Chapter Text
The shrill beeping of an alarm clock fills the air, rattling the person awake from the nearby bed. The covers under the double-wide king bed shifted until a mane of curly dark brown hair poked out. Stevonnie then quickly shifted into pixels, shut the clock off from the inside, and then materialized at their bedside.
Some might have called that overkill but it was just another morning for Stevonnie. They went through their morning stretches, twisting their entire torso around 360 degrees before doing the same to their arms and legs and then working out the cricks in their neck. The fusion let out a yawn before shapeshifting on their outfit for the day; a black V-neck shirt with a pink star in the center, a shiny silver jacket unzipped behind them, knee-length blue jorts and black open-toed sandals.
They then leapt down off of the platform that was their bedroom and floated to the rest of their loft, four stories down. To their left was the wall of books ranging from nearly every topic under the sun. It was actually easier to count the studies they’ve missed over the years, plus the occasional series of novels. It was handy to have a book on hand while waiting for any oncoming meteorites to stop.
Once they landed on the heated crystalline floor, they sped over to the kitchenette. Although that might have been generous given that the back corner of the loft was only a series of cabinets, a refrigerator and a pantry. The permafusion cloned themselves thrice and got to work making breakfast, one rapidly dicing fruit for a smoothie with their fingers as crystalline knives, another heating a half dozen eggs in a skillet using their own fire and a third simply poured cereal into a bowl.
And once their breakfast of champions was assembled and eaten, they sprayed all of the dishes clean with their own water and placed in their dishwasher which ran on the same perpetually generated energy that everything else in their apartment did.
Among them was the holo-screen embedded in the right wall which Stevonnie headed over to next. They seamlessly put their hand into a control panel, the blue plasma tingling their fingers, and up came Pearl.
“Good morning, Stevonnie!”
“Hey, Pearl! So, anything on the agenda today? Black holes? Civil war in need of patching up? Fancy dinners to attend?”
“Nope, that was last week and Yellow already took care of it, and you don’t know what today is, do you?”
The fusion stopped. They knew it was a Wednesday, the weather seemed nice, and that new movie they were looking forward to was coming out next week.
“Um, I suppose not?”
Pearl just rolled her eyes. “Stevonnie, today is your birthday!”
“Wait, it is? Again?! How many times have I missed it in a row?”
“Ninety-five but don’t fret. I don’t even begin to count mine and neither do the other gems.”
“Oh, soooo…”
“Stevonnie, just go relax and unwind. The diamonds and us will handle anything. You do enough the rest of the year but you only turn 2,618 years old once, you know!”
The motherly gem signed off with a wave, leaving Stevonnie alone in their loft. They were still stumped by that. They were over two and a half millennia old. That alone brought a small smile to their face. Even after all these years, they were still just as content.
They headed towards the door, letting all of their responsibilities dump out of their mind for the day. On any other day, they would be checking in with everyone to see if any problems or dangers needed handling but not today. Instead they could just kick back and relax with a simple flight around the solar system and not worry about anything.
Stevonnie opened the front door to open air, the loft being a tiny satellite held in the Karman Line of Earth. And here, they got the view they never got tired of. The blue planet peacefully spinning beneath them, clouds swirling and turning ever so slowly as it orbited around the still shining sun.
In a move most would call suicidal, Stevonnie simply walked off the edge of their little home and let themselves fall. Fire wreathed their body, the rush of wind deafened any other sound and the lights of a city glistened under them.
“Huh, Macau. Haven’t been there in a while…” they thought idly before stopping themselves in mid-air. The fire harmlessly petered off around them as they then started doing laps around the planet, stretching out their muscles before the real journey began.
Even as they flew faster than a comet, they could clearly process everything beneath them. The Asian metropolis was having another lively night, with its hundred-story towers glimmering above the city lights. Some might have called it wasteful assuming that everything on Earth wasn’t powered by diamond-made perpetual energy generators. There had been many oil companies and other conglomerates who wanted to put a stop to free power but Stevonnie had a funny way of persuading people.
As they kept flying past the endlessly fertile fields and people and gems living in harmony, they thought back to just how far they’ve come. Once they had ended up solving all of Earth’s problems from diseases to the environment, the diamonds moved on to establish peaceful relationships with as many aliens as possible. Those who knew and feared the might of the Gem Empire were quite surprised to instead find a single scouting ship with a message from one of the four diamonds that explained how they only want peace and cooperation.
Each of the diamonds now managed a quadrant of the universe. White handled the north, Yellow the west, Blue the east and Pink the south where the Milky Way fell. And unlike before, they had a sizeable bureaucracy where they communicated with an elected leader or leaders from that planet to discuss any threats or concerns. Gems were brought in not to invade but to prevent natural disasters or keep the peace, and all formed through resource-efficient renewable means.
As they flew over the Pacific Ocean, watching the rising sun reflect off the waves, Stevonnie couldn’t help but find the irony funny. The diamonds had around thirty colonies as an empire. Now they helped manage hundreds of worlds as a republic, and still managed to have a bi-monthly getaway to reconnect and bond.
And in the middle of all of this was Stevonnie, the unofficial guardian of the universe and protector of the innocent. They had more nicknames and titles than they could count, several in languages they couldn’t repeat, from the planets they’ve helped save and catastrophes they’ve stopped. From civil wars to the occasional cosmic entity of unknown origin, they had helped quash the threat and then smooth things over afterwards.
Once they had done a few laps around the world, waving at any passing space ferries and floating resort islands they passed by, Stevonnie deployed their energy wings and soared away from Earth and into open space. The looked over to see the Moon, the massive city of Lunaris glinting along its surface. The first extraterrestrial settlement for humanity. It seemed such like a massive accomplishment back when it first emerged in 2043 but now it was just another place for people to go.
Stevonnie then shot off and really let their speed ramp up, exiting the Milky Way in minutes and relishing the feeling of speed. They were a blazing rainbow comet, effortlessly curling around every obstacle from space colonies to meteorites and treating it all like a joyride. Instead of having to go to this imperiled galaxy or this planetary summit, they could just go wherever the solar winds took them.
Of course, they knew they couldn’t do their job nearly as well without the diamonds and the various positions the Crystal Gems took up. Pearl was now the advisor of Earth, managing the needs of all of humanity alongside her wife Bismuth, who toiled away in forges to make sturdier armors and building materials before returning home to their estate with a pun to make Pearl blush and smile.
While the Diamonds were busy running the bigger picture, Garnet acted as their advisor to not only keep their relationship in check but was also a help to all of gemkind. She was always willing to lend an ear to squabbles and arguments, especially with couples. As the very first gem marriage, Garnet prided herself on being an example that any relationship takes time and compromise.
While Garnet dealt with the emotional well-being of gems, Sandstone acted to protect the physical well-being of planets. Having repaired many of the planets Homeworld “reconstituted” into colonies, the four-armed terraformer was a benevolent force of nature capable of stopping landslides and floods in minutes. And much like Stevonnie, her “birthday” was the day her fusion became permanent and was always celebrated by her throwing a planet-wide mudball battle on a desolate moon of choice.
Stevonnie then came to a stop in front of Homeworld, having crossed the galaxies in minutes and smiled at the sight. The once-fractured planet was now whole again, a dazzling gem in and of itself as new species came and went to improve relationships at summits, collaborate on new technologies or simply presenting any issues to their chosen diamond.
And assisting that was the Crystal Gems, now headed by co-chiefs Amethyst and Cinnabar. Originally just made of the Famethyst first rescued from Pink Diamond’s Zoo, it now expanded to hundreds of thousands of peacekeepers acting as first-responders to everything from spaceship crashes to cosmic anomalies. While the two leaders kept a loose dress code and usually lobbed snark at each other as often as fireballs and whipcracks, they were also a duo to be feared on the battlefield. Several warlords who tried to disturb the peace learned that the hard way…
The rainbow guardian flew closer to Homeworld, taking in the waves and cheers from the populace. No doubt they knew this was Stevonnie’s special day and, while it still brought a blush to their face, seeing everyone from amorphous blobs to sentient flames interacting with gems, people and other races still made them smile.
Part of this habitation was thanks to the chief scientist of the new republic, Peridot. Now that she literally had galaxies’ worth of technology and all the time in the world on her hands, she could freely develop gadgets and systems to do everything. Reversing global warming, harnessing dying stars for fuel, and even reversing the damage to the various Kindergartens were only a small list of her accomplishments. It was thanks to her lab assistant Mercury that Peridot occasionally took breaks to write her fanfiction and meet up with the others.
Stevonnie then looped back and headed back home, knowing that the diamonds would all be there for their birthday party. According to them, it was the one day a year they all had a valid excuse to smother them one day a year. The others took this same excuse to pile on and the fusion was looking forward to having everyone together again. Not even Topaz would be able to miss this.
Last they heard, the brave captain of the Pioneer Corps was charting out an unusually dark swath of the east quadrant along with her trusty crew that to this day still consisted of the four Off-Colors that helped save Steven escape Homeworld after his trial alongside the duo of Zoisite and Kunzite. Granted, the Sun Incinerator was now an exhibit at the Crystal Gem Museum located in Beach City but their new vessel was a massive cruiser designed for decades-long expeditions with enough TV catalogued to last the wait.
Along the way back to Earth, Stevonnie made a few stops at their favorite planets. A volcano world that produced the most radiant gemstones in the galaxy populated by bipedal lizards. A subterranean jungle that acted as a pan-galactic nature preserve. One of the original Homeworld colonies that was now turned into a planet-wide theme park, where Stevonnie of course stopped for fry bits and a cookie cat and insisted on paying. Just because they helped save the place from a rogue nuclear weapon didn’t mean they deserved special treatment, after all.
After finishing their snack, Stevonnie jetted off towards Earth and their mind turned towards their parents. Greg Universe and Priyanka Maheswaran may have only ever been friends, they both took to Stevonnie’s decision to be permanent as well as possible. The fact that both their children were happy was the sole factor and they followed along with every new update and accomplish right until their respective ends.
At the endless insistence of his kid, Greg decided to give music one last try. With more material than he knew what to do with, Mr. Universe ended up writing his debut album in record time and quickly rocketed up the charts to being a rock icon that people hadn’t seen in decades. Combining his flair for space-theme aesthetics with his soulful lyrics, including his signature ballad “I’m Just a Comet” made him have a long and illustrious career that lasted until he retired in his seventies. Afterwards he lived the comfortable life of a wandering traveler playing pop=up concerts out of his souped-up van until he passed in his sleep at the age of eighty-five.
The opposite happened to Priyanka Maheswaran who moved from general practitioner to forming a universal medical clinic treating everything from common ailments to world-spanning pandemics with a fleet of doctors and technicians across the cosmos. And thanks to her crystalline enhancements (and acting as a spokesperson back at the very early stages of Earth’s integration to the larger universe), she kept up her work healing the sick until the ripe age of 265.
Both of their funerals led to a brief reprieve for Stevonnie but they accepted it. They had seen worlds fall, had to occasionally resort to drastic measures in the face of drastic threats. It was a reality the fusion had long come to accept but the united universe they had was proof that it was only a last resort. Most people craved peace, security and prosperity and they had seen it spread so far and wide that brightened their heart.
Once the Earth was back in sight, Stevonnie knew they had one specific stop to make. Stevonnie eventually floated down in front of a certain fountain, still gushing pink healing water to this day. Now surrounded the field were hundreds upon hundreds of crystal sabers embedded in the ground, each one a sign of a previous visit.
This was the one day a year that Stevonnie came here to pay respects to Rose Quartz. Many who only knew the stories wondered why. She was an all-consuming threat who almost brought all of gemkind to extinction, attacked the very team she founded. Stevonnie would nod and admit they were right but also reminded them one very important thing. If it weren’t for her, the Crystal Gems, the Earth itself and the peaceful universe that supported trillions of lives to live in harmony wouldn’t exist.
After conjuring another sword to add to the collection, Stevonnie bid the site goodbye before flying off again. They still had a few hours before the party that would rope in the entirety of Empire City for a few days. They figured it was a good time to blow off steam in their room in the old temple and then have fun there.
And, as they headed off, the last words of Rose Quartz came to mind. They had long since committed the tape to memory, having watched thousands of times, and yet they could still feel a tear form at the thought.
“Hello, everyone, I realize last time that I made a mistake. Well, one of several, but this one actually has to do with this tape – I only made one for Steven. Now, you might think ‘Well, what mother wouldn’t leave a memento for his little boy?’ Which is true, but it was also a bit small-minded.”
“I left behind a lot when I had Steven. Responsibilities and burdens that I was just running away from… That I foisted on the next generation. I just want to say this once and for all: I’m sorry. You deserved to live a life outside of my choices and fumbles and I… Just wanted a way out.”
“But now we’re here… And this time there’s no coming back for me. When the door to this room opens, my energy will return to all of the gems and there won’t be any trace of me. But this time, I want to wish each and every one of you goodbye.”
“Pearl, I have every confidence you’ll stand on your own, head and shoulders above me. I love you and I always will.”
“Garnet, you were the perfect representation of what I wanted. You’re love is beautiful and I was always the teeniest bit hopeful I could meet someone like that one day. Just keep being you, okay?”
“Amethyst, my little scamp, you brought so much joy and surprise that I treasured. I know you’ve felt small before but you’ll always be the big, strong hero to me.”
“Greg, I know we didn’t get to spend these last few days together but I’m still beyond glad I met you. You were one-of-a-kind in all the best ways and I look forward to seeing you again one day.”
“Bismuth, thank you so much for all the faith you had in me. I suppose it’s funny that I’m the one leaving this time but keep things Bismuth-as-usual, okay?”
“Peridot and Lapis, I’ve seen your meep-morps and I hope you two keep it up. Maybe even open up a school for it, you’ll never know where the next bit of inspiration will come from.”
“Adamite and Cinnabar, I hope you’ll take the time to explore some more once you stretch your legs. I know you’ll keep in touch no matter where you go.”
“Topaz and the Off-Colors, congratulations on your freedom. I wish I could’ve traveled with you all but I have a trip of my own to make. Maybe we’ll meet up in a distant world, yeah?”
“Zoisite and Kunzite, I’m sorry I wasn’t as much of a savior as I could have been. You both deserve the best and I’m sure you’ll do great things of your own.”
“Connie, you and your mother have my absolute thanks for all you’ve done. For being Steven’s friend and for going above and beyond as a mother, I consider you both part of the family.”
“And Steven… My little boy… Words can’t express how proud I am. You… Are the greatest thing I could have asked for. I love you until the end of time and there isn’t enough space to keep me away from you… I swear I’ll watch over you. If you ever feel sad, just know that I would wrap my arms around you if I could…”
“Everyone… Don’t stop growing. I love you all…”
When they landed back at the temple, now a solitary door in the cliffside, Stevonnie looked up at the beaming bright sky. There were more ships flying above and a few artificial islands sitting off the coast, plus Beach City was now a massive tourism hub dozens of times its size, but the world was still turning. The waves lapped against the shore, the gulls still sang and the planet was still turning.
“Thanks Rose…” they bid with a smile, a twinge of longing in their eyes. Stevonnie then entered the door once again, ready to let their powers loose for fun. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? But today, it was their birthday and they were grateful for each and every one.