Chapter Text
Something was wrong.
They had won. The Homeworld Gems were routing. They had come outnumbering her forces by hundreds and hundreds of Gems. More soldiers, more equipment, more support. They had every advantage they could, and they had still lost.
Rose should be celebrating. The others WERE celebrating, cheering and throwing each other up in the air in delight as they watched their long-hated enemies run from them. The light cannons fired another volley, and she watched as two Homeworld ships fell to earth. Even the normally conflicted Malachite for once seemed united in their joy of victory.
She had won. After hundreds of years of war, after so much pain and loss, after all she had done…she had finally made it right. She had won.
But there was a terrible feeling that refused to leave her. Something was wrong. Exactly what, she wasn't sure…but she knew she was missing something.
"Whattsa matter Rosie?" Spinel asked cheerfully, springing over to her side.
Rose jumped in surprise, but quickly recovered. "Spinel…" She threw another look at the fleeing gems. How many were being left behind, their gems left in the dirt to be abandoned or reformed as their allies ran? How many would be trampled, cracked or even shattered in the retreat?
Spinel frowned, noticing her distracted state. "Uh…Rosie? Why ain't cha smiling? We did it!" She jumped up into the air with a cheer. "We WON! Those Homeworld jerks are on the run, the earth is free!"
Another cheer rose up at her words, and Rose managed a weak smile for her sake. "Yes, it is. All of you, be proud of yourselves. Today, we have shown Homeworld that the earth is not theirs to destroy…and we have shown them that the Crystal Gems will not bow to them so easily!"
A proper speech could be given later, once the haze of battle had left them all. For now, that uneasy, sinking feeling remained.
She felt a hand lift her up and yelped. She was raised into the air, met with the smiling form of Malachite. "We did it!" She bellowed with a throaty laugh Rose recognized as Jasper's. "We sent those lackey's running!" The grin faded to a light smile, one that was unmistakably Lapis, and when Malachite spoke her voice was softer. "It's over…it's finally over. We're finally…free."
Before Rose had a chance to speak, Spinel snaked her way up Malachite's arm. Her legs turned into springs, and she pushed herself off with a grunt, landing beside Rose in Malachite's palm and snapped off a salute. "Reporting for duty!" The tiny Gem said, doing her best to keep a straight face. "The last of the Homeworld loyalists have stopped fighting and started to run with the rest. The fighting is over, Ma'am!"
Rose smiled. "Thank you, Spinel," She turned again, her eyes looking up into the sky. For a moment, she convinced herself she was imagining things. Just nerves, that's all. They had been fighting so hard, for so long, of course when victory was finally in sight, it would be difficult to believe. Change did not come easily to Gems, even to her, and she had changed more than most. For a moment, she managed to convince herself that everything would be alright, with enough time.
Then she saw movement in the stars. Not the Homeworld ships fleeing…something was moving TOWARDS the earth…
"Something's wrong…" She muttered.
Spinel looked up at her, bouncing up and down obliviously. "Hm?"
There was a flash of white light, and Rose's eyes widened. There was no time to run, no time to shout a warning. All around her, the Crystal Gems were celebrating, ignorant of what was about to happen.
She had no time. She didn't think, doing the first thing that came to her mind and summoning a shield around her, Malachite and Spinel.
Then she shut her eyes, begging that either her shield would hold, or that whatever came next would be quick.
Rose stared blankly across the barren battlefield that moments ago had been a field of victory. She still heard the echoes of cheering in her mind. She could still see the smiling faces of her comrades, the abandoned weapons of fleeing enemies and fallen friends alike.
And she could still see that awful white light every time she closed her eyes.
At her feet, Spinel sat huddled up in a ball, her head hanging down as she held her knees to her chest. She was crying, sobbing endlessly. "You…you said it was going to be different," She sniffed. "You said it was going to be okay. You said I could come back, you said I could help, you said we were going to be okay!"
Rose ignored her, shuffling slowly past the smaller gem. Her legs moved of their own accord, carrying her closer to the battlefield. With a look of horror, she watched. The gems…they were reforming. Rebels and Loyalists alike were coming back…and they were coming back wrong. Twisted. Each and every one unrecognizable from their previous forms, with no distinction made between the Crystal Gems and the Homeworld loyalists.
They acted like frightened beasts, fleeing from the sight of one another and occasionally coming to blows. They crawled, they slithered, they flew…Rose felt something twist inside of her.
This is my fault. That she knew without question. All of this, the rebellion, the battle, whatever it was that the Diamonds had done…it was because of her.
When did it all go so wrong?
She could still remember those first years she spent, when she formed the Crystal Gems. For so long, it was her and Pearl, just the two of them against all of Homeworld. They would strike out here and there, trying to scare Homeworld enough to give up on the colony. It had all felt like just another game back then. Just her, just pearl, alone on earth up against all the rest.
Then they had met Garnet, and it was like a switch was flipped. More and more Gems began to rally to their cause. They stopped being a nuisance, and Homeworld began to take them more seriously. The Crystal Gems weren't a game anymore. It felt like overnight the stakes had gone from fooling around on earth with Pearl, to fighting a war for their lives. But even then, there was a lighter feeling to it all. A hope inside of all of them, uniting them in purpose against the Diamonds.
But things were different now. All around her, the survivors of the war had been changed. Corrupted, somehow. Garnet had been split and captured years ago, and Rose doubted she survived. Pearl had been missing for so long she could only have been shattered. Nothing else would keep her from her side. And Bismuth…
Rose fell to her knees, looking out into the field. "We're all that's left," She said, realizing with a terror it was true. She, Malachite, Spinel…they were the only living gems left on Earth still intact. They were alone…all alone.
"Snowflake!"
Rose started at the unfamiliar voice, before recognizing it as Jaspers. She whirled around in surprise, and found the Quartz trying to reason with one of the corrupted gems. "Snowflake, it's me! We've fought together for hundreds of years! It's been a while since you've seen…me, but you have to remember!" Jasper reached out a hand, and the creature that had once been Snowflake snarled, lashing out. Jasper was thrown back with a grunt of pain, and the creature ran mindlessly in the opposite direction.
Jasper watched in, stunned into silence. Rose couldn't remember her ever looking so scared, so terrified. "She didn't recognize me," Jasper whispered to herself. "It didn't look like she recognized anything."
"I don't think she does," Rose said, and Jasper looked up at her desperately. "I don't know what Homeworld did…but whatever it was, this is the result." She frowned. "Jasper…you unfused. What happened?"
She shook her head. "I don't…I remember we were together. We were laughing. You don't know what it's like, Rose…we're together all the time, but It hurts her. I know it does. I can feel it, I can feel how miserable she is every second we're together. She hates the war, she hates the fighting. I love it, but every second as Malachite I can feel her pain…I know that just like it makes me happy, it hurts her, even if she refuses me when I ask if she needs to unfuse. We never laugh together, Rose, and we were laughing…" She hung her head. "And then we saw the light, and the next thing I remember was seeing her, for the first time in so long."
"Do you know which way she went?" Rose asked softly.
Jasper said nothing, only nodding her head over to her side. Rose's gaze followed hers, and she saw Lapis in the distance standing at the top of a hill, looking down at the battlefield.
"I'll be right back," She promised, but Jasper didn't look like she heard her.
She approached Lapis carefully, but she must have made too much noise. Lapis turned with tears in her eyes, clutching her arm to stop it from shaking. "We were together…for so, so long. I never wanted anything to with this, or your war…but you said it would all work out in the end. We would beat back the Diamonds, carve out a place where we can be free here on earth. No more fighting, no more hurting. So I fused with Jasper, and we did what you said. We were the most powerful Gem under your command, but that didn't matter. We…we caused so much pain…but it didn't matter. I could get through the pain. I could do whatever you asked us to do. I fought against countless Gems at once, pulled ships out of the sky with my powers, cracked and shattered I don't even know how many Gems…and all of it was because you said we would be alright in the end." Lapis looked up at her fearfully. "Did none of that matter? Was it all just for nothing, then? All those years, all that pain…just for this?"
"No," Rose said quickly, placing her hands on Lapis' shoulders. "It wasn't for nothing. Never for nothing. We fought for a world where we could be free, and that was a dream worth fighting for. We knew the risks…"
"But we didn't know about this!" Lapis yelled, tearing herself away. "None of us knew!"
"I'm sorry," Rose apologized. "I…I'm so sorry." She didn't know what else to say. She never wanted Pearl by her side more than she did now.
Lapis breathed heavily, before falling to her knees. After a moment, she began to shake, and Rose realized she was crying.
She didn't know how much time had passed when Spinel finally came over to her side. For once, she looked at the crying Lapis and didn't know what to do. She didn't try to crack a joke, or cheer her up…she only looked up at Rose, desperate for some reassurance.
Jasper made her way over to them as well, and tried reaching out to Lapis. "Hey…" Lapis sucked in a breath, stiffening at her touch, and Jasper quickly pulled away looking dejected, unable to help.
The four of them stood there in silence, watching as the Corrupted Gems dispersed in all directions. It was then Rose realized she never really knew what they were doing. All of it, her whole rebellion…it was all decided on a whim. A childish game taken too far…and now she had to live with the consequences.
Finally, Lapis managed to find the strength to speak. "What…what happened? What are we going to do now?"
"We won," Rose said softly, her eyes not moving from the battlefield. She swallowed dryly. "We won," She repeated. "And we are going to do the same thing we always have. The earth is free, but it is still in danger. Because of our mistakes, our former friends and enemies are roaming the planet, threatening peace and life on earth. This world is our home now…and we have a duty to protect it."
She turned away at last. "We have a duty to them, as well. To protect them from themselves. And most of all…we have a duty to each other. We're the last Gems on planet earth still sane…no matter what, we cannot fail each other. For better or worse, this is our home, and for better or worse, we are all we have left." She held out a hand for Lapis. "We fought so long for peace. For a place to call home. This isn't anything like what we thought…but we owe it to our friends to make the most of it. You know they wouldn't have wanted anything less. Every one of us would have let ourselves be shattered for just one of us to be free. We have to live up to the promise we made to each other when we chose to call ourselves Crystal Gems…"
Lapis took her hand and let her pull her up, and Rose noticed Jasper frowned. "If we don't…" She muttered, mostly to herself.
If we don't, then what do we have left?
Steven sighed, lifting his head up from the counter, glancing over to the warp pad…only to let it fall back down. "Still not back yet," He mumbled.
He knew the missions the Gems went on were important, but still…it felt like they were always gone! Wasn't the whole point of him moving in with them learning to use his powers? How was he supposed to do that if they were gone all the time?
He sighed dramatically, slowly stirring his spoon around his bowl of half-finished cereal. "Oh Captain Calories…at least you'll never leave me alone.
The familiar sound of the warp pad rang out through the house, and Steven immediately jumped out of his seat, any thoughts of Captain Calories left behind at once.
"Guys, you're back!" He cheered, hurrying over to greet the Gems. His smile frowned, however, as they came into sight and stepped off the warp pad. They were all back, none of them looked hurt or anything…but they all looked kind of down. Even Spinel. "Uh…guys?"
Lapis looked up at the sound of his voice and managed a weak smile. "Hello, Steven. Were you waiting for us again?"
"Tch. Of course he was," Jasper scoffed, crossing her arms. "He always does that, when he should be training…"
"But guys!" He moaned dramatically. "How am I supposed to train when you're always going on super cool Gem missions without me?"
"We didn't prepare a thirty-two module course for you just for nothing, you know," Peridot pointed out. The others stared at her, and Steven raised an eyebrow before the smaller Gem reddened, and cleared her throat. "Er…that is to say I didn't prepare such a course for nothing."
"Right…the course…" Steven scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "It's a really cool course, and super helpful Peridot…but maybe since you guys are all back now…you can actually train me in person?"
"Maybe later, Steven," Lapis said, her wings forming behind her. "I need to tend to something right now." The Gem signifying her room glowed on the Temple door, opening her room. With a flap of her wings, Lapis flew inside, the door shutting quickly behind her.
"Aw…" Steven pouted, before looking up hopefully, undeterred. "Jasper? You always wanna train, right? Don't you wanna help me kick evil monster butt?" Training with Jasper was usually a lot more…exhausting than with the others, but he was willing to take whatever he could get at this point. And she never passed up a chance to train…
But Jasper seemed strangely hesitant now. Her eyes were still stuck on the Temple door, a frown set on her face. She sighed. "Lapis might have had a point. Maybe tomorrow, Steven."
He blinked in surprise. "Jasper? Is…is everything okay?"
She didn't bother answering him, only hanging her head and entering her own room just as Lapis had moments ago.
He ran over to Peridot, placing his hands on her shoulders frantically. "You want to train, right Peridot? We don't have to leave the house. I'll even listen to you talk about the Kindergarten, and how much soil density impacts Gem growth, and all sorts of other stuff I don't care about! I promise!"
Peridot held a hand on her chin and hummed in thought. "I do find your understanding of Gem growth insufficient…" She sighed, letting her hands fall to her side. "But today isn't really the day for it, Steven. I fear current mood factors would hinder my teaching capabilities."
"But-"
"I'll be in my lab," She said, heading off to her room with a lazy wave. The Temple door snapped shut behind her, and he let himself fall to the ground with a groan.
"What's with everyone today?" He said aloud.
A familiar pink face popped into view above him, staring down curiously. "Hiya Steven!" Spinel greeted. He swore she was just as down looking as the others a second ago. "Watcha doing on the ground?"
He sat up with a sigh. "I was waiting all day for the chance to train with the others…but as soon as they get back, they all go to their rooms. And they're acting really weird." He frowned. "Did something happen on the mission, Spinel?"
"Oh!" She cleared her throat. "Well, there may have been a teensy, weensy little issue…" She inflated her thumb and forefinger, holding them close together for emphasis.
"Did someone get hurt?" He asked in a panic, but Spinel was quick to put him at ease.
"Oh no, nothing like that!" She laughed, before the smile faded away. "The mission went fine, just…afterwards…" She shrugged. "Well, we're all feeling a little down, is all. I don't think the others are in the mood for training today."
Steven's shoulders fell. "But I was so excited…" He mumbled. For once, he was hoping he might actually get to do something fun instead of just sitting around waiting for the Gems to get back. And now, not only would he not get to train, something happened to make the others feel down.
Hm…If only there was a way to cheer them up so they would want to train again…
Steven gasped, an idea coming to him. He stood up quickly, turning around. "Hey, Spinel? You're always down to have some fun, right?"
She immediately perked up. "Course I am!" Her fists grew to the size of watermelons, and she began to bounce on her feet, holding her arms out in a boxers stance. "So? You think you can go a few rounds in the ring with your ole pal Spinel, do ya?"
"Uh…I was thinking more along the lines of doing something fun for the others," Steven said awkwardly.
"Oh," Spinel stopped, frowning. "Whaddya mean?"
"Well…" He placed his hands behind his back, teetering back and forth on the heels of his shoes. "I was just thinking that the others all seem kind of upset about something. Maybe…you and I could help cheer them up?"
Spinel's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Steven, that's an awesome idea!"
He grinned. "I know! Now how to start…" He hummed in thought.
"Lapis?" Spinel suggested.
Steven shook his head. "No way. She's super sad on a normal day, let alone whatever this is. We can't just start with the final boss."
"Jasper?"
"She's way too stubborn," Steven said. "We need to practice a bit before getting to her. Besides, as long as Lapis is in the dumps, Jasper will be too."
Spinel slammed a fist into her palm. "Peridot it is!" She cheered. "She'll have locked herself away in her room like the others…" She grinned mischievously. "But luckily I have spent five thousand years sneaking around every nook and cranny in the Temple. C'mon, I know a way we can reach Peri's room from mine."
Steven gasped. "You mean I get to go in the Temple? That is so cool! I've never been in your room before!"
For a second, he thought Spinel's smile slipped, but he blinked and she looked just as cheery as ever. Must have been imagining things…
"Eh, it's lame in there," Spinel shrugged. "Nothin' special. Why would it be when all the fun's out here?" She extended an arm, wrapping it around him and ruffling his hair.
He giggled, pushing her away with a laugh. "Come on, be serious Spinel! Operation: Cheer up the Gems is officially a go…and Peridot's first up on the list."
Steven was smiling ear to ear as he followed Spinel into her room. This is going to be so much fun!
Alright, so first and foremost, this will not be updated regularly. I already have two fics I am focusing on, and I can't even do that currently, lol.
That said, I do want to continue this story, and I have a few ideas for where to take it. I finished Steven Universe like a week ago, and was surprised by how much I wanted to write for it…so here you go! My first Steven Universe story.
Writing Steven and Spinel was a little weird for me, just because I'm not used to writing such goofy characters. Please bear with me while I try figuring this out…Steven Universe has a really cool blend of comedic and serious storytelling that's hard to nail. I'm trying here, lol.
The premise should be mostly clear from this chapter, but I'm gonna go ahead and summarize anyways. Instead of Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, it's going to be Lapis, Jasper, Peridot and Spinel who take their place. Now, they ARE going to keep their personalities as they are in canon, with changes acceptable based on how the story changes their character, but they should all be recognizable.
I haven't really read much Steven Universe fanfiction, but I know the idea of a "Mom Swap" like this is popular…which Is why I have a number of twists planned to keep things exciting. Stay tuned…I don't plan to stick to a schedule, but chapters will be released as I finish them. I apologize in advance if there are long waits in between chapters, but this is me warning you all now.
Oh, and I'm happy to answer any questions about the AU that don't veer into spoilers!