Diamond AU: Steven Universe

Keeping it together

Yellow never wanted Steven to know what she had done...

——

"We need to track down Peridot. We know she's out there somewhere. She came to Earth with a job to do and odds are, she's still gonna try to do it. That's why I've gathered you here." White said.

Steven and the Diamonds all sat in a circle together folding t-shirts.

"I thought it was so you can help me fold all this laund-a-ry!" Steven said.

"That too." White said.

"White, you don't think Peridot would come looking for us, do you?" Blue asked.

"While she likely will, we weren't her priority. She was sent here to do something in the Kindergarten." White said.

"Do you think she's still going to try to reactivate it?" Blue asked.

"Mmm... If she gets it back up and running, the Injectors will turn back on." White said.

"In-jec-tors? What're those?" Steven asked.

"You've already seen them. Well, you've seen them disabled." White projected a hologram to show him. "If Peridot reactivates them, they'll pick up right where they left off, planting Gems in the crust of the Earth, where they'll incubate and suck the life right out of the ground, we can't let Peridot restart Gem production here, if we do, the entire planet will become..."

"...Janked," Yellow said.

"Yellow!!" Blue chuckled. "That mouth!"

"Don't worry, we'll stop her. C'mon, Diamonds," White said, approaching the warp pad.

"As long as we don't have to fold anything." Yellow said.

Steven continued to fold the t-shirts.

"C'mon, that means you too, right?" Yellow asked.

Steven's eyes lit up.

===

The Diamonds arrived at the kindergarten.

"Well, nothing looks activated. In fact, i-it doesn't look like anything's budged since the last time we were here." Blue noticed.

"You're right. But just because Peridot hasn't been here yet, it doesn't mean she won't come." White said. "Let's do a thorough check of the perimeter. That way, we can monitor any future entry."

"Hmm! Sounds good to me!" Steven said as he went off on his own. Suddenly, he heard Peridot's voice.

"Log date 6-5-2." Peridot said, startling Steven. "This is Peridot, updating status. Still stuck on this miserable planet... The fusion experiments are developing properly. A few have even emerged early-" She then shrieked at the sight of Steven.

Steven stood there, silently staring.

"Are the other ones with you?" Peridot whispered.

Steven slowly shook his head before it morphed into a nod.

"Of course! Why not..." She facepalmed.

"Peridot!!" White yelled.

"There she is!!" Blue said.

The Diamonds charged at her. Peridot gasped, beginning to run off.

"Nowhere to go!!" Yellow said.

"You're cornered!!" Blue said.

Peridot then began running up a wall.

"Hey! I can't do that!" Steven complained.

White then summoned her spear, throwing it at the leg of one of the injectors. As it began to collapse, Peridot saw it and attempted to flee, but ended up crushed beneath the rubble.

"Do you think she's hurt?" Steven asked.

Peridot then emerged from the rubble, fleeing again.

"Nope!!" Yellow laughed.

"Go ahead! Wreck this place! See if I care! I already got what I needed!" Peridot screamed as she flew away successfully. Yellow tried to shoot her down with a bolt of electricity, but missed.

"Ugh," Yellow sighed in annoyance. "Damned limb enhancers..."

"Limb what-a-what?" Steven looked at her.

"...Later," Yellow said, lifting up the collapsed injector to reveal a hole. "Let's see what she was actually doing. Steven?"

"Coming!!" Steven joined Yellow as the two of them began to slide down the hole. Yellow began to worry about Peridot's true intentions. That Peridot once belonged to her. She could tell from the yellow diamond symbol in her appearance modifier.

What in the hell does this 'new authority' want her to do?!

Steven and Yellow soon arrived in the control room.

"I don't know how but... this place is even creepier than the last time we were here." Steven said.

"Yes. There's something going on." Yellow presumed.

"The power's not on. What was Peridot doing?" Steven asked.

"It looks like she pulled these out of the walls. Something strange." Yellow said. Then, she heard a noise coming from a pillar. She walked over to investigate.

"Yellow?" Steven asked.

Yellow touched the pillar, and it began to shake.

"Is there... something in there?" Steven asked.

Then, a strange creature fell from the ceiling. Startled, Steven and Yellow turned to face the creature. Yellow could feel the color draining from her skin.

She knew what that was.

"Whoa, What are they? AAHHH!" Steven cried as more limbs began to fall from the ceiling.

Yellow began to hyperventilate. "No no no no..." She backed away.

"Yellow?! What are these things?!" Steven asked urgently.

"...Gem shards," Yellow said, forcing the words out. "Forced into fusion."

"W-WHAT?!" Steven gasped. "WHO WOULD DO THIS?!"

He then looked at Yellow. Her somber expression was more than telling.

"You... you did this." Steven's voice was low.

"You were never supposed to see this," Yellow said, tears threatening to fall.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!" Steven screamed at her. Yellow's hands were clasped over her mouth as she desperately searched for an explanation.

Suddenly, Blue and White slid down into the chamber.

"Yellow, we lost Peridot. Her fingers were too fast for us." Blue said. "White couldn't- Oh no." She then saw the situation. Yellow was in the corner, her mind racing while Steven desperately tried to avoid the gem mutants.

"Oh, Yellow..." Blue walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He was going to find out eventually."

"FIND OUT WHAT?!" Steven screamed. "WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS?!"

White summoned her spear as she began to poof the mutants. "We need to poof and bubble all of them. We can't let any escape."

Steven looked over at Yellow. They made eye contact for a moment before he decided to help White poof the mutants. Once they were all poofed, White bubbled them all, sending them away.

"Yellow, why didn't you tell me you did this?" Steven asked, walking over to her.

"In all honesty, I didn't think they would be emerging yet," Yellow said. "I thought I had no need to."

"How... How many of them are there?" Steven asked.

"A lot," Yellow said simply.

"And is there anything else you wanna tell me?" Steven asked.

"...Yes, but now is not the time," Yellow said, tearing up. "I hope you understand. I'm sorry."