Steven Universe: Beyond The Mirror

Diamond Authority

The waves roar past Steven and Lapis as they make their journey through the narrow gap in between the walls of rushing water. Steven trudges in the sand, staring down at it as Lapis leads the way, her arms held towards both sides with open palms directed towards the walls.

She takes a deep breathe every few minutes to keep her composure in check as Steven mutters something audible to himself. "Why did I decide to do this?" Lapis stops in her tracks, turning towards her ally. "Steven?"

Steven dares not to look up into his own reflection within Lapis' eyes as his lips curl down with crossing eyebrows. "Why did I set you free?" Steven's expression and attitude has taken a dramatic turnaround.

He still remembers himself having fun, yelling out his enthusiasm as he ran through the beach, laughing with the mirror in his hand. He can recollect all of the times he hasn't taken things as seriously as he should have.

As of tonight, he knows that his summer fun times have already ended for him. How did this transition from a day of having fun in the sun to a dark, depressing trek through the ocean? Why is he here?

Why did he decide to deliberately disobey his caretakers and take refuge with a complete stranger from the opposition? Why did he do it? Lapis casts her mirror eyes down on Steven as he folds his arms. "Why...were you in there?" Steven finally lifts his head up to confront his guide.

"Why were you in the mirror?" Lapis remains indifferent as she turns to the never-ending path ahead and beyond the horizon. "I'll tell you as we go along." Steven and Lapis keep walking as Steven looks up. He notices the water walls are getting taller for the duo is entering deeper water. "Stay close!"

Lapis lowers her arms a bit, allowing some of the water to converge. Steven gets closer to Lapis as a ceiling of water forms a few feet above their heads, leaving an air pocket. "Woah." Lapis bites her lip and she takes a few heavy breaths before she starts telling her story.

"It was around five thousand years ago when it happened. I was sent to Earth by my Diamond for an assignment." Steven raises an eyebrow. "A Diamond? Uh, what's a Diamond?" Lapis groans inwardly as she starts to contemplate on how much Steven really knows about the Gem Homeworld.

"Well, a Diamond is a leader of Gems."
"Well, Garnet's a leader."
"No no. Garnets aren't Diamonds. A Diamond is seperate type of Gem on its own. There are four of them: Yellow, Pink, White and Blue Diamond which is my Diamond. Together, they make up the Diamond Authority."

Steven puts his left hand to his chin as he nods with interest. "Well that sounds interesting."
"It's much more interesting than you realize, Steven. The stories behind these Gems are ones of legend. White Diamond is said to be the first Diamond and the most powerful in rank. She has hardly been seen and there have actually been rumors that she doesn't physically exist for that reason."

Steven takes a few glances back at the ocean water to gaze upon different varieties of fish and plants while Lapis talks to him. "Yellow Diamond was the second Diamond to emerge. She specializes in the military and she did participate in the Gem War."
"The Gem War?"
"I'll get to that in a minute."

Questions bounce through Steven's mind, begging for answers to subjects he has never been informed about until Lapis spoke to him. "Now Blue Diamond is the third Diamond to rule Homeworld. She is, in my opinion, the easiest to get along with. She at least talks with a softer voice and her appearance isn't that intimidating either...unlike Yellow anyway."

She grunts as she thrusts her hands out to force back some water in order to gain more space in the air pocket. "And Pink Diamond...was the last Diamond...to exist." Her lips quiver for a moment as she recovers her memory of Homeworld's most devastating moment.

"She believed in this place...and she cared about the creatures who lived here. But...then...!" She grits her teeth as she shudders under her breath. "Something really bad happened to her." Lapis stops in her tracks, causing Steven's eyebrows to drop down towards his eyes as he wonders what's bothering her.

"You see, she was shattered during the rebellion that started the war by a...!" She shuts her mouth and she swallows hard. She gives off heavy breaths as she turns around to face Steven. "She was shattered...by the leader...of the Crystal Gems."

She blinks as everything surrounding them turns dead silent. "A Rose Quartz." Steven's eyes bulge as his jaw drops. "You mean...MY MOM?!" Lapis gasps, jumping back, her mind slipping out of her concentration. The water collapses onto them as the two gawk at each other.