Steven stared, confused, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the Gems.
They wanted them to go on an underwater mission or something. Amethyst just smiled, as if the idea amused her.
"Well," Steven muttered, shrugging. It was early morning, and only Amethyst and Pearl were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on their plans.
"So," he asked, sounding puzzled, "you want us to go on a mission, just the three of us?" Pearl answered with a somewhat rushed "yes," confirming the idea. Garnet wanted to see how they'd handle a mission without her help. Amethyst echoed this with an enthusiastic smile.
"So what, dude, shall we go?"
"Do I have a choice?" Steven replied curtly.
"No," Amethyst said playfully as she scooped him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him straight to the portal.
"You know, I can walk," Steven protested, frowning.
"I can walk." "I know," Amethyst replied playfully, shaking him slightly.
Pearl just shook her head, sighing as she followed them with an elegant stride.
"Hey, can I eat?"
"No," they both replied at the same time.
Steven sighed resignedly. The portal activated with a vibrant sound, enveloping them in a light that transported them to a new adventure.
The portal's hum faded, and the three figures emerged into an underwater landscape.
Steven surveyed his surroundings, with bubbles drifting slowly around him and a faint blue light filtering in from the surface.
"This seems familiar," he thought, looking around.
"Welcome, Steven," Pearl said in her characteristic tone, a blend of wisdom and drama.
"Welcome to the Sanctuary of the Sea, a gem monument that houses the Time Clock. This is why we're here. This place is very dangerous; we need to be careful." If we choose the wrong one of the many clocks here, it could trigger a death trap for anyone who isn't a Gem. Even we, from the underwater pressure, could perish.
Amethyst crossed her arms, observing the place with disinterest. "Seriously, Steven, don't touch anything and let us, the big ones, analyze which clock is important."
Steven didn't reply. He was in a bad mood from not having breakfast, so he just shooed them away with a wave of his hand.
"Go on, I'll walk and I won't touch anything."
And so, the three of them went their separate ways, each disappearing into the bluish shadows of the sanctuary.
Steven walked through the long corridors of the sanctuary, remembering that in the series it seemed like a small place, but now everything looked much larger. With a smile, he thought that they had probably remodeled it. He observed the reinforced glass that kept the structure stable underwater and, in addition, offered a spectacular view of the ocean outside.
He should be scared, he thought; after all, Blue Diamond had come to Earth. But it didn't surprise him as much anymore. He'd seen her in that dream, though, as he remembered, in the series she often visited the site where the palanquin in which Pink Diamond had been shattered lay. He walked with his hands in his pockets, attentive to every detail, while he reflected on what had happened.
If I had actually exposed myself in any way, it would have been a terrible mistake, he told himself. He still remembered the pressure he'd felt in that dream; if it weren't for his quick thinking, he probably would have collapsed. A faint smile appeared on his face as he thought that if he had been the original Steven, he wouldn't have lasted three seconds there. He was already reaching a higher level, although he still hadn't learned to fly.
He snapped out of his thoughts as he reached a large dome. It was much bigger than he remembered and was filled with clocks unlike any he'd seen before.
"Wow," she murmured before shouting excitedly.
"Girls, I found it, come on!"
A few seconds passed before the Gems arrived.
"The other areas didn't lead anywhere," Amethyst said in frustration, scratching her head. "You're really lucky, Steven."
Pearl nodded as she carefully examined each clock. "Let's look at them all, but please don't touch anything. We don't want to drown in here or, worse, be destroyed."
Amethyst felt a chill and nodded immediately as the three of them spread out across the dome to examine the clocks.
"This one looks good," Amethyst said, pointing to one at random.
"No," Pearl replied firmly. "I remember it being rounder and bigger."
"Could this be it?" Steven asked, just to keep up appearances, pointing to the largest clock of them all.
"Oh, my little Steven, you're so young," Pearl said, patting him on the head.
Steven looked at her, confused. "What does age have to do with it?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"You don't know what it looks like," she replied simply.
"And you do?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow.
A few awkward seconds passed as Pearl closed her eyes and remained completely still. Finally, she sighed and murmured softly, "It's round and big."
"In short," Steven said with a mischievous grin, "you don't know what it is."
Amethyst couldn't contain herself and burst into laughter, while Pearl blushed with embarrassment.
"Well, so what?" she responded with a mock-indignant snort.
"Oh, come on," Steven said, looking around. "You know what, this one is round, but it's small," he remarked, pointing to a tiny watch.
The two gems stared silently for a few seconds, then burst into laughter so loud that Steven thought some watches had shattered from the vibration.
"What would I say dryly?" "Oh, come on," Amethyst said in her mocking tone, "do you really think the Time Clock would be that tiny thing? It'd get lost anywhere," Pearl added with a grin. "You know, it's this one," she said, grabbing the clock she'd pointed to, completely forgetting the laughter that had paralyzed everyone.
Pearl and Steven stared at her with robotic expressions.
"Shit," Amethyst said, realizing what was happening. Out of nowhere, a sound that clearly wasn't announcing the arrival of cakes filled the air. "Run, damn it!" I yelled, grabbing the Time Crystal. Amethyst and Pearl grabbed any clock they could find and took off running. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" we all repeated. "What if we get burned—" Pearl tried to say, but Steven yelled desperately, "Don't even think about it, damn it! Run faster, run, Forrest, run!"
The three of us reached the portal just as we were about to step into it. Well...
Garnet left her room, calm, convinced that even if the mission failed, the boys would rather return empty-handed than cause a disaster. Then the four of them would go on a new mission, and she could talk to Steven; it was all planned. "How clever you are, Garnet," she thought with a satisfied smile. But something interrupted her: the portal activated.
"Huh?" she barely murmured.
And with a snap, out of nowhere, the entire ocean came crashing down on top of her. This future, Garnet thought, a bead of sweat trickling down her temple.
The ocean emptied completely inside the house, and amidst the chaos, three figures appeared.
Steven was embedded in a column, upside down, with a fish in his mouth. Amethyst held a dolphin in her hands, staring at it in utter confusion. And Pearl... well, Pearl was running desperately across the water, while two crabs pinched her mercilessly.
Garnet watched them in silence, completely bewildered by the spectacle before her. "I won't ask," she said curtly, maintaining her composure as the three splashed around. "But... why?" she finally managed to say, understanding absolutely nothing.
A mistake, I'd say from above. Small things, she thought as she looked at the fish in her hands, which, for some reason, was still alive. Without thinking twice, I threw it out the open door and let it fall into the sea... if it was still alive. Garnet looked at me, confused, but then turned her gaze to Pearl, waiting for her to explain what had just happened.
Amethyst was screaming as some crabs pinched her mercilessly. Garnet watched her with her usual impassive expression, while Amethyst, holding a watch in her hand, tried to justify herself. "Well..." she said, shrugging at Garnet's judgmental look, "we were talking and... I forgot what we were talking about. So I grabbed the first thing I could find, okay?"
Garnet remained silent for several seconds. Her silence was so awkward that even the crabs stopped moving. Finally, she sighed and said calmly, "You know what, do whatever you want, I'm leaving."
With that, she headed to her room without another word, but Steven noticed a small flash before the door closed. Then another. And just before I could see anything else, the door sealed shut completely.
Steven blinked, confused. Why did they split up now? he wondered, his shoulders slumping before he stood up.
Well, since Amethyst made this mess, she'll clean it up. And before you say anything, she added, looking at her seriously. Amethyst opened her mouth, but decided to close it without saying anything. Clean it properly, unlike your room.
I grabbed the fish and crabs, which, to Pearl's frustration, didn't do anything to me, and they happily climbed onto my shoulders. See you later, I said with a smile as I changed my clothes and left the house with my new pets.
Pearl looked at Amethyst. I'll help you... just for today.
Thanks, Amethyst said with a grateful smile.
Thanks again, she repeated as she stood up.
Let's just... get it done, Pearl murmured, shaking her head.
Steven walked along the beach, leaving the animals back in the sea. "See you later, little butterflies," he said, before falling silent, thinking about the silly thing he'd just said. "Well..." he muttered, shaking his head, "maybe I'll get some chips." "I haven't eaten anything," he added, a bead of sweat forming on his brow, as he searched his jacket pockets for money to buy them.
"Oh, yeah," he said suddenly, noticing the time bubble floating beside him. He stared at it for several seconds and, with a mischievous grin, murmured a little aloud. "Should I use it?"
He looked at it again, lost in thought. "I have the option to die in a time warp or travel to a parallel timeline... how did the Gems do this? No idea. Why? I have no idea either."
Then he looked down at his gem and spoke as if someone could answer him. "What do you say, Mom? Do we go to another time or the past or... wherever this thing takes me? One for no, two for yes." "Obviously it sparkles," he said, raising his voice. Some birds stared at him, their faces stony, as his gem flashed twice in quick succession.
"Perfect," he exclaimed with a maniacal laugh. "For science!" he shouted, activating the device. "Take me to the future." A flash enveloped him completely, and he vanished.
And so, Steven gambled on seeing a future of himself... or perhaps something worse.
He appeared floating in the air. He blinked, confused, as he looked around. "Huh?" he murmured doubtfully, wiping his eyes. "What's this...?" It seemed vaguely familiar.
"Wait a minute, this is where I found the goat," he remembered, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek. "Awesome device," he commented, looking at the sphere, which glowed for a moment before going out.
"Roberta!" he suddenly shouted. "Or... what was that goat's name again?" he thought, having completely forgotten. "Well, she's not showing up," he said finally, walking toward the portal. He glanced around one last time and walked right through it.
Not far away, a goat and several larger goats looked around, confused, before calmly making their way back to their home.
Meanwhile, Garnet was at home, sitting in front of the television, flipping through channels with the remote. "Come on, girls," she said, using her future vision to find something interesting to watch. "Steven's outside with Connie… ever since the Diamonds pushed him to his limits." "Well, actually, he doesn't have limits," Garnet sighed. "We've told them so many times: he's human. But oh well… they never listen to us."
Pearl nodded slowly. "The Diamonds still believe that, at some point, Steven will awaken Rose's memories, as if he hadn't left his physical form… and as if his gems hadn't been taken from him when he was younger."
The three of them immediately tensed at that memory.
Amethyst was about to say something when, suddenly, the portal began to light up.
"Are you waiting for someone?" Pearl asked, somewhat doubtfully. "Not at all," Amethyst replied, a little annoyed by the interruption.
The portal vanished, and in its place, a figure appeared.
"Steven?" the three said in unison, completely confused.
"I just got here, and I already have three gems from the future," Steven thought, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek. "Hi," he greeted with a smile. "I'm just popping in for something, and then I'll be right back," he added, walking toward the room, noticing that it had changed a bit... it looked like his future self's room, or something like that.
Dude, weren't you outside with Connie? And... why are you smaller? Amethyst asked, raising an eyebrow. It suits you, though, she added with a playful smile.
I just came for something, Steven repeated with a grin. So what? Can't I shapeshift? he joked as he left the room. See you, girls, he said, waving a hand. But just then...
Adult Steven appeared in the portal. Girls, I guess that wedding thing didn't work out, I should— He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a younger version of himself standing in front of him.
Young Steven stared at him.
What are you looking at, dude? he said curtly, while his adult self stared at him as if he were seeing a mirage.
Are you... are you me? the older one asked, completely confused.
No, I'm Batman, the younger one replied with a mischievous grin.
The silence became so thick that only the hum of the portal could be heard.
...
...
...
???
???
???
"Batman?" repeated Big Steven, completely confused.
"It's me, Big," said the Little Steven, feigning innocence as he pointed at him.
"How are you here, Little Steven?" asked Big Steven, starting to suspect the cause. "Don't tell me..."
"Because of this," replied the Little Steven with a chuckle, holding up the Time Clock in front of his face.
"That clock..." Big Steven muttered with a grimace of bad memories. "It's mine, so you're not getting to keep it." I stuck my tongue out at him triumphantly.
Big Steven remained silent, looking resigned.
"Well," said the Little Steven finally, "I think this is a bit confusing. You'll be Future Steven, and I'll be Handsome Steven. What do you think?"
"Huh?" said Future Steven, two beads of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
"I'm handsome, don't you think? You're fat," Handsome Steven commented with a sly grin.
"What happened to me in that timeline?" Future Steven exclaimed, his face a mask of disbelief. "That's what Amethyst would say, raising an eyebrow. Dude, what were you going to tell us about Connie, or what she was like?" she asked, clearly interested in the gossip.
"Oh, yeah..." Future Steven said, looking down, while the younger, handsome Steven stood beside him with three angry lines floating above his head.
"Connie didn't want to marry me. She says we're too young," he explained with a defeated sigh.
All the Gems tried to cheer him up, though I just stared blankly.
"What the hell," I blurted out.
Everyone looked at me like I'd styled my hair in a glittering wave with lights shining in the background. What?
"What language, kid," Pearl said with a nervous giggle.
Handsome Steven sighed. Honestly... I'm leaving, I don't give a damn, he muttered dryly as he activated the watch and disappeared into another time.
Big Steven stared into space.
...What? he managed to say, still processing everything.
Steven appeared in an unfamiliar area. "The beach," he murmured, hesitating slightly, as he calmly surveyed his surroundings. He noticed something that caught his attention. "The house isn't here." He placed a hand on his chin and smiled. "Elementary, my dear gem, elementary."
He turned curiously and noticed a fence in the distance. "Interesting," he said, intrigued, walking toward where he remembered the house should be. "How beautiful," he commented, taking in the place. If his memories served him right, everything looked even better than in person. The ground, the cave, the structure. "It looks better than my house," he thought, a little astonished.
He walked to the portal and decided to try it. "If I can teleport... interesting." He approached the door and, with a flicker of light, tried to open it. To his surprise, it opened without a problem.
Without saying anything, he calmly stepped inside. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared: a Rose Quartz, although it was only the default version he had configured. "Wow," he said, his hand on his chin, "looks like my settings are holding." But I'd better delete it; I'll get confused.
He proceeded to delete it, though something stopped him. A different, yet familiar, voice echoed behind him.
Who are you?
That voice... Steven grew serious. He calmly looked toward the source of the sound and saw her.
"Hi, Mom," she said with a smile.
"Huh?" she replied, clearly surprised. It was Rose Quartz. She had pink, curly hair, as beautiful as her round but delicate face, which conveyed purity and naturalness. She wore a long white dress. "What could that mean?" Steven wondered as he observed his mother from the past.
"Who are you?" Rose asked quickly, regaining her composure. "You shouldn't be able to come in here."
"Why shouldn't I?" he replied calmly. It was the first time he had spoken face-to-face with someone he had genuinely wanted to meet. He lifted his shirt, revealing his gem.
"You're a Quartz," Rose said, completely confused.
"Not a Quartz," Steven corrected, looking up at her directly. "A Diamond."
Silence filled the room.
"Who are you?" Rose asked, now more seriously.
"I'm your son. Well, not one who's due anytime soon, to be honest. Let's just say I'm a variation of your decisions. I'm someone who, if you play your cards right, will fix the messes you left behind in your long life." He looked at his mother with a weary smile. "I'll be your offspring, your neighbor. Let's just say I'm a creation without a future. I am you, but at the same time, I'm not. I'm someone new because of you. Someone who can, and will. I'll be the one to fix the mess you left."
Rose tensed, but looked at him differently. "You used the Time Clock, didn't you?"
"Indeed," he replied with a smile. "You're very clever. One point for you," he added mockingly.
"So... you have my gem?" Rose asked, looking down at her stomach.
"Well, I did some research on humans," Rose said, resting a hand on her chin. "Wow," Steven thought, surprised. "That part wasn't mentioned in the show."
"So you're my creation?" Rose asked.
Steven nodded as he created a table, two chairs, and a couple of teacups.
"You're experienced," Rose remarked, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Thanks," Steven replied with a grin. "Pure experience. But let me tell you, it wasn't easy getting into this room. I literally threatened to destroy the door to get in."
Rose looked at him differently. "So... what do humans call it... a child? You're my child. And if I remember correctly, well, I need a male, right?"
Steven stared at her, his face a picture of "what the heck." "Well..." he thought, trying to imagine his own birth. If you see a short human with long hair and good musical taste, that'll be the key.
Rose looked at him silently.
"Oh, yeah," Steven added casually. "You have to go to a concert. If you don't know what it is, look it up. Don't tell me anything; you're the one who wants a guy." He said, waving goodbye.
Rose just stared at him, confused.
"Well," he finally said, "do you need anything?"
"One question," Steven replied, looking down at his stomach.
"Well, I didn't come here because I wanted to. I just asked the watch to take me wherever it wanted. I recently saw a different future, but honestly, I didn't like it. But getting back to the point… I really think I might have something good. I just have one question."
"Sure, tell me," Rose said calmly.
"How can you fly? My powers are tied to my feelings, but I've really tried everything."
Rose looked at him with a serene expression, like someone who had lived a long time.
"To be honest, my feelings are the key. If you haven't managed it yet, it means you're not ready. I may have left some clues for you to unlock through training, a very strong emotion, or simply by chance. So you have several options."
Steven sat silently in his chair, three lines of anger etched on his forehead.
"So, I'm completely dependent on luck."
"In short," Rose said, now beaming from ear to ear.
"Well, I'm just sitting around," Steven replied resignedly. "It was nice, Mom. I really don't want to get attached and then not want to go back to my time. But if you ever need anything from me... well, look for the Time Watch." He showed her the watch, smiling. "It's this one, not another one." "So, yeah," he said, walking over to her.
Without another word, he hugged her. Rose tensed at first, but realizing how much she needed that gesture, she simply remained silent, returning the hug.
"Thank you," Steven murmured. "I really needed that." As they separated, Rose noticed tears streaming down her son's cheeks.
"Well," Steven said, wiping his eyes, "I think it's time to go back to my time. I don't want to disappear suddenly." He started walking in any direction, and Rose silently followed him. They both left the room and walked to the beach.
Steven turned to her. "You know, Mom, it really was an experience seeing you in person." It's not the same to imagine it as to truly feel it. She smiled broadly. I hope I live up to your expectations. She took out the time clock, looked at him one last time, and with a wistful smile, said,
Any words, Mother?
Rose remained silent for a few seconds before responding with a smile that lit up her face. I love you.
I know, I murmured, as a stray tear rolled down my cheek and my body began to fade into a soft glow.
Rose looked at the place where her unborn child had been standing. It really seems I have a lot to do, she murmured with a smile. Looks like I should prepare in advance. With that, she walked back to her room.
And so, without realizing it, Steven traveled into his own past. A past where, if he hadn't actually arrived, he simply wouldn't have been born.
Author's note: You might wonder why Steven didn't travel into his future. Well, because that future isn't written yet. He is the present, the past, and the near future. There is no future... because he is. A little confusing, isn't it? Thanks for the support. If we reach about twenty stars, I'll try to bring you another chapter as soon as possible.
End of Chapter 23.