how, a long time ago, I made a poll asking you guys what short story you'd like to see based on AUs (Alternate Universes)? Well, if you don't, the majority picked the Human!Gems AU to be the next written Short Story. As for the second place option, it was Bad Prediction.
For those who don't know, Bad Prediction is an AU of Steven Universe where, as the name implies, Sapphire's prediction during the battle at the ancient Sky Arena comes true. I won't go into much detail on the Bad Prediction AU, as it is still seemingly a work in progress, however I have integrated Onyx in based on what I know of the story.
Supposedly, Steven reignites the Crystal Gem Rebellion after he meets the Beach City Humans, who currently reside in the Human Zoo with his father. However, because Steven is too young as a human child to be taking on that level of responsibility, that's where Onyx comes in. Yes, I'm fully aware that Pearl exists, but for those who haven't seen the comic, Pearl is incapable to guide the Crystal Gems, as her communication has been crippled on of White Diamond. Like I said, this is where Onyx shines.
Onyx, in this AU, chooses to restart the horrific Gem War by restoking the fire of the rebellious Crystal Gems. She recruits Amethyst, Garnet, Lapis, and Bismuth with Steven and Pearl's help, and also eventually gets some Homeworld Loyalists to side with them as well, namely Peridot and Nephrite. Because of Onyx's loyalty to her family however, she often breaks down in the middle of important decision-making, as she wishes Pink Diamond was still around to tell her what to do, complicating her rather positive relationship with her cousin, whom she promised she'd protect til her final moment.
I figured this was the best way to get back into my love of writing considering the Hiatus I have taken due to lack of motivation and such. As an added bonus, this story will be in First Person from Onyx's perspective, a style I don't normally use.
Please enjoy.
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She just stood there, her cold glare piercing through me. She knew I was going to break out, so she was waiting for me. I won't lie, I was very scared, but at the same time... I have come too far to turn back now. If I wanted to atone for all the crimes I committed, I would've turned myself in a long time before she was sent to Earth. I had a pretty good feeling of why she was here now, and what she was here for.
"Out of my way, Hessonite..." I warned, returning that heartless expression.
"Oh, so you're giving the orders to Homeworld Gems now, are you..?" she asked rhetorically, scoffing, "You never cease to surprise me... and here I thought rebelling Homeworld would be the last mistake you'd make."
"Oh, so you think me taking your Prism wasn't a mistake? How flattering..." I taunted, making George squeak nervously.
Hessonite's glare sharpened as her eyes went narrow. If looks could kill, I'm afraid I'd be broken in seconds... yet, I did not let her scare me like I had been at first. After all, she was just another obstacle in my path. At this point, I was beyond salvation... I walked the path Pink Diamond had laid out for me, and I was not meant to be redeemed.
"I'm not letting you slip by me this time, brat..." she gritted her teeth, grumbling and growling as she summoned her swords from her gem, "This time, I'm going to get my Prism back... even if I have to shatter you for it."
Somehow, I couldn't understand what she was implying. Was she afraid of what the Diamonds would do or how they would respond if I was shattered..? No... any other Gem wouldn't even suggest the idea if they couldn't accept the consequences. She did, so she knows she's putting herself at risk by making her threat clear, so why would she word it like that..?
"Hessonite..-"
"I've heard enough out of you to last an entire millennia!" she shouted, lunging at me.
Our weapons clashed against one another, determined to push the other one back and claim victory. This isn't the first time I've fought her like this. We exchanged clashes like this many times during this war. I suppose that's one reason she got so angry when she saw I had gone against my oath to never return to Homeworld... she couldn't stand to see her worst enemy return and be treated as royalty.
"Your anger is very much justified, you know," I said, exchanging words despite my verbal confrontations irritating the orange Garnet, "I didn't deserve to come back... I wasn't even supposed to come back, but I guess the Diamonds had other plans, didn't they..?"
Her eyes tore a hole through my very soul, "Grr... you don't deserve all that attention that they give you! You're not one of them! You're just a rebel! A traitor is what you are, and no amount of atonement or punishment will ever clear your name!"
"Maybe you're right.... I can't be forgiven for my treachery, but that is not our place to say now is it..?"
I felt my attacks get sloppier. Something inside me just felt dead, like I could not continue this pointless bout. I had made my point, so there was no need for me to continue fighting. Just then, one of Hessonite's swords pierced me through the shoulder, pinning me to the Palace wall as I was forced to drop my weapons, my form glitching unstably, but refusing to dissipate.
"Your days of rebellion end here!" Hessonite exclaimed.
Oddly enough, I did not budge when Hess continued to threaten me. Despite her sword being embedded through my physical form, I did not feel anything. No fear, no worry... I just felt... nothing.
"... Well..? What are you waiting for..?" I asked, staring into her eyes with a gaze I knew looked empty inside.
I noticed her hand began to tremble. She noticed the resigned expression in my eyes and looked as though I have gone more mad.
"W-Why..?" she stuttered, "After everything you've done, you would lie there and just let me shatter you? You won't even try to fight back!?"
"You sound disappointed..." I replied, "Your mission on Earth was to eradicate the rebels' leader, was it not..? You could end it right here and now... strike me down... and my little rebellion will be nothing but a fleeting afterthought for the Diamonds..."
Before she could open her mouth to respond, I continued, "However... I am not the only Gem who has agonized under the Diamonds' strict caste system. There are more Gems out there, hiding amongst other Homeworld Gems, who feel the same way. Some are stronger than others, and some will merely lie and say they are proud to serve their superiors... but I know the truth now. Gems... are not truly soulless machines following what they are created to do."
"No! Stop it! You're wrong!" Hessonite protested, my words appearing to have exposed a 'flaw' in her system.
I felt my eyes shift from a resigned expression to a cold and frightening stare, "You can't do it, can you..? You know that what I'm saying is true... but you refuse to accept it. In your mind, you know we're no different. Fighting for what we believe is right, yet who's to say what's wrong and what's right? Certainly not us..."
Hessonite yelled angrily and stabbed her sword at the wall behind me, completely missing my Gem as she let me out of her grasp and broke into tears right in front of me. I had never seen a Homeworld Gem held in such high regard have an emotional breakdown. I couldn't help but pity her.
"It's.... It's ME who's defective..!" cried Hessonite, "I wasn't meant to be like this..! I was supposed to be perfect! They always said I would be, but... you...-"
"I'm not perfect either, Hessonite," I interrupted, "Nobody is. I can't decide that and neither can you, but the Diamonds. The Diamonds aren't in much better a place to convict someone as flawed... when they themselves are flawed beings... and I should know that better than anyone."
"Onyx..."
"I don't have to be perfect to love myself, and my friends shouldn't have to be perfect for me to love them. If that were true, then I wouldn't be a real friend, now would I..?" I turned quietly to George, who had for the most part stayed off to the side in petrified silence, "Let's go confront the Diamonds. They deserve to know the truth..."
George gave a slow, slightly scared nod of his head. We attempted to leave but were quickly stopped when I heard a voice shout.
"Onyx, wait..!" Hessonite pleaded, "Why... Why didn't you shatter me back at the Strawberry Battlefield when you had the chance..?"
I paused, pondering an acceptable answer. I knew that if I told Hessonite I simply couldn't bring myself to shatter a Gem, that wouldn't be enough for her. She was someone who would see it as weakness.
"I had exposed your identity, and exposed you as the true leader of the New Crystal Gems. So why..? Why would you let me live and escape to Homeworld with that kind of information?" she asked, sounding a little furious.
"... It wasn't a mistake, was it..?" I returned an answer with a question, "Shattering you, just because we disagreed on something? I don't want to be viewed as the type of Gem who would stoop that low. Do you know how many Gems have watched their comrades, their friends, their acquaintances... be shattered at the hands of the Diamonds, all because they had mere grievances to share? The world may be a dark, cruel place, but other worlds that have not been brought under the Diamond Authority still have some specks of light."
I turned around, meeting Hessonite's eyes once again, "Yes, I made a promise to Pink Diamond that I would protect Steven. I sacrificed everything I had known for someone I only just met a few years ago.... a fraction long of my existence, but family is family... I believe you would understand that kind of bond better than any Gem. After all, you would do anything for Pyrope and Demantoid, would you not?"
"I..." Hessonite's eyes locked to the ground below.
"You've said your peace," I turned away again, "but if you want my honest advice... go discover your true self. If you're not happy with how you see yourself on Homeworld, go find who you really are."
"What is that supposed to mean..?" she asked.
I simply shrugged, "Beats me... all I know is, it's something I learned from watching Steven and all my fellow Crystal Gems. You can be anyone you want to be, but if the environment you live in does not give you that feeling of freedom, then the problem isn't you. It's the place you call 'home'."
I dashed off down the hall, leaving the orange Garnet to ponder over my suggestion. I knew she wouldn't dare show her face around here for a while after refusing to fell a Rebellion leader, but maybe that would be the best thing for her right now. For her to heal, she has to separate herself from the flaws of the caste system as I did 2 years ago.
I raced down the Palace halls. For every Gem I bumped into, I neglected their presence altogether and kept pushing forward. This would be the shortest War in our history next to the original Gem War, but I knew deep down that it had to be settled today, or we would not have a tomorrow. It had to be done. I had to come clean.
I need to talk to Mother... and tell her everything that I've been hiding since I chose to come back to Homeworld.
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I felt their eyes staring at me, as if from all directions. The moment was sudden, and fast. I threw myself in to shield my cousin from my own Mother, and now, surely, there were many questions to be answered.
"Onyx!?" many voices shouted in shock, but mostly it came from Steven and Lapis, who probably didn't expect to see me here of all places.
"Starlight, get out of the way! It's not safe for you to be here!" Mother ordered, her voice carrying like a fierce storm.
"I won't." I replied softly, refusing to make eye with her or my Aunts, who were still being mind controlled by her power.
I saw her flinch out of the corner of my eye, her eyes went scarily narrow, "What... did you... just say to me, young lady..?"
"I won't let you kill Steven..." I repeated with extra dialogue.
"There is no 'Steven', Starlight! Can't you see!?" she pointed at the human boy hiding behind me, a frightening smile gracing her features, "That thing taking shelter behind you is the shadow of a Diamond who could've been a benefit to this empire... Instead, we have to destroy Pink because of her countless failures..."
"Destroy a Diamond..? Is that something you really want..!?" I asked.
"Starlight, we don't need Pink... I certainly don't... I have you." she said with that twisted, nice-looking smile that I always hated.
"Well, I'M NO ONE'S REPLACEMENT!" I shouted, taking aback everyone in the room.
I felt something unstable swirling inside me. All the pressure, the stress, and the burden I've carried for Aunt Pink since her departure was threatening to burst from my gemstone. I couldn't handle it anymore... I felt my form shaking and glitching.
"Onyx..? What's wrong, Starlight..?" Mother asked, sounding a bit more concerned than normal.
"I.... I...."
"Onyx, you need to get away from here..!" shouted Lapis, "They're going to lock you away again..!"
"Everything we worked for will be meaningless, run!" exclaimed Garnet.
"Onyx, please..!" pleaded Steven.
"ENOUGH!!" I shouted, my voice booming over the panicked crowd, "IT WAS ME! I'M THE ONE WHO ORCHESTRATED THE NEW REBELLION!"
I couldn't fully see since I was averting eye , but I could feel that the shock from my response had zapped Aunt Yellow and Aunt Blue out of Mother's control.
"W...What..?" Aunt Blue covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
"Onyx did... what..?" Aunt Yellow's voice, instead of sounding enraged, sounded more confused and surprised than anything.
"Starlight...."
"I'm not proud of what I started... but I just... I couldn't stand it here anymore..! You three were lying to yourselves about Aunt Pink... believing she was still here with us..." Tears started to well in my eyes, but not because of Aunt Blue's influence, "She's not! She's gone! She's BEEN gone for 14 years! And instead of accepting Steven into our family like SHE wanted, you three treated him exactly the same as you did with Aunt Pink... Don't you get it!? By hurting Steven, you put that pressure on me to help keep him safe because I made that promise to Aunt Pink!"
I glared back up at the Diamonds fiercely, "I don't know what she meant to you three, but she was FAMILY to me! Just as you three are! You made me choose between my own family and it was destroying me faster than this war was destroying my own Gems..! I thought that if I could prove myself as a formidable leader, maybe, JUST maybe, you'd back down for once and actually realize that I'm not some shy useless Gem that always hides in the corner!"
I saw Mother's eyes widen, "Starlight, we don't think you're useless..!"
"Then tell me, MOTHER." I felt my voice raising against my will, but deep down, I knew she had to hear what I was going to say, whether it hurt or not, "What was the point of keeping me in the Palace and refusing to let me converse with Aunt Pink or her Gems!? Why do you use Aunt Pink's nickname to address me!?"
I clenched my fist, my expression wavering from enraged to upset as I felt the tears spill out of my eyes, "I KNOW what you wanted from me! I heard you talk to Aunt Yellow and Aunt Blue about it! You just wanted an easy replacement for Pink Diamond..! That's all I was to you! I was the Diamond who would be your little puppet and do everything you asked without question!"
At this point, I refused to make eye with anyone, but I could see out of the corner of my eye that Steven and Spinel were trying to comfort me. I didn't feel any sympathy for the Diamonds at this point. My respect for them was dwindling as every horrible, negative emotion crept out of me and blasted forth like a supernova. Just then, the sound of quiet sobs grabbed my attention as I looked back at White Diamond, who shockingly stared back at me with tears in her eyes.
"Onyx... I... I never meant to..-" At first, I was hesitant to believe my words actually got through to her, but there was no doubt in my mind... those were real tears, "Starli..- Starshine... I just wanted to protect you. I didn't want you to... become what Pink did... but..." she wiped the tears out of her eyes, looking away as she began to be more honest, "I knew that what I was doing wasn't right. I just didn't want to accept it. I thought if I wasn't perfect, I would be failing you, not as a Diamond, but as a Mother..."
"Mother..."
"Starshine," she lifted me up quietly, worrying Lapis and Spinel briefly but Steven stopped them before they did anything brash, "even if you were the one responsible for all this... I'm proud of you."
Her words made me flinch in surprise, "You... You are..?"
She gave a firm nod, "Onyx, you make a great leader. Even a Diamond couldn't have held their composure in the odds you faced with your Gems. I should've known sooner... You don't need to be my little Diamond to be a great leader, Starshine. You have been and always will be my little Onyx."
"Mother..!" her words were starting to move me back to tears.
"White does have a point..." Aunt Yellow interjected, her pride no longer standing in the way of her itting to defeat, "You gave my best armies such trouble... I suppose it only takes a Gem with no military background to confuse them."
"What Yellow is TRYING to say..." interrupted Aunt Blue, a smile now broadening through her tears, "we're proud of your accomplishments, and we've seen how hard you've worked to prove your point. We should've put more faith in you and... Steven."
Hearing them say Steven's name for the first time without any hint of sarcasm. It was the greatest feeling I had felt across all 100 years of my existence. I couldn't have been more happier.
"... Thank you... Mother, Aunt Yellow, Aunt Blue..."
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Bad Prediction AU is a Steven Universe series of Fan Art and fanfics made by JigokuHana and BoringArtist.
Onyx is my OC created for the Steven Universe Series in case you've forgotten, (somehow). Hessonite is a character from the Steven Universe video games and has only appeared in the show through a brief cameo in "Monster Reunion"
I had a lot of fun writing this short story. By far, my favorite interactions are those between Onyx and Hessonite. They are very similar characters, but yet on the exterior, they couldn't be more different. I also really enjoy the 'family' interactions since the Diamonds are such fun characters to write and work with.
I don't know when I will continue "Homeworld's Little Prodigy" but I do feel my ion for Writing coming back a bit. Until then, satiate your writing needs with this fun little short story. Until next time!
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