Summary: Stays in empire city
Marco sighed in relief. "Whenever we save the world, the next few days are always so .. peaceful." He spoke as he worked up a tan.
"I know what you mean." Steven said while wearing the most casual outfit he's seen him wear. A salmon pink shirt with a yellow star in the middle, blue jean pants and pink sandals. Currently he lifted his shirt up to let his gem stick out. "I don't need to keep my identity a secret anymore, so I'm just able to expose my gem freely." Steven smiled, looking down at his stomach. "It feels nice to finally give it exposure."
"And it looks nice too." Kelly noted in her two piece. "I'm gonna go swimming, see if I can punch a shark in the nose. Any takers?"
"Nah, I'm good. You do you, Kelly." Star her one piece that he only blushed just a little in seeing her in. "For a town called Beach Creek, we hardly ever actually go to the beach just to hang."
"I used to come here all the time." Mr Universe noted, sitting under an umbrella and providing background music. "It helps that Rose technically lived here with the Gems."
"The temple is our home, and the beach is where about thirty percent of corrupted gem attacks occur." Pearl, the odd one out in the group for today, responded from the side. "There were times where me and Rose could just stand in one spot for days on end, just admiring the beauty of it all.."
Mr. Universe just tried to hide his face the moment Pearl's face got flushed, and everyone could just feel how awkward the mood was the moment she talked. "So, what now?" Steven asked. "Now that you're no longer wanted by the law?"
"Now I'll probably have to get a job, hopefully the Mayor will resell the car wash." Marco didn't want to explain that there was a demolition crew working there at the moment. "But I still have quite a bit of money stored over, and now that my accounts aren't completely frozen, I can actually spend it on something I want."
"How much are we talking?" Marco asked. The man pulled out his phone, showing it to Marco- "JESUS … that's a lot of zeroes." More than his royalties made in a year.
"Wow, even someone who's from royalty, I can confirm that this is a lot of dough." Star whistled. "What do you want to spend it on though?"
"Now that Steven's back in my life… I'm not so sure." Mr. Universe began picking up his guitar. "Maybe I could save it up in a trust fund in case he ever wants to go to college or needs medical attention …"
"I don't think I need the last one." Steven spoke up. "I've never gotten sick before, and I may or may not have a healing factor."
"Plus the college thing might not work out for various reasons… " Star muttered for various reasons.
"Yeah, it's a tough call." Mr Universe strummed his guitar. "Bright sunny day, don't cost nothing. Light summer breeze, don't cost nothing.." He turned to his son with a fond smile. "What do I do, with all this money, when I just want to spend time with you?"
"Palling around, don't cost nothing." Steven joined in on the singing. "Singing a song, don't cost nothing.."
"The sand on your feet, don't cost nothing." Star entered as well. "Play games with your friends, don't cost nothing."
"I could spend the day, just doing nothing! As long as I'm doing nothing with you." Kelly came in, pecking Steven on the cheek.
"Well your building a house, so maybe get a car." Feeling like it was one of those days, Marco did his best to join in with the melody.
"That's sound like plan, but I already got a van." Mr. Universe explained.
"Well maybe you should spend it on some pizza and some chips." Steven sang to him.
"I have limits to my stomach and I'd like to not explode." The man joked. "If I'm feeling fancy, I can rent my own ship."
"Oh, what about taking a trip?" Star snapped her fingers. " That'll do!"
"We can take a vacation, we can go somewhere new!!" Steven shouted.
Mr universe paused stopped his guitar playing as his eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh I got it! We can have a blast in Empire city! Just an entire day of living the high life, and if something breaks, I can cover it!"
"Empire City?" The three off planet teens asked.
"It's a really high end place." Marco explained. "It's also home to the Silver Hill Preps." Star tilted her head. "That football team you violently scared for life?"
"Ah, good times." Star remembered fondly. "Look out Earth, Star Butterfly is going to the big city!"
"Yeah, let's all go! Me, dad, Star, Kelly, Marco,.." Steven listed off. "And Pearl!"
"Huh?" Star tilted her head.
"Wait what?" The two 'adults' asked in perfect union.
"Come on, the gems got corrupted, they need to live a little too." The boy justified his reasoning. "And Pearl rarely experiences human stuff as it is."
"Steven, not that I don't appreciate the sentiment but …" Pearl started.
"Me and Pearl haven't gotten along like … ever." Mr Universe answered.
"Do you know how rare it is for us to spend time together that isn't a mission? Very, almost never." Steven pressed on. "I want to spend time with my family and friends, and you're both, Pearl."
"Well …" She muttered. "I suppose one night couldn't hurt …"
"That's the spirit!" Kelly laughed. "Time to see if those sword skills you have translate to being fancy."
"I am the only one of two fancy gems in the group." Pearl grumbled.
"Heh, yeah, family trip, bro, guys, one second." Star grabbed him and the rest of their friends in a huddle. "Bro, are you sure about bringing Pearl of all gems along? She's alright, but she's a mountain of problems, most of which stem from Rose."
"If we can survive the end of the world on three separate occasions, I'm sure we're more than capable of getting past unresolved tension." Steven waved off.
"You mean the woman who's lived for thousands of years with another gem, and said crush results in getting stolen by a human before the love of her life vanished with her only living memento for fourteen years?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Well, the naivety was better than him being dead, or a mindless monster. And fixing Pearl's drama would help him forget about his own with Star.
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Kelly looked at the sights, eyes sparkling as the group gazed. "So this is empire city …" Big tall buildings that practically reached into the clouds, bright lights that rivaled the stars in the sky, and fancy looking statues and fountains that were around every corner. "You definitely don't see sights like this in Woolandia."
"Or Mewni, surprisingly. We have towns and villages, but not that much in terms of big cities with skyscrapers." Steven marveld at the sights around them as they held each other's hand the entire way over. They hardly ever let go ever since Toffee was defeated, and she was more than happy to keep it that way.
"So I'm confused." Star spoke up. "Is it an empire, or a city?"
"It's a city, named after an empire." Steven's dad explained.
"… This is Beech Creek all over again."
"Your fusion is called Starry Quartz." Marco replied bluntly.
"It's an awesome name." The siblings high fived.
"And I'd like to see you fuse our names together." Steven answered.
"Quazar." He answered immediately. "Like a bunch of supernova stars powered by a black hole."
"... We love the one we came up with." Star defended childishly. "So… shut up."
Kelly snorted. "So what was it like being fused with your sister?" She asked.
"... Pretty good." He answered after a second. "We were … fine together." He thought it over. "We were constantly hyping the other up because we kept putting ourselves down, but the truth is, even with the mistakes we've made… we would never want the other to change who they are."
"True sibling power to the max." Star answered. "Just loving each other … Was that what it's like for you guys?" She asked Pearl, who had been silent most of the trip, gazing out the window.
"In a way. I've always thought Rose was amazing, and…when we first met, it was a time of adjustment for her. She didn't quite know how to be around me." Pearl sighed, a light smile forming on her face. "The first time we fused was an absolute wreck, you could barely call it a fusion because neither of us knew what we were doing."
"And once upon a time ago, I tried doing it with Rose, which was before I really understood the whole gem-human thing. We danced, and I thought it would just come easily for me." Mr.Universe sighed with a smile as well. "Rose actually laughed at the idea."
"I'm sure she did." They could hear metal groaning from Pearl's direction as an awkward silence came across the van.
"Oh, this is the place." Greg parked in front of a fancy looking hotel, Kelly and the others eyes sparkling at the sight and majesty of it. Once out, they made their way to the front desk, Star wandering around and poking everything.
"Wow … how is this place cleaner than the palace?" Kelly asked. "Don't the maids treat dust like it's life and death battles?"
"They're really nice, but they're not exactly…the brightest people in the drawer." Steven sheepishly explained. "They're kind of helpless on their own, except the laundry knight, he takes his job WAY too seriously, and then Manfred, who's just really stuck up.
"Hello there, they call me Mr Greg." Mr Universe introduced himself to the guy at the counter, who looked at him skeptically. "My card?" He handed a card that said 'Mr Greg, Bazillionaire.', making the guy look at them as if they were a big joke, and waved their hand over the security button. "My money?" He placed a stack of hundreds down.
The dude's eyes widened, before swiping off everything and jumping on the counter
"Hey, shake a leg!"
"Hey, shake a leg!"
"It's Mr. Greg!"
"It's Mr. Greg!"
"He's here to spend his dough all over the town!" He sang, as soon multiple guys in suits came and joined him in choreography. Kelly really underestimated what people will do for money. Punches were a much simpler form of currency, though this way did make her boyfriend happy judging by all the smiles from the singing.
"He's got the bucks!" The bellhops began carrying them like they were precious luggage over their heads. They all looked so alike that Kelly wondered if there were more differences between the rubies then these guys.
"I've got the bucks!" 'Mr Greg' was getting in on the action, giving a tap dance of the shoes like it was his form of transportation.
"It's all deluxe!"
"It's all deluxe!" Star and Steven sang at the same time. Those two were much more in sync then they usually were since they fused. Kelly would've been worried like with Jana if it wasn't abundantly clear it was purely sibling love and affection.
"When you're dining out with me."
"It's the finest steak and brie." They were handed fancy looking meat, which made Kelly's mouth drool.
"Yeah, if I break a table it ain't no prob-woah!" The table the man decided to dance on cracked, sending him to the ground with their food. "...Just bill it to my bank."He handed them a bill.
"A hundred bucks?! gee, thanks!" Guess it must've been a cheap table if that's all it took to get them off their backs.
The only one that wasn't getting in on the fun was of course Pearl, who just stood awkwardly to the side, dismissing and turning down any of the food that was being offered her way. She looked like she was about to walk off when Star grabbed her. "Oh corn, no way!"
"Oh corn, no way!" Steven backed her up.
"You're here to stay!"
"You're here to stay!" Marco and Kelly joined the boy in back up.
"When it's all said and done, you'll admit that you had fun!" Star twirled the gem before dragging them all into a closet full of clothes.
"So let's head down this aisle and dress you up in style!" Steven dove through the hangers of suits and dresses.
" There's no need for bashing…." Marco said as Pearl ended up in a tux.
"And besides, you look quite dashing." Kelly added in, twirling the gem around.
"I must admit." Pearl finally smiled as she gave the somewhat silly turn of events a playful shrug.
"You must admit!" Every organic being on this trip sang at once.
"It's a perfect fit." She gazed in front of a mirror, patting herself down.
You look great in it! They all shouted, smiling at her.
"And those fountains I found wasteful, Are actually quite tasteful!" There were alot of of fountains here. Star mainly used them as pools or tubs for her narwhals." This city's got its charm, Unlike that termite-ridden barn." Pearl playfully whispered that last part. "And any time with Steven, makes for a delightful evening!"
"She's got the rhyme scheme down!" Steven shouted.
"We turned her attitude around!" Star joined in the celebration.
"You're having fun!" Greg observed.
"More or less." Pearl admitted as Greg began to twirl her.
"So dance with me, just say.."
"No!" Everybody stopped, the band no longer playing as they all stared at Pearl. "I … I have to go … rest." She began walking to the bedroom area, shutting the door behind her.
"Dang it, we were so close!" Star grumbled. "She looked like she was enjoying herself for once."
"Yeah, she totally ruined the song." One of the bellhops said from behind them.
"Hey, don't be rude." Kelly pulled out her sword as they all scattered. "It was a nice attempt though, Steven. You can't say you didn't try." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Just give it time, you can't expect an instant turn around for everyone."
"I know … I just wanted to keep the win streak going hot." He admitted. "... So what can we do in a room this large with all our money?"
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Pearl had watched them all play games, watch movies, and eat fancy meals before the group went to bed. They looked like they were having such a fun time. Steven especially looked so happy, so relaxed, so…free from the burdens of the past, burdens that still plagued her to this day.
It hurt her to see him happy…especially with someone special of his own. Kelly may have been…rough around the edges, but she was bold, fearless, and dedicated to being by Steven's side, but all it reminded her was of her lack of worth now, of her failure to protect him, to protect the one thing Rose wanted her to watch over for nearly fourteen years. And now she was a Pearl without a purpose.
So what was left was a gem just watching them sleep. Sure she could join them and pass out, but all that gave were nightmares … not just the Greg variety. Coming here just made it worse, and trying to attack Toffee just gave him another soldier … She did nothing in the end.
Pearl walked to the edge of the balcony, staring out into the bright city. A city full of life, full of happy humans going about their merry way, probably with their families and loved one's in their arms.
"I was fine…with all of them…." Human, Mewman, Monster, Romantic or platonic, none of them were excluded from Rose's love. " All those who'd come into her life now and again.. I was fine, 'cause I knew…." That Rose would outlive them all. That they were just toys, playthings, shiny objects to keep her attention.
"That they didn't really matter… until you." Greg Universe, a man that Rose had a passing interest at best if he didn't try to stick around. "I was fine when you came."At first. "And we fought like it was all some silly game." Which it was, considering how short lived it was.
"Over her, who she'd choose…" Countless loves came and went, some so brief Rose could barely remember a few dozen of them. "After all those years, I never thought I'd lose." But she did lose … so horribly she lost to someone else.
" It's over, isn't it?.. Isn't it?.. Isn't it over?" It was over before it even began…Rose loved the earth, loved life more than anything..and she fell for someone who loved it just as much as her.
"It's over, isn't it?… Isn't it?… Isn't it over? You won, and she chose you, and she loved you, and she's gone…"' Yet Greg was still here…Pearl was still here…and now they were both alone.
"It's over, isn't it?… Why can't I move on?" Greg moved on, he had Steven, he even had his music career to process all his grief… what did Pearl have without Rose?
"War and glory, reinvention. Fusion, freedom, her attention." So many memories. "Out in daylight, my potential. Bold, precise, experimental." Far too many to count … so many times they were happy … why couldn't she have stayed?
"Who am I now in this world without her? Petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her!" Here she was, being a stupid defective Pearl, questioning the greatest being she has ever known.
"What does it matter? It's already done! I couldn't even be there for her son!" Steven grew up into a fine and charming boy… without Pearl. She really had nothing left in this world, did she?
"It's... over, isn't it? .. Isn't it? .. Isn't it over?" Those words just kept repeating in her head. She could spend eternity fighting monsters and Homeworld, but that would never change the fact that it was all over.
It's over, isn't it? .. Isn't it? .. Isn't it over? You won, and she chose you, and she loved you, and she's gone.....!" She threw out the rose she had in her hand and let it drift away from her…just as she drifted away."
"It's over, isn't it?…Why can't I move on?" Pearl cried, as the weak gem she was. "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"
Sighing in mental exhaustion she turned … seeing Steven staring at her, Greg on the edge of his bed. "Steven! Greg…I.." The look from the boy told her there was no hiding it.
"I'm sorry you have to be around me." Greg stood up, putting on a robe and walked out of the room. "There's no fixing this, is there?"
"I …" She sighed. "You shouldn't have taken me Steven." She just messed it up, like always.
"No, this is exactly why I brought you." The boy turned to the outside of the room. "You can come out guys."
"Yeah, sorry, hard not to sleep with all the singing." Star and the others walked in. "We heard everything…and you're really being too hard on yourself Pearl." Star sighed, walking up to her. "I went to the realm of magic, and I talked to Rose."
She could faintly hear the stumbling of Greg near the bedroom over the ringing in her own ears. "YOU DID WHAT!!!?" They shouted simultaneously.
"Man, this place has really thin walls." Kelly muttered.
"No, I think they just yelled that loud." Marco commented.
"But, I, but, howsa." Pearl was at a loss for words.
"SHE'S ALIVE!?" Greg put them into words. "IS SHE INSIDE OF STEVEN!?"
"No, no no, get that thought out of your head!" Star shouted in correction. "Magic realm, other dimension, she showed up as a ghost right beside Glossaryck, so basically she's in the afterlife or whatever."
"Oh …" She noted. "I … kind of want to visit there if it's possible."
"Yeah, I don't know how the whole afterlife thing works, but there's a catch or something… we're getting off topic!" Star shook her head. "Point is, she wanted me to say she was sorry for putting so much pressure on all of you, and you shouldn't feel guilty over what happened."
"But … it wasn't just what happened … It's what keeps happening." She tightened on the rails, hearing them groan. "We just keep repeating the same mistakes over and over."
"Then there's only one way for it to stop. We break the cycle." Steven gestured out the door. "Come on, we're heading to the lobby. I need a piano for the next part."
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Steven walked up to the player, tapping his shoulder and handing him a stack of cash. "I need to play the next song, please?"
"A thousand bucks!? You can keep it!" Money really seems to be the universal language in this place. Considering that was the main difference monsters and Mewmans seemed to focus on, that gave him some mixed feelings on the inside.
Sitting on the seat, cracking his knuckles as he checked the keys, Steven turned to Marco. "Hey, can you play the trumpet?" He asked.
"That was oddly the one instrument I picked up in my time in the neverzone." Marco picked up the horn. "You sure this'll work?"
"Yep, not right away, but this will get the ball rolling. Star, cue magic to set the mood."
"Shadow Moon Transformation Plus Ultra!" She shot the entire room, transforming the very lighting and ambiance. "Watching anime DOES help, take that high school english teacher!"
"Kelly, duet with me?" He scooted over his seat to make room.
"Sure, I'm down for that." She sat down. "Can't play a Piano though."
"That's fine, you just got to sing with me, and I can guide you in playing a few keys." He took her warm hand, strumming a starting note, Marco letting out a melody that followed along. "Ready guys?"
"Feel awkward as heck, but yes." Dad said as he and Pearl held hands together, their stance showing they weren't sure who was going to take the lead.
"I can start when you do … for whatever this is." Pearl spoke awkwardly, not knowing the solution at hand.
"Why don't you talk to each other?" It was literally the only thing these two never did with each other. " Why don't you talk to each other?" He played a slow tuned as shades of various colors covers the room.
"Just give it a try. Why don't you talk about what happened?" Star asked in her melody, spinning around the two of them. " I know you're trying to avoid it but I don't know why?" The unanswered correction.
"You might not believe it." Kelly, with his hand guiding her's, played the next few keys. You might not believe it but you got a lot in common, you really do." The two adults looked confused by that statement. It was obvious when anyone gave it two seconds to think about it.
"You both love me and I love both of you." Steven told them, and both of them just looked at
"Look, if I were you I'd hate me too…I was just a lonely man, with no chance and no plan." Dad sighed and looked down. " But like a comet she came…and changed my world."
"I don't hate you….she saw the beauty in everything, both you and me and this world." Pearl rested her hands on dad's shoulder. "What she left behind should be enough…but we still miss our girl."
Finally, a genuine conversation! That was the power of talking! "But I knew how you felt about Rose and I stayed anyway." Dad admitted, and Steven felt a slight sting in his chest. That's kind of how it was for him, Kelly and Quad. He really needed to talk to him one of these days.
"That wasn't the problem." Pearl responded, looking away.
"Then what was?" Dad asked.
"She fell in love with you." That would sting, obviously, Star seemed to understand it most.
"Well, you know Rose.."
"She always did what she wanted!" They competed for each other with a laugh. Soon they resumed dancing, looking just a little more graceful on their feet then they did before.
"I know you both need it….I know you both need it…" Star looked at Marco, who was lost in playing the trumpet. " Someone who knows what you're going through." At least she had Sadie to talk about it.
"You might not believe it." Steven sang.
"You might not believe it." Kelly sang.
"But you got a lot in common." They sang in usion. " You really do." Even if how his relationship formed wasn't ideal, Steven could never regret the good feeling he had with Kelly now.
"You both love me and I love both of you." He sang as Pearl put dad into a dip.
"You both love me and I love both of you." Star, Steven, and Kelly finished all at once, as the spell on the room finally wore off.
"Wow…that was…wow." Dad laughed.
"Yes…this was good." She returned the laugh with her own. "Thank you…it seems you finally learned how to dance after all this time."
"Rose taught me well." He smiled as they stood up.
"Oh yeah!" Steven shouted. "Emotional trauma cured!"
"And at no cost this time!" Marco joined in.
A cough drew them to a short man, handing them a piece of paper. "Your bill."
Dad looked it over and hissed. "Oooh, that's a lot of zeroes." Dad chuckled, "Really should look into getting a job soon if I want to actually spend money."
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Despite the massive blow to Mr. Universe's bank account, everyone was able to leave the hotel in the morning with smiles. "Room with a view, those cost something." Her stepdad sang as they got in the van. "Five course meals, those cost something."
"But laughing with you, Don't cost nothing!" Marco joined in.
"Singing a song, don't cost nothing…" Kelly laughed as she sang.
"Doin nothing … don't cost nothing." Pearl tried to add in. " Getting it wrong…"
"Don't cost nothing! " Star laughed. "Honestly, kudos for remembering any of it."
"Had to get something down." Pearl smiled. "It was either that or sand in your feet, which only is second worst to wet socks."
"JUSTIFICATION!" Marco shouted from inside the van.
"You know, therapy might be evil, but singing out your feelings to each other is amazing." Steven chuckled. "If grandma Comet almost ended the monster conflict with pies, doing the same with singing might not be so implausible."
"It would certainly be a step in the right direction." The gem smiled. "The cycle of violence is going to take a lot of effort … hope you two are ready to put in the work."
"Yeah, I'm ready, ready as I'll ever be." Star took in a long breath.
"That's still a long way off, so relax a little." Marco suggested with a back pat. "We still have plenty of summer left, and there's the next year of school…" School… first she wanted to do nothing with it, now it sounded like a pleasant dream to go back to.
"Marco… I'm not going back to school." Star announced to him. "In fact… I'm gonna be moving back to Mewni altogether."
"Wait, really?" Everyone stopped to turn to her. "You're … heading home?" He asked with confusion.
"But … earth is awesome." Steven noted. "It's one of the reasons we saved it … twice!"
"It is, and I love being here! I love staying here, being free! Learning and lovin-." She stopped herself from finishing. "But even if Toffee's gone, there's still Monsters and Mewmans causing trouble back home. If I'm going to stop another Toffee or Ludo from popping up, I have to learn how to be the best Queen possible."
"I'll make sure your old room is ready to go." Steven said. "If you're sure about moving back in, that is."
"I'm sure." Star sighed, hating the downtrodden expression on the faces of her two favorite people in the world. "It's not like I'm going to stop coming to Earth, we still got gem stuff to take care of, I'm just… going to spend more time home with Mom and Dad. You know how it is, nearly dying makes you appreciate what you didn't before." She slightly chuckled with hesitation
"Well we could do with some more family bonding after that experience … alright." Steven nodded, accepting her answer.
"Guess I'm making more trips to Mewni then." Kelly shrugged as she hugged Steven from behind. "Or you can come over to my place more, Mom's been wanting more deets ever since we started dating."
"Oh, I haven't actually met your mom." Steven noted. "Is she nice?"
"For the most part, she'll punch your guts out in a single strike, but other than that, she's pretty chill."
"Isn't everyone's mom like that?" Star chuckled.
"Not mine." Marco said. "She doesn't threaten you physically … just emotionally."
"Been there pall." Her step dad patted Marco on the back. "Been there …"
"We just help release on emotional mountain today, let's not get into another." Star hurried everyone into the van, especially Marco..the other reason why she chose to move back to Mewni.
She couldn't stand to be around him, it just messed her up too bad on the inside. And she knew if she held it in she was gonna end up like Pearl. "It's over isn't it… Isn't it… now I must move on."