Steven took a bite of his food as Tom began speaking. "When you guys said romantic evening … Pizza was not what I was expecting."
"Come on, like any of us are into that super fancy shmancy stuff." Star waved off nonchalantly.
"I don't hate Pizza, just saying I never imagined it as 'romantic'." He responded, taking a bite. "You know, hearts, flowers, sunset walks, stuff like that."
"For a man of the underworld you have a surprisingly delicate date style." Jana snorted.
"Anger problems made me think I needed to tone it down just a little."
"Hey, me and Steven had our first date eating Pizza." Kelly reminiscenced as she leaned her fluffy hair on his shoulder. "All you need is a nice relaxed atmosphere to make something special."
Explosions were heard from outside as they all continued to take a bite from their Pizza. "So this is your guy's idea of a relaxed atmosphere?" Jenny asked, bringing them some refills on their drinks. "I'm terrified about what your concept of chaotic is."
"Not that much different, just add in a layer of philosophical questions on top of the fighting." Steven answered as he and Kelly held hands. "We've been planning this group date for weeks, so we asked our friends to watch things over for the next two hours."
"Why did it have to be a regenerator!? AND INTELLIGENT" Anne shouted, cutting apart some tentacles that came out of the air. "Octopi are the worst!!"
"It's a trade off system, since most of us have crazy lives, we call and lend a hand whenever one of us needs a break." Star said as she scrolled down a list on her mirror. "If one of us is still in school, we patrol their city in their place. If one of us gets grounded, there's a rotation of who's the best to replace who."
The squid monster from the eighth demon realm keeped sliding its slimy tentacle across the glass of the window, only from a stream of fire to scare it away from the restaurant. The source was Luz, with a staff and glyph in hand. "Don't mind the ruckus, continue looking and being cute together!" She shouted before charging at the creature.
"So, how was Kurtz this time around?" Jana asked.
"Pretty great actually. They didn't hate themselves and we didn't feel guilty about stuff we've done in the past." Kelly smiled as she and Steven scooted closer together.
"All because a hot Amazon god found them cute." Marco rolled his eyes.
"It's the Universe charm combined with Kelly's natural confidence." Steven smirked. "Together we're both unstoppable AND irresistible."
"Yeah yeah, you're the bomb." Star rolled her eyes. "So, how's it been for you guys? We've kinda been caught up in some Steven stuff that came out recently, so we really haven't been paying much attention to Mewni … or Beach Creek."
"I don't think we have to worry about the latter." Marco noted, watching as a tentacle that went to whack the window was fried by electricity. "Phineas and Ferb's defense systems for the town are effective as always."
"It's the same old, same old with the Underworld, although there's been a series of cases where demons are found beaten into a pulp." Tom stated. "Only thing is that we can't figure out if this is an enemy attacking or just another demon conducting hellish torture as per the job discription."
"I feel that's going to bite us, but I still choose to ignore it." Steven said. "I'd like to spend my next couple months happy and free with the news about me being part Diamond."
"You're what now?" Jana asked with wide eyes.
"Oh yeah … the news was so surprising we didn't tell a lot of people." Steven realized. "... Well, I guess now is as good of a time as any." He sighed. "Rose was Pink Diamond and she faked her own death so she could escape her abusive family, not realizing just how far the other diamonds would retaliate."
"... Every day I'm not around you, your life just becomes more and more badass." Jana complained, looking at Tom. "How do you put up with being out of the loop like this?"
"My main focus was on Star for so long. I barely know what's going on with the space stuff."
"Anyways, after the usual emotional fallout that happens with this stuff, we decided it's best to just let it heal naturally instead of straining ourselves by fixing it all at once." Star continued. "Although now we should probably tell Lapis and Peridot… along with Rosie." She sighed. "Great, that's gonna be annoying."
"Peridot would probably take it well." Marco noted. "Honestly she may be more annoyed that she wasn't the one to figure it out first."
"I'm just hoping Lapis doesn't freak out too much over it." Steven continued.
"Hey, it'll be alright." Kelly reassured him with a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll be there to slap some sense into them if they go overboard."
"Yeah … you're right … let's just focus on the good for now." He put a second straw in the smoothie. "A sip, Madame?"
"Why certainly, my fair Butterfly." His girlfriend giggled, and that made every bit of worry he had lift off his shoulders.
"Ah! It adapted!" KO shouted as the squid started flailing lightning around. Yep, nothing to worry about at all.
========================================================================
Lion had a lot going on his mind right now. His old master was an important figure, there was another pink one watching space time, the fake pink one had an oddly calming presence, and now their protected one snuck off during rest and bonded with the fiery bitch.
Despite all of this, Lion still had a duty to carry out as the guardian over the new pink one now that he was aware of his role. So now it was time to take him to one last place the old master would've wanted the new master to see.
"And we're going over this in the desert … alright." His boy noted with a sense of resignation. "Alright, let's get the big one out of the way." He turned to the current group, consisting of the blue water one, the small green one, and the copy of the old master. "My mother, Rose Quartz, was actually in disguise, her real identity was Pink Diamond."
There was a beat of tense silence, interrupted only by the wind. "... How did I not figure it out before anyone else!!?" The green one pulled on their head in frustration.
"Called it." The hooded boy gave a slap on the hand to the boy's kin with a smirk.
"So I've been friends with a diamond this entire time?" The blue one asked out loud to herself. "Hm..yeah that checks out."
"I'd rather not be called a Diamond, it really hurts to hear." His boy sighed.
"So this entire thing was framed with my face." The copy noted. "Of course, more ways for the universe to say 'screw you', I guess." The copy laughed hollowly. "Well now I know for a fact my diamond didn't care about me, so I feel less guilty about being a traitor to my homeworld."
"Definitely a way to care less." The boy's mate noted. "You know, the whole reveal is a lot less disastrous than we thought. Only Steven and Garnet crashed."
"I didn't crash, I just went numb." The boy himself corrected. "At this point it would be more surprising if there wasn't another secret on top of the shattering thing. Doesn't change the fact she was a liar that hurt people, so I just got to separate what she did from what I do."
"Trust me when I say you're a major improvement already." The blue one ruffled his head. "So, this is the desert … second worst place earth has to offer by far." The blue one looked around. "It's like the ocean, except dry and I'm mostly powerless here."
"What's the first?" The copy asked.
"The ocean itself … mostly from bad memories."
"Why would your feline bring us here?" The small green one asked. "There's nothing for miles on end."
"Nothing but those two giant pink pyramids." His boy noted. "So really no clue why."
"... Steven, are you sure you don't see-"
"I'm in denial, I'm not gonna touch it and uncover some great mystery, and I am willing to walk if Lion won't warp us back."
"Steven." The hoodie boy spoke up. "It's almost eight thousand miles back."
"I'm standing my ground here." The boy sat down on the ground and crossed his arms.
"Oh my stars…that's a Diamond ship!" The small green one ran up to the pink objects and hugged it affectionately. "There's only been four ever made in all of time…this is the lost piece of the full set!"
"... Still not touching it." His boy spoke with a sense of finality.
"Well with this and Lar's ship, we'll be prepared for space travel anytime we need to." The boy's mate sat next to the boy. "Maybe we can find a planet out there where no one's heard of the Diamond authority."
"Wouldn't that be a treat?" The boy's kin laughed as she laid down on the sand. "An entire world without gem problems ruining our lives."
"If we're not dealing with it, then someone else will." The boy groaned as he leaned into his mate. "At least when we deal with it, it means no one else will get hurt."
"Didn't Amethyst give you a whole speech about letting others deal with it?" The kin asked with a bit of teasing concern.
"That's for the emotional baggage. Sooner or later we're going to have to fight Homeworld again." The boy sighed. "That's something I know I can't avoid or run away from."
"You think we can punch them hard enough with this?" The hooded boy asked, staring at the pink pyramid.
"Actually Pink Diamond's ship was a notable pair of legs, formed from the hip down." The green one explained.
"…What's with Homeworld and their obsession with disembodied appendages?" The mate asked.
"It's a Diamond thing." The water one shrugged. "When all four of them join their powers, their ships combine into a giant woman."
"So not only am I a diamond, homeworld may have also inspired power rangers." The boy rubbed his head. "Even the smaller details make my head start spinning."
"Alright, we've had our fun." The kin rubbed her head. "Any other existencial news you wanna drop on us, Lion?"
In response, they began to cough. "Oh come on, now?" His boy asked … before they spat out the key … along with some fish. "She was joking." The boy rolled his eyes and grabbed the oversized object and walked towards the giant door between the pink objects.
On the inside…was a bunch of scattered objects that were either broken or smelt bad. Lion sniffed around, before finally finding it, lifting off a piece of junk and grabbing the object with the master's scent, bringing it over. "A … Tape?" The hooded boy asked.
"Like the one I found in Lion's mane." His boy looked on the side. "For Nora…this is just Mom's junkyard, isn't it? For all the stuff she didn't use."
"You think I should take up this place like a camp?" The clone asked. "I mean, technically these a re my people." She said with a snort.
"That sentence is so concerning." His boy shook his head. "Sure, maybe you can actually do something good with all this stuff."
"Maybe. I was thinking it would be a good place for me and Flourite to hang out with a little clean up, you know, have a little private intimacy away from everyone else." The clone snickered.
"Alright Lion, if you get us out of here in the next five seconds, I won't get mad when you vomit on my bed for a year." This guardian role was very rewarding in spite of all its trouble.
========================================================================
Eclipsa readied the chicken. This was it, the final piece. The one that would let her free Globgor … who didn't want to be freed. "It'll be for the best, it'll be for the best…everything will be fine."
She would unite her daughter with her father, and then she would grab Globgor and leave with Meteora … leave Star and Steven to handle the mess … the unchanging world of Mewni weighing down on them when they already had so much.
They spent so much time just helping her be in the kingdom's good graces. She didn't ask for them to help her. Their planning, their love and concern, their understanding would be for nothing. Does that matter when you'll be happy?
Steven put so much faith and trust in her. Not your fault he's still naive. He saved Meteora when you would've put her down. The past doesn't matter now, just the future that's literally in your hands. He continued to put up with you and help you see Globgor. They also never trusted you with the book.
She just needed to pull the string … pull the string … pull the string pull the string pullthestringpullthestringpullthestring-
"Second thoughts?" A voice cut her out of her hesitation, turning to see Star standing there with a curious but angry look. "That's a pretty neat looking bird."
"Star!?" She panicked, letting the chicken go. It didn't run off, but that only added to the combined guilt, shame, and the disappointment she was feeling. "I Ah…this isn't what it looks like?"
"Oh really? Because for a second, it looked like you read Solaria's crystal annihilation spell and was just about to complete the final step of it." Star raised an eyebrow.
"Did it now …" She rubbed her hands together. "I was …" She sighed. "Breakfast isn't going to work as an excuse, is it?"
"When the bird in question is only found on earth? It is not." The girl crossed her arms. "If it was a griffon, maybe you would've had a case, but as it is.." Star groaned and pounded her head against the crystal.
"Good point." Eclipsa woefully admitted. "So, how long have you.."
"The moment you restored the book, I had a feeling this would happen." The girl huffed. "Steven thought you'd be fine as long as you could talk with each other … but we have a really weird balance when it comes to optimism and realism."
"Balance is good to have, it's amazing you two have each other." Eclipsa noted. "My mother and Jushtin could've learned a thing or two from you on sibling dynamics."
"Don't start with the compliments, we both know you're stalling." The girl turned to face her.
"... Are you angry?" It felt really weird for someone with Eclipsa's age and power to be scared of a teenage girl, but here she was.
"Look, I'm not mad." Star said. "Okay, I am, because almost every second our backs are turned, you pull something like this, and at this point it's just expected, but I just….really disappointed."
"I'm..im sor.."
"Don't apologize, not unless you mean it and don't plan on doing this again." Star put her foot down. "I was having a relatively calm few months. Sure, our lives are still crazy, still dealing with life and death stuff, but I got together with Marco, Steven got back with Kelly, Lars came back to earth, mom and Dad are enjoying living on earth, Steven's dad is dating, Tom moved on to Jana, just good stuff happening all around."
"Star.."
"And then…and then the cosmic shoe dropped. We find out Rose was Pink Diamond and everyone start's spiraling."
"She was what now?" Eclispa was a bit flat footed by that revelation.
"... We really need a list for who's in the know." She muttered. "The point is that no one needs the storm and craziness of you releasing Globgor, because we don't need to deal with the Commission." Star glanced at her. "I know you don't care about Mewni, and I don't blame you. I just thought you cared about Me and Steven enough to not see it burn up in flames."
"I … I do care about you two …" She tightened her hands. "I was just hoping everything would manage to work out in the end … for once …"
"Hope is an amazing thing to have, Eclipsa, it's saved my bacon several times, but when you're willing to step over so many people, stab those you love right in the back…when will it be enough?" Star stared right into her eyes.
"… When me and my family can finally live our lives without threat." She answered firmly. "I know you and Steven have very young and accepting thoughts on morality, but I told you from day one I will do anything for my family."
"I know, I am too. Which is why this right here will be my final, final ultimatum for you." Star took out a piece of paper. "With how quickly everything went down, we never had a proper Coronation for you." The girl said.
"... A coronation?" The queen blinked in confusion. She never had one, and no one ever brought it up, so Eclispa never gave the concept much thought.
"Yes, on this day, everyone on Mewni will attend, whether they like you or not, and it'll show off to everyone that you're serious about your duties as a Queen." The girl continued. "And don't ask any details, but there's a chance Heckapoo will be slightly more sympathetic to you now." She would ask questions now, but Star had no reason to lie here. "If you pull it off without causing any trouble..I can talk to the commission about letting Globgor go free and live in another dimension."
"... Alright, we'll try it your way." She nodded. "Thank you, Star."
"Don't thank me, you have to earn this." The young girl raised a hand. "And if you break my trust again … I will drag you away myself."
========================================================================
Sapphire sat with Pearl, Moon, Camila, Eda, Carol, Mrs Bunchoy, and Della in a circle. A dark skinned woman sat across from them. "Hello there, I am Priyanka Maheshwaran. I am usually a medical doctor, but Nana placed me in charge of counseling sessions after revelations of our town's last counselor/therapist came to light …"
"I am a real therapist!" The man known as Mr Crandle yelled as he was being dragged away outside. "I just committed malpractice is all, my license is legit!"
The doctor shook her head. "So now I have to be in charge of the most outrageous course I've ever seen to date."
"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Carol waved off.
"Of course it is." Priyanka spoke with a bit of a bite to her tone. "What parent would willingly accept that their child is in constant danger on an almost daily basis? I have half the mind to leave this town if it wasn't for Nana's hyper competence, and Connie knowing to stay far away from that mess." Sapphire wondered who was the counselor in this situation.
"Well to be fair, I make sure to never have my kids go through anything dangerous that I haven't been through personally myself." Della admitted. "Which is admittedly a lot, having a treasure hunting uncle and all."
"How is it that you being a humanoid duck is the least of my questions and concerns right now?" Priyanka said rhetorically.
"Meh, you get used to it." Eda shrugged off. "I mean, as long as a kid has the power to cut a man's head off, a parent doesn't have to worry about whatever danger they go through, unless it's global." She explained. "Especially when you arm them with a flamethrower."
"Just when I think I've come to accept you in Luz's life, I find more and more reasons to be hesitant." Camila grumbled off to the side.
"Believe us, it was hard for me and my husband to accept the planters as a part of Anne's life at first." Mrs. Boochuey chimed in. "But when they help protect her from assassination robots, you realize 'hey, these people might be alright'. Of course, if they insist on fighting robots, the best thing to do is fight robots right beside them."
"Why are they being targeted by assassin robots in the first place?" The doctor asked with bafflement.
"It could be a long list of reasons." Moon waved off. "Most notably they made someone angry … my children have a habit of antagonizing dangerous individuals."
"Fighting robots is actually part of my son's job. It's just this one guy that's angry at him because he hates fun or something like that." Carol explained. "It gives him practical experience for the bigger threats that come along."
"Don't you think there should be a limit to how involved he gets in fights?" The doctor asked.
"Of course! I do expect his grades to be no lower than a C+, otherwise no bodega job."
"That's not what I was-" The doctor cut herself off with a deep breath. "Let's take it from the top … have you ever tried to stop them from doing something reckless and dangerous?"
"Multiple times." Sapphire stated. "I have seen into an infinite future." Limitttted now that Ruby is gone … "And determined that they have enough capability to break out and endanger themselves even more if we lock them up."
"It doesn't help that more often than not, that reckless endangerment becomes the solution to many of our problems." Pearl went on. "We would have been shattered to pieces the first time homeworld came without the kids, and it's due to their resolve that the planet hasn't been blown up."
"No, you know what the real problem is?" Moon asked. "The sheer lack of planningand forethought that goes into their actions whenever they jump into danger."
"Now THAT is something we can complain about!" Eda shouted. "Do you know how many times Luz has tried to take on a monster I gave her explicit instructions to not piss off?"
"You think that's bad, Steven goes up to monsters and beasts of all kinds with the intent of befriending them, and no matter how many times his head almost gets bitten off, he keeps doing it." Moon mulled over with a light smirk.
"Want me to top that?" Mrs Bunchoy laughed. "There was one time Anne adopted a caterpillar that she was told not to keep, only for the little guy to change into a man-eating moth monster."
"Better than putting their entire family in danger." Della joined in on the joyous tone shift. "Bad enough Scrooge's greed gets the better of him half the time, my son Louie had to take after him. Nearly split space time in half for a get rich quick scheme."
"Ugg, space time problems are the worst." Carol muttered. "So much confusion and nobody remembers anything in the end."
"I do." Sapphire joined in. "I see variations of how Star or Steven break the universe. The first and worst time was when he wanted to start a rock band consisting of himself."
"Why does that sound so in character?" Moon muttered.
"Because childish naivety is concerning as it is precious." Camila nodded.
The door opened, showing an old man with a suit and big nose. "Hello Ladies, I heard there was a mom's meeting nearby, anyone si …" He paused, frowning at the owl lady. "Marilyn."
"Stanley." She nodded back.
"You two know each other?" Sapphire asked. This was the Pine twin's great uncle if she recalled correctly.
"Ex Wife/Boyfriend." The owl lady paused. "What do you mean wife?"
"Don't you remember Vegas?"
"That was real!? I thought that was just a joke! What kind of fucked up and deluded culture allows people who just met to get married!?"
"... Let's move on shall we?" The doctor asked, ignoring the jab at her own culture. "Sir, this is a mothers meeting, the fathers are at the end of the hall. We will call security if you insist on staying."
"Fine, fine, I know when I'm not wanted." The old man mumbled as he headed out the door. "But if any of you ever.." Pearl summoned her spear mid sentence. "Got it." The man hustled out of the door.
"What did you see in him?" Della asked the witch.
"I was a young thief in a strange new world, and he was an inexperienced con man. Just two idiots trying to find our place in the universe I guess." The owl lady shrugged, her arm falling off. "Men are the worst, am I right?" Eda asked, grabbing the fallen limb.
"First boyfriend turned out to be complete scum." Carol nodded. "Second was majorly less so, even got married to him."
"Accidentally tripped mine into a crate of lit fireworks, haven't seen him since." Della admitted sheepishly.
"Luz's dad was the sweetest person I ever knew." Camila noted. "Although Greg is a close second."
"And my husband always knows when to help me out when I get overwhelmed." Mrs. Boonchuey smiled.
"... So it's just a me thing." Eda grumbled.
"I'm half inclined to agree." Pearl spoke up. "Rose never discriminated against who she liked, so there's always somebody from every walk of life getting between us."
"Alright, let's wrap this up." The doctor spoke up. "It's never a good idea to introduce romance into a conversation about kids." On any other day, Sapphire would disagree.
========================================================================
She ate some of the delicious cooked lizard with her fellow folks, loving every second of the cooked food after having been deprived of it for so long. Sure, they were offered quite a bit from the knights that still stuck around Mewni, but they couldn't trust anything that had the Queen of Darnkness's hand on it.
Although it became harder and harder to keep that mentality. Ever since that faux kidnapping scheme, there was a sense of 'she can't be that bad' amongst a few of them. Some even went completely insane and moved back into that monster infested kingdom. It was times like this that they were grateful for true heroes that always had their best interest at heart no matter what, like the woman before them.
"Thank you, Mina Loveberry." A man spoke, devouring the meat. "We thought you were nothing but a legend."
The wonderous woman laughed. "People wish I was. The sands of time will never claim me as long as evil monsters plague this land."
"Then you'll be around for a long time it seems." Another citizen said dejectedly. "Monsters rule the land now, and there's nothing we can do."
"Do not say that!" She shouted, but not with anger, but with a sense of purpose. "Accepting monsters as rulers means you give up hope." Mina told them. "Hope is a power that can make even the blackest of nights back away in fear. Hope is why the mere peasant poses a threat to the mighty queen. Hope is a power more mighty than any blade to ever have been forged."
"Can hope put a roof over our heads?" Another asked. "Because that's what we really need right now."
"No, sadly it can not." Mina said with a sigh. "But you can!"
"... What?" She asked, with confusion. "We can't build houses. We have nothing to our names but the mud on our clothes."
"Hundreds of years ago, I was in the exact same position all of you are in now!" The mighty warrior of Mewni legend announced as she stood tall on top of that strange orange creature. "Poor, covered in mud, and thrown around like a used rag that was easily discarded!" Hard to imagine. "I was thought of as nothing with no future … until the mighty queen Solaria gazed upon me!"
Everyone one of them gazed at the warrior, who looked so stunning and awe inspiring to gaze upon. "She looked me in the eye, and said I was exactly the type of person she was looking for! She didn't look for strength, speed, or even the ability to hold a sword straight for five seconds, all she asked was for me to believe in her, to believe in Mewni!"
"Do … Do you think we can have that belief?" She asked. "Do you think we can carry on the burden so heavy when the odds are this impossible?"
Mina walked down, gazing into her eyes. "Citizen of Mewni … you too, can become a hero." It suddenly felt like she was capable of shattering mountains and moving ravines by sheer willpower alone. "That is the potential of all Mewmans, everywhere! We will reclaim our kingdom! We will eliminate the threat of monsters once and for all! And we will finally bring an era of peace for all to enjoy and prosper in!"
"Mina! Mina! Mina!" The crowd began to chant the name of this great and amazing warrior. Their savior from the dark night of monsters and Eclipsa. The true queenof Mewni.
"So when are you going to kill that monster right there?" Another Mewman asked, looking at the orange beast. "Is it a special one that you're saving for.."
"Jasper…" The stunning and glamorous warrior suddenly shifted into a much buffer form, with a murderous aura that practically suffocated everyone around her. "..is no monster. Anyone that comes close to so much as offending her will endure a death so terrible that it makes even the god's tremble to blink."
"I understand, I'm sorry mam, I didn't know!" The man pleaded for his life.
She immediately returned to the skinny and stunning self she originally was. "It's fine, just make sure not to make the same mistake again." She laughed. "Now follow me … let's get you all prepared for the dawn of a new age!" This would be their grace, the start of a brand new future. Nothing could possibly go wrong with this…right?
========================================================================
Bismuth looked at her surroundings. Cool floor, red walls, thousands of her bubbled friends, and the Butterfly siblings … so she handled it how she normally would have, denying them anything they needed. "You aren't getting anything out of-"
"Your life is fake." Star responded bluntly.
"Huh?" Bismuth did a double take.
"The rebellion, the whole war, it was a giant scam." Star continued.
"Turns out this thing is only showing the top." Steven showed off his bubble. "Rose Quartz was a fake identity, she was really Pink Diamond, playing both sides to try and get the diamonds to stop attacking Earth."
"I …" Bismuth froze. "You're hitting me with a lot right now."
"Oh yeah, I had to learn it going deep into Pearl's subconscious." Steven rolled his eyes.
"Just..just give me a second." Bismuth took a breath and headed towards the small pit of lava that was right next to them, and dipped her head in it for a good fifteen seconds. "Oh my stars! It all makes sense now! All the inside info! All the secrecy about her! The fact she never wanted to confront Pink directly!"
"Yep." Star nodded. "It all just comes together."
"Heck, no wonder she bubbled me!" Bismuth shouted. "'Hey Rose, check out this weapon, it's gonna look awesome when I shatter you with it!' I would have been scared too!"
"Uh huh, she got paranoid and put you away to cover her own butt." Steven grumbled with distaste.
The old gem veteran sighed. "I guess she took my advice in the end …" She glanced at the bubbles. "… And look what it cost us."
"… There wasn't a right answer, was there?" The boy asked after a few seconds.
"Probably not. To think, I thought everything would be peachy if we just shattered a Diamond." Bismuth moaned as she let her feet soak in the lava. "Thanks for letting me out, even when you didn't have to."
"Things are happening and shifting like crazy, I figured one gem deserved to know the truth." Star said. "Also I wanted at least one 'redeemed gem' card on my belt."
"Glad I can be of service." Bismuth smirked. "I take it the others took the news pretty hard?"
"Pearl is actually doing much better, a lot more open and everything." Steven noted. "Amethyst wants to be mature and handle the problem on her own … Garnet split."
"What!? The power couple's no more!?" Bismuth was taken aback. "But they were so good together!"
"They'll be back, probably, they just need space to process." Star waved off. "I'm sure it'll work out. Who knows, maybe you coming back will speed it up."
"Coming back." Bismuth laughed. "You make it sound so easy."
"It kind of is." Steven said. "Sure there will be that initial period of awkwardness, but sooner or later everyone is going to get over their personal issues with it either a period of bonding or through the force of life and death stakes."
Bismuth stared for any hint of joking, and found them both dead serious. "Look, I can't just rejoin the team after I almost killed your sister! Who in their right mind would do something as crazy as that!?" She asked rhetorically.
"Do you really think anyone you've ever met has ever been in their right mind?" Star asked with a raised eyebrow. "Everyone we've interacted with has either been a moron or an asshole, sometimes both."
"You trying to kill one of us isn't even that unique. Peridot has you beat by spending months plotting our demise." Steven shrugged.
"… I think I finally comprehend why Rose wanted to protect life." She responded. "It's too stupid to look after itself."
"You say that, but we've been having to save the gem's butt on several occasions, so the point is slightly moot." Star went on, taking out a piece of paper. "We have something big planned, and we could use your help."
Bismuth stared at the piece of paper. "I … can't read this." She responded. "I've been inside of a bubble for six thousand years."
"Oh, no problem." Steven grabbed it. "It's just asking you to come to the … Cornination?"
"I let Marco design the flyer, regretted it the moment I read it." Star sighed. "To be fair, on Mewni this isn't weird at all."
"Anyways, the short story is that we're about to officially induct the current Queen, but there's like a hundred and fifty percent chance something will go wrong." Steven continued. "There's a high chance we'll be in for a fight, and we need all hands on deck for it."
"Ah, don't worry around that." She smirked, pulling out hammers. "Just Bismuth as usual."
"Now that's how you properly do a pun." Steven smirked, and that weirdly put Bismuth at ease. It would be nice to see what kind of leaders these two would grow into."
"Hey, if it all goes well, maybe I can set you up on a date with Pearl." Star smirked.
"A date with who-now?" Steven asked.
"You promised to keep it a secret!"
"You and I both know secrets are garbage!"