused to gasp. "Oh no, did she escape?!"

"I let her out." Silence followed once again.

"Why would you do that?!" Connie demanded.

"She made me think she had changed," Steven explained. "I'm-I'm sorry. What I did put everyone at risk...Blue, Yellow, and White were all poofed. I was able to save White's gem but...she's really upset with me."

"Oh jeez. You made her angry?"

"Yeah…"

"How'd that go over?"

"That doesn't matter. I called to ask you if you wanted to join the fight to take back Homeworld, and save Yellow and Blue."

"Of course!" Connie replied instantly. "I'll come over with my sword and some other supplies."

"Great! I'll see you then," Steven replied, hanging up. Once he was done with his cereal, Steven rushed outside. He scanned the shoreline. Gems adorned the sand but unlike every other day, none were chatting. All of them were either swinging their weapons around or lecturing others on swinging their weapons around.

"Steven!" Connie called. Steven turned to see her rushing up the stairs. Her sword was poking out of her backpack and her hair was tied back.

"Connie!" He greeted. "I wish we had time to chat but I have to go to Bismuth for a weapon."

"Okay," she nodded, her eyes narrowed. "I'll go find Pearl." Steven and Connie nodded to each other before parting ways. He jumped down the balcony, running down the beach. Don't push yourself too hard Steven. You remember what happened last time. Steven paused to look for Bismuth. Scanning the beach, he spotted her slicing rocks with ax-shaped hands.

"Bismuth!" He called, running toward her. Bismuth froze. Then she turned to face him, her hands returning to normal in a flash of light.

"Steven," she greeted. "Here for me to make you a weapon?"

He skidded to a halt. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I figured you would want one for the epic battle," Bismuth replied with a shrug. "Do you have a preference for what kind of weapon you want?"

"Just a sword," Steven answered. "It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just make it as quick as you can."

"Sure thing, I'll be as quick as I can getting to the forge. You just wait here on the beach," she ordered. Steven nodded as Bismuth took off in the opposite direction. Not knowing what else to do, Steven made his way toward the quad of Pearls. Connie stood watching as well. Pearl stood in front of the trio, holding out her hands as she summoned her spear. The other three copied her. Suddenly, light streamed from Blue Pearl's gem. Once the light faded, there in her arms, laid a blue sword. Yellow Pearl and Pink Pearl let out gasps.

"Bluey, you did it!" Yellow Pearl gasped.

"And you can do it too," Blue Pearl encouraged. "Just keep trying." Yellow Pearl and Pink Pearl nodded, their gazes shifting to their gemstones. The two of them grunted as the same light formed from their gems. However, the light refused to materialize. Steven couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy. He had been in that same place what felt like not too long ago. After more struggling, Yellow Pearl��s weapon finally materialized. It was a yellow whip! Yellow Pearl let out a delighted gasp, immediately swinging it. Pink Pearl leaped away with a shriek, the light from her gem fading. She grunted.

"Ugh, this is worthless!" Pink Pearl sighed. "I can't do this! I should just stay here. I won't be any use in a fight!"

"Don't talk like that!" Pearl insisted, "You almost had it."

"Try it one more time," Yellow Pearl rested her hand on Pink Pearl's shoulder. Blue Pearl stared at her. Pink Pearl nodded, letting out a sigh. Grunting, a light flashed in front of her gem. Moments later, a small shape materialized in her hands. It was pink with a bend right in the center.

"Woah!" Blue Pearl, Yellow Pearl, and Pearl stared at the object with stars in their eyes. Steven and Connie stepped closer.

"What is it?" Pink Pearl asked.

"It's a boomerang," Steven explained, "When you throw it, it comes back to you." Pink Pearl stared at her weapon. She flung it through the air. It flew forward, before zipping straight back into Pink Pearl's hand.

"Huh, cool."

"It's more than just cool!" Pearl gasped. "It's unprecedented. Well, at least in my experience, I've never seen any gem have a boomerang as a weapon!" Pearl cleared her throat, regaining her professional demeanor. "As such, you'll have to teach yourself how to use it. Yellow, Amethyst can show you how to use your whip. Bluey, you're with me." The Pearls went their separate directions. Steven did the same, trotting toward the ship. White sat alone inside. Her head was hung low, and her fingernails were digging deep into the sides of the chair.

"White?" Tensing, she met Steven's gaze.

"Oh, Steven! Are we leaving soon?" she asked.

"We'll leave as soon as Bismuth finishes making my sword...and the Pearls are fully trained in using their weapons."

White's eyes narrowed. "They can train on the way there. We have to leave now!" Steven jumped as White slammed her fist into the armrest. "Please," her eyes teared. "I can't bear to be apart from them any longer."

"I know," Steven sighed. "I understand…I want to fix this as much as you do. I'm so sorry...this is all my fault. I should've left well enough alone."

"Steven, this isn't your fault! You're not responsible for Morganite's actions! I'm...I'm so sorry I ever made you think that."

"Well regardless," Steven climbed atop the armrest as he spoke. "I hope Blue and Yellow are okay. Well...I know technically they aren't but I hope they weren't shattered…"

"Agreed…" White scooted over, as though disgusted by Steven being so close.

"Why do you always back away when I get close to you?" Steven asked.

"N-no reason," White muttered, looking down at the floor. Steven's eyes filled with concern. For a brief moment, he thought back to the trial, and what White had said about herself after...

"Hey, White, are you okay?" Steven's voice was low.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I-I never brought it up...but...that stuff you said after the trial really worried me."

"You...you heard all that?" White paused to grunt. "Of course you did."

"White, are you okay?" Steven repeated.

"What does that matter?" She sighed. "I'm just getting what I deserve. Even if I...did feel terrible, which I don't, I...I deserve to."

"No one deserves to feel bad about themselves," Steven insisted.

"I do," White murmured. "I don't deserve to feel any better." Steven stared at her, desperately. However, he was at a loss for words. There was no way to help someone who wouldn't accept help: someone who was determined to hate themselves.

"Um...I like your new form," Steven admitted, trying to change the subject. He had now noticed the other differences: flats instead of heels and white stripes on her cape rather than grey.

White still didn't look at him. "Um...thanks Star-no...I'm sorry. I know you're not her I just...I'm just used to saying that name."

"Why did you call her that?" Steven asked.

White glanced at him. "Starlight? Oh, it was her idea, actually." A small smile adorned her lips. "Pink...always really liked stars for some reason. That's one of the many reasons I knew she was Rose Quartz…" Her smile suddenly faded, and she looked away. "It...really was for the best that she left. She was the start of a great change." Her voice began to shake. "We should've listened to her...Maybe then she...she…"

"White?" She covered her eyes with her hand, sobbing. Even as she covered her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Steven stood there completely paralyzed once again. Should he comfort her? Or maybe she just needed to be alone?

"Steven!" A voice called, interrupting his thoughts. White wiped away her tears as she and Steven turned to face the door. Bismuth stood at the entrance. A long, gray sword laid in her hands. "I finished the sword!"

"Wow, that was quick!" Steven replied, jumping down from the armrest.

"I told you it would be," Bismuth responded, carefully placing the handle in Steven's hands.

"Great, great, can you round everyone up so we can go?!" White ordered.

Bismuth glanced up at her with wide eyes. "Uh...okay…" She backed out of the ship, dashing into the sand once she was out. Steven looked back at White. It's hard to fear someone when you've seen their most vulnerable side, he mused.