Summary:
More pain then a human can comprehend
"It was just … innocence." Star listened to Marco vent as they sat in the living room of his house. "Complete and utter innocence in those eyes. Untainted by everything we've seen … I wanna protect her like adults try to protect us." He turned to her. "Does that make me a hypocrite?"
"No, that makes you a perfectly normal older sibling." Star reassured him. "I'm the same way towards Steven. When they look up at you, both literally and figuratively, you just want to give them the whole world."
He hummed. "Since we don't have a castle would it be okay if we move back here then?" He asked her. "It's not like Mewni is gonna change overnight with our efforts after all."
"I'd like that, but I need to get Eclipsa settled into the role of Queen before anything." Star sighed. "I need to talk to her about the whole 'kicking Mewmans out of their homes' thing, because that did not help things on the peace front. Not to mention how dodgey she is with her responsibilities."
"That's fair." He nodded. "So how is Steven taking the loss of innocence?"
"He hugged me as he cried for two hours, and then he calmed down after Mabel called him on the group chat. Turns out she had a similar experience when she swapped brains with her brother." Star shivered at the thought. "That trip was probably the best thing we've done in a long time, thanks for suggesting it, and getting us out of our funk."
"No problem, it was better than you guys moping around cause you broke up." Marco looked smug. "I like to think I handled mine with plenty of maturity."
"You're only saying that because I don't have proof of the sad and mopey phase I know you probably went through." She smirked before a thought came to her head. "So…both of us are single now, right?"
"Yep, single and cruisin down the highway of life, ignoring love and romance in favor of adventure and excitement." He answered. "It was nice to see that there's plenty of people in the multiverse that can live without dating."
"Yeah, Anne seemed pretty chill about it, and quite a few of them are still in that young and ignorant phase of it." Star thought it over. "But you know, it isn't completely bad." She tried to suggest subtly.
"True, if I said it to the group constantly I'm pretty sure Garnet would break my knees." Marco noted, before sitting up with confusion. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Star turned her head, and noticed a sobbing sound. "That's not your sister, right?"
"No, she's still at the hospital with mom." He stood up. "No one should be around but us, dad, Mr Universe and Steven."
"Steven…oh crap." Star stood up to find her brother. "He probably had another relapse and remembered all the agonizing details of the miracle of birth." She was going to punch Garnet into orbit one of these days for that.
"I mean it's great he learned, but that was a sit down moment." Marco muttered as they walked to one of the guest bedrooms, opening the door and seeing Steven crying in his sleep, tears streaming down the bed and making the whole room seem damp. "He … doesn't usually cry this much."
"Yeah, not even when thinking about snakes or penguins." There hasn't been this level of tears since Kelly first broke up with him. "Steven, wake up, wake up!" Star shook her brother. "It's just a dream!"
"Huh, wha!?" Steven shot up straight, dazed and confused, but the tears were still falling down his face. "What's going on…and why do I feel like I took a shower?" They pointed to the wet room. "I … oh." He pressed a hand to his face. "I was crying? But I don't feel sad."
"Really? You didn't have any nightmares about what you saw in the hospital room?" Star asked.
"No, at least not the entire time." Steven shook his head. "I was dreaming about this big..field of flowers somewhere, and then there was this big pink…something or another right in the middle.
"Were you dream-walking again?" Marco asked. "I thought that stopped after you went to the Realm of Magic."
"No, Eclipsa gave me a few tips, so I know when I'm inside someone's dreams. This…this felt too real. It didn't feel like I was dreaming at all…more like I was seeing from someone else's eyes."
"Great, now my brother jumps into awake people." Star muttered. "Okay, we can work this out in the morning, alright? For now let's just get some rest before we drag ourselves into something crazy." True, he already had to deal with the shock of having a baby sister … so precious.
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"Hey Steven, long time no see." Actually it was pretty soon since the last time because of Marco's new sister, but last time, Steven was too occupied with being traumatized by the miracle of birth.
"No time for small talk, Jana, we need your experience with crazy to figure out what I saw in my dream!" Jana watched as Steven scribbled frantically onto a piece of paper. "It had walls like this … and legs … and a nice design … and it ended up like this." He showed off a square spider with a flower on its head.
"… Let me guess, Star got the art skills?" She joked.
"Pretty much." Star nodded as she began drawing something much more detailed. "He's got music and cooking, I've got dance and drawing." She doodled something that actually looked vaguely familiar. "He had to dream walk to share the image, but I think I got it down enough."
"So now we just need to figure out where this is." Marco pulled out a world map. "Since it looks like a summer field, we can cut out any deserts or attic locations, along with tropical …" He began drawing xs on the map. "Maybe we can rule out urban areas … there was a mountain right?"
"Huh, that actually reminds me of something I've been meaning to bring up to you, Steven." Jana spoke up, holding a book. "I've been reading some history to discredit Mayor Dewey even more, and started following this guy that found a bunch of gem stuff. Check out this page."
The boy grabbed the book, flipping through it before stopping on a random page. "As I thought myself dehydrated and dead, I awoke to a tall pink woman and her pack of SEVEN LIONS!?" The group immediately turned to the pink feline, resting as it was cuddling with Steven Jr and a pumpkin with a face and legs.
"Every time we get an answer, it just leaves us with more questions." Marco sighed.
"At least that explains where Lion came from, or at least her fondness for them." Steven said. "Wait, does that mean I get my pet collecting from her too?"
"Oh, I wonder if she ever tamed a Warnicorn." Star thought aloud. "I could ride my own pink power animal into battle."
"Guys, we're really getting off topic!" Marco derailed the current thought train. "You were saying Jana?"
"Right. I found this journal hidden away in the Buddy Buddwick library, who also happens to be the owner of this book." She flipped through the pages. "A lot of it shows him traveling the world and documenting a lot of the gems sights, even has this one mention of a magic well on earth…"
"Magic well?" Star questioned.
"Yeah, he said it was somewhere in Beach Creek, but he never got around to documenting the location, being driven insane by gazing inside too long." She wrote off. It was kind of a cop out, but she supposed the idea alone was cool. "Anyways, what you saw in your dream actually looks like one of the drawings in here." She flipped the pages and found what she was talking about.
"The Palanquin?" Steven wondered, looking at it with wide eyes. "That's exactly what I've been looking at! And if this book recorded lots of gem stuff, then the Crystal Gems would have to know about it!" He stood up. "To the temple!"
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"No." Pearl had her hand over her mouth, unable to speak about the incident, Garnet being blunt and just telling them outright that they shouldn't go there, and Amethyst, being the only innocent gem here, just confused about the whole thing in general.
"Oh come on!" Steven shouted. "I keep dreaming about it, clearly I'm meant to go there."
"Go to Mewni if you need to sleep, but you are going nowhere near that place." Garnet standed firm in her decision.
"Haven't we've done this whole song and dance before?" Star accused. "Everytime you keep secrets, we eventually find out what it is, and it turns out to be something we actually SHOULD know about?"
Garnet stood silent, looking at Pearl with a sympathetic look, before turning back. "If I give you complete and total honesty about what that location is and why to avoid it, can I get you to promise to never go near there?"
"That depends on what it is." Steven stood firm with his persistence.
"… I want at least one of you to promise to drag the other two out of trying to sneak behind our backs and go there yourselves."
"Oh come on." Star whined.
"I can see the future Star, I know you'll go behind our backs unless someone promises this or we lock you in a cage, and I would rather not resort to that please."
"Fine, fine, whatever." Marco, said a bit flippantly.
Garnet sighed at that, looking like she was gathering herself. "That's the palanquin, it's where Pink Diamond was shattered."
"So?" Steven said, looking unimpressed. "I already knew mom killed her. If you don't want us to go because you're preserving Rose on a pedestal, it's already far too late for that." Pearl had so much she wanted to say, to try and bring Rose back to light … but she couldn't say a word.
"You can't go there…because I'm scared." Garnet turned away as she said that, the shaking in her voice becoming prominent. "What's there is worse than Meteora was, and I don't want you all anywhere near her."
"Her?" Star pointed out.
"... The site is visited by … someone dangerous." She clarified. "I can't say her name … I shouldn't … but know that every option of confrontation would end horribly." Garnet leaned down, holding onto Steven's shoulder. "I see so many futures Steven, so many bad things. I'm trying to be more honest and open, but this is something far beyond what anyone on Earth or Mewni can do. I'm begging you, please just let it go."
Steven looked to the ground, with his fist tightening. "Everyone is always trying to figure out the future for me, and it always ends up bad. Almost all my friends have tried to kill me at some point, Rose left so much of her baggage on me, and now my Mom is missing." He turned to leave. "For once in my life, I want to decide how the future will go myself."
"Steven, I can't let you do this." Garnet spoke with a low growl that shocked Amethyst.
"Or what?" Steven growled back, his skin glowing pink and horns popping out of his head. "You refuse to be anything but vague, your future vision is never reliable when we need it to be, and last time I checked, you're not my mom." Steven looked like he was going to attack them for a second…before suddenly disappearing in a blink of an eye.
"What the…how did he do that!?" Pearl screamed out.
"Oh right, his pink state thing makes him move super fast." Star commented. "We're on his side, just FYI."
"Marco, I don't care if you all stay mad at me, but please don't let him go there." Garnet begged the only other boy.
"Garnet, I seriously don't think there's anything I can say that could convince him otherwise." Marco sighed as a pink flash came and made Star disappear as well. "Guess he's picking us up-" Marco disappeared in mid sentence.
Pearl watched as Garnet shook, tears in her eyes as she punched a wall. "... Was it really-"
"They would have gone no matter what I said …" She stated solemnly. "This was the only way to make sure none of them actually died." She watched the gem shake. "No matter how much it hurts to know what happens or what they said."
Pearl could only nod in guilt, knowing there could've been one other possible way to prevent all of this…if only she wasn't anything but a Pearl following her orders.
"... So am I chasing after them or …" Amethyst asked with confusion.
"The safest path for us to follow now is to wait until Blue Diamond leaves earth."
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"So Andy … how does it feel taking your nephew on a world trip?" Greg asked his cousin as they flew through the sky.
"Pretty liberating actually, since he's actually sitting in the plane this time instead of hanging off the wing of it." Andy responded. "His sister being a giant butterfly is still pretty weird though."
"Just getting in some practice!" Star shouted with a three arm wave as she carried Marco, flying right next to them.
"I'm kinda sad I can't grow wings, but this is a close second." Steven said. "Thanks for the ride uncle Andy!"
"No problem ya squirt." He rubbed the boy's head. "So mind telling me why I'm flying to Korea? It's not the friendliest place as of late."
"I had a dream that may have been someone else's memories of this weird structure that belonged to an alien overlord that my mom killed, so I wanted to check it out."
Andy's face of skepticism was the same as Greg's the first time he heard the story. "Well, if you can't ask your family to help find alien artifacts, then who can you ask?" Luckily Andy seemed to roll with it better than he did.
"Exactly, family sticks together." Star nodded with a smile. "It's been our one big thing since forever. Moms are always close with their children." Star seemed to look downward at that. "Even if they seem overwhelming at times."
"Hey, after we figure out what the deal is with the Palanquin, we can go and try to find your mom." Marco reassured the girl he was flying with.
"Yeah Star, I'm sure she's fine, she's tough stuff." Steven nodded, before turning to the console. "Hey Andy, what's that?" He pointed to a blinking light.
"Oh, we're getting a call." He pressed the Button.
"Daehanmingug yeong-gong-e jin-ibhago issseubnida. jasin-eul sigbyeolhasibsio." It spoke to them.
"Hang on everyone, this'll be a while. My Korean is rusty." Andy turned to the speaker. "Nae ilekum-euan aendi, mannoseo dangawayo."
There was a bit of silence. "Oh, an American." It repeated in English. "First off, your Korean is terrible."
"Noted."
"Second off, you are in restricted airspace. Leave or we will fire misses."
"Hey buster!" Star flew in close and into the speaker. "We're on an important family trip to an alien monument to uncover secrets thousands of years old! Fire on us, and I'll bust out the warnicorns!"
There was silence on the end. "Ibwa, ulineun jeongsinbyeongjaleul sangdaehago iss-eo, yeogiseo ulineun mueos-eul halkka?" There was talking over the line.
"They called you a loon." Andy responded to Star.
"Jokes on them. I'm a Butterfly, not a bird." Star responded.
"He means they called you insane and find your story laughable." Marco explained.
"Whatever, not like they can actually hurt us, I got magic." The girl looked down. "I'll land myself and Marco somewhere, then we'll use the scissors to bring you two down to us."
"Sounds like a plan." Greg nodded as the two teens flew down. "Looks like we'll have to cut the reunion short this time."
"Eh, no big deal, just glad I got to help out." Andy nodded. "So anything new with you?"
"Nah, just met a few parents and me trying to get a job." He answered. He and Camila talked at least once a week now. "Apparently there's a new opening for a car mechanic after someone drove a car into the workshop."
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Steven trudged on the path in a bit of a daze. "Was that studio artist drawing … us?" The boy never thought he could get more existencial than he already was.
"Don't question it bro, we've seen weirder things before, and chances are we'll see even weirder stuff after this." Star kept pushing him along on the unpaved road ahead. "Adventuring, globetrotting, and all with family too. What was it that the Mcduck's always say?"
"Family is the greatest adventure of all." Marco answered as read the map that was on that book Jana had lent to them. "Ah Man, not sure if I want Mariposa to join us on these types of adventures though. They can get too hectic and I don't want her traumatized."
"Aww, the big bro instincts are already kicking in." Steven smiled. "Soon you'll enter your phase of checking on their homework and wrestling the monster under the bed."
"How would you know, you're the younger brother, aren't you?" Marco asked quizzically
"I had to grow up with Star, clearly that qualifies me for older bro status." He joked. "And I'm literally two years older than her with the Neverzone time thing."
"Nuh uh, you still have those squishy little cheeks that no one can help but pinch and squeeze." Star did just that. "Big sis Star's always here to have your back."
"Still can't believe I missed another three years of your life before your birthday." His dad sighed. "It seems unless it's on life threatening adventures I miss out on everything."
"I got those three years back, so you didn't really miss anything important." He shrugged. "And aside from being threatened by missiles, this has been just a normal family trip for the most part."
"One that should be ending soon." Marco notified the group. "Should be right around this corner-" Sufferring. Anguish. Misery. Guilt. Loss. Steven jumped onto Star, holding her tight as to never lose her like he … why was he feeling so much loss?
"Steven, are you okay?" Star said as she cupped his face, the wetness was already building more and more. "You're crying again..you're..you're…" Star suddenly looked like she was in a daze. "Why does it feel like I need a dozen cups of coffee?"
"Guys." Dad went and hugged them close, acting as someone to lean on. "What's wrong?"
"Something's not right …. I'm feeling horrible … but it's not my sadness …" He knew it wasn't his. He always had a reason for feeling sad that matched his thoughts, this was … foreign.
"Guys, you might want to keep your heads down, look." Marco told the group, and pointed to a large familiar structure, yet unfamiliar. "I think this is it."
"No, that can't be. The one I saw was pink and busted. This looks brand new, and blue." It was hard for Steven to see at all with the water filling up in his eyes. "Who does this belong to?"
"Steven …" Star mumbled quietly. "If … if the pink box … was Pink Diamond's … then the blue box …" She looked like she was about to fall asleep any moment.
"Blue…Blue…Blue…" Steven suddenly felt his heartbeat drop to complete silence. Blue Diamond!? No wonder why Garnet was so freaked out! "We need to leave now-!"
"I should've done more…I should've done more." Marco slapped his mouth shut as they heard a loud yet muddled voice announce itself. With all of them peaking through the bushes, they gazed their eyes on a tall and imposing figure covered in a cloak gazing at the Pink Pal. "It's my fault she's gone … I should have listened to her …" He could see tears fall. Sadness. Regret. "Now she's gone …" Anguish.
"It's her eye's I've been seeing through…her tears..her sadness…" Steven realized as he tried to do his best to wipe the tears away. It was like corruption speech, but deeper somehow, and more one sided.
"Yellow says it'll all be over soon, but if the planet's gone, then that means forgetting about you. If we just understood magic more, if we just knew how it functioned, we could bring you back." That explained why they wanted to find Mewni so badly. "If only that one gem hadn't …" Hate. Malice. Murder.
Steven let out a gasp, unable to hide the fear and pain any longer from that burst. "Steven!" His dad shouted a whisper to him in an attempt to comfort him.
"I can feel what she-no, she's shoving her feelings on-" Marco placed a hand on his mouth, the sound footsteps approached as they all got tense.
"Pearl, what are you doing over there?"
"My Diamond." Looking up while attempting to stay as hidden as possible, they all looked up to see that it was a Pearl, except she was a pale blue with a round gem on her chest rather than her head, and she had longer hair that covered her eyes. "I thought I heard something. I believe we aren't alone."
No one knew what to do. Steven would have wanted to talk to her, she seemed like a woman mourning the loss of someone important, but all the feelings of hate and anger were too overwhelming. Star looked like she would be sleeping for a month, and Marco…he wasn't going to take any chances that he would be able to hold off a Diamond. "Don't worry, I got this." His dad said as he got up."
"What, no-" He tried to say something, but Star's weight now fell on him.
"Hey there random stranger!" Dad smiled as he got out of the bush. "I'm a human, nice to meet you."
"So peculiar." Blue Diamond noted, but kept her eyes on the Palanquin. "So much devastation has befallen on this planet, but a mighty being as strong as a Diamond falls while fragile creatures such as yourself continue to survive."
"You know what they say, life finds a way." Steven watched with horror as his dad casually walked up to her, obviously nervous. "So … what brings a tall lady such as yourself around these parts?"
"Remembering….coping…no matter how you put it, I miss her." The Diamond held her head down as the tears built up even more. "This is where my Pink was shattered."
"… So she's gone …" His dad looked at the object, the man's nervousness fading. "… It's never easy … there are times you can swear you hear or see them out of the corner of your eye, only to mistake it for someone else."
"...You know loss too?" Blue Diamond turned her head, and the moment he got a good look of her face, it was like the aura of her presence amplified by twenty. She was strong, she was powerful, and she barely had to try.
"I do. I miss her everyday." His Dad continued. "People tell you to move on, and you do what you can to be better…but it's not an easy feeling to live with."
Blue stared at him for a moment. "Do you have a name?"
"Greg Universe." He answered.
"Universe … I had traveled the universe far and wide, seeing many races and concepts … Do you believe in fate?" She asked, gazing at him with a small smile.
"With everything that I've seen in the past year, more and more." His dad responded, a slight drop of sweat falling from his face.
"Earth will soon vanish … but I can save you." She picked him up. "Let me take you for a trip through space, Mr Universe." What!?
"Wait, Wait…!" His dad shouted futily as she and the Blue Pearl made their way to the Blue Palanquin, which quickly jumped into a Blue armship that pointed upwards.
"No, NO, DAD!" He couldn't lose another parent, no again! Steven did his best, trying to clear his eyes as he pushed Star's body off of him, jumping as high as he could to reach the spaceship. At the moment it looked like he would reach it….it vanished in a blind of an eye, the sudden thrust throwing him back to the ground. "DAD!"
"Damn it." Star slowly got up, looking like she was recovering. "We … we have to go after them … oh wow that was intense." She muttered. "Okay Marco, grab the scissors, we're going to grab the gems, and get the spaceship."