His Mother's Son

Questioned by a Diamond

~~ 9 Hours Later... ~~

Steven's P.O.V

So there I was, enjoying a relatively peaceful nap, when all of a sudden I experienced an all new meaning of the term 'rude awakening'. Ever get the feeling like a freshly hot knife blade is twisting inside your stomach like a screwdriver? I hope the answer is no. But, in all seriousness, that's the sensation coursing through me right this instant. It, in fact, woke me right up from my nap, making me check my surroundings to see if anyone had snuck up on me and was attempting murder. However, as I quickly realize, my bubble is still up so it would be difficult to get inside without me knowing. With that cleared up though, I'm still sitting here wondering what is happening.

Shaking my head, I do what any normal person would do when they experience pain and lift up my shirt to assess the situation. I drag my shirt up slowly, partly because I'm scared of what I will find and also to just add the dramatic tension that you'd see in a zombie apocalypse with the person wondering if they were bitten or not. When I take a deep breath and force the fabric up to my chest, I look down and am thoroughly surprised at what I find.

Where my 'rose quartz' one was now sits an upside down pink diamond! Mind you, I knew that my gem was actually a diamond after Pearl spilled the beans, but never before had I seen my gem rotate to look like such. I wonder if Pink felt the same way when she changed form. Eh, probably not. She's a full Diamond and I'm half human so the pain most likely attributes to my stomach flesh getting in the way. What mainly puzzles me though is how my gem rotated on its own because I know for sure that I didn't do subconsciously. Maybe it's a power that I haven't been told about, who knows?

Seeing the slivers of sunlight peek between the tree branches, I tell myself it's time to get up and resume the search for the Prime Kindergarten. I may have had minimal success yesterday but come hell or high water, I'm gonna find this place if it's the last thing I do. I stand up from my surprisingly comfortable bed of grass and deactivate my bubble, taking in the freshness of the forest air. My stomach, now spared from its previous burning sensation, rumbles with a new sensation: hunger. Eager to replenish my energy, I eat up from the blueberry bushes surrounding me. I stuff my face until I'm full then wipe my mouth with the corner of my shirt sleeve.

Now, back to the task at hand. Gazing at the scenery around me, I weigh out my options. I could try the whole tree climbing maneuver again but I'm certain if I'll any better results than last time. Another thing is just trying to find a clearing or break in all the foliage. Pearl mentioned that her and Pink stopped by a small pond at some point in their exploration. Maybe if I find that distinct landmark, I'll have a clearer path. Since I have no explicit sense of direction, I pick a path at random, opting to trudge diagonally through the trees in front of me. Believe me, it's tightly spaced and has a lot of insects, so it's not an ideal vacation spot but I'm not gonna be sticking around long enough for it to matter anyway. Besides, if I'm gonna try and make something good out of this whole endeavor, I might as well enjoy the solitude.

I step over shrubs and avoid the puddles that nature puts in my way for a really long time. And speaking of time, since their ain't no sundials in sight, trying to know how long I've been frolicking around is just as impossible as trying to understand why Connie could be such a bad friend. After what feels like a long while to me, I notice the environment beginning to change. The grass was a brighter green, more sunlight was visible, and the sound of running water is more than recognizable. All those factors match up with a clearing so feeling emotional revitalized, I rush toward the noise with hope inflaming my soul.

The sound of water trickling over rocks grows louder and clearer until I run right smack dab into a river. No trees cover the stream from sunlight, making me feel a lot warmer both realistically and emotionally. I'm about knee deep in water but I don't mind because unlike what people commonly think, water isn't gonna kill you. Still, since I found a river and also since it's flowing downstream, I know I'm on the trail for finding that pond. Walking through water is difficult, the water slowing your movements and all, so in order to make good time, I pull myself back onto the forest floor. The river is about twelve feet wide, side to side, so following alongside it without losing it will be pretty easy.