This takes place a little while "after the show". Obviously a lot of speculation and SPOILERS in here. I hope you enjoy!

It seems surreal to her, still.

Blue Diamond slowly walks the now empty halls of the Human Zoo, Blue Pearl hurriedly following along.

"How many times did we visit, Pearl?" -she asks, gazing upwards - the thousands of pink bubbles gone from their former resting place, her view of the stars unopposed.

The former servant answers quickly, a habit she knows the Pearl will not soon be able to break. "Two, before the Rebellion. Seven-hundred and thirty-two, after."

Blue notes her voice is stronger, now. It seems she has benefitted, like most of the lower castes, from the empowerment the Rebels provided. No honorifics, either. Almost like they're equal.

It's telling, that she can't even be asked to sneer.

She looks down, sparing a melancholic smile. "I wish I could've understood earlier. Her love for humanity, for Earth."

Pearl's head is held high, meeting her gaze - only possible now that she's parted her hair with some sort of plastic human invention. She finds it the slightest bit disturbing, these days, how much she was made to look like her. "I know." -she answers.

"And how could you not? You stood by my side all these eons…" -Blue recognizes, both admiring and bewildered.

"It was my duty." -she answers simply.

Blue scoffs. "It was your life. I held it in my hands from the start."

"And now you don't."

The Diamond nods, after a moment. "Yet another thing that changes."

The Pearl purses her lips ever so slightly. "This is progress. You are no stranger to it."

"Aren't I? I avoided my duties as a Diamond for nearly six-thousand years. I have grieved since the moment Pink…" -she retaliates, angry tears starting to form. "Since she was taken from us. I have yet to move on. So much so that I allowed this." -she spits out, gesturing to her freed servant, to the emptied Zoo.

If she expected Pearl to feel insulted, she's disappointed. "Your duties as Diamond were cruel, often barbaric. You gave little thought as to whose lives you took, Gem or otherwise. At your worst, you orchestrated the deaths of entire worlds."

It's true, and she knows it. She still can't bring herself to truly, honestly care, but hindsight has proven a mighty foe, even for a being as powerful as she. Especially in the context of these muted, rosy halls.

"After the Rebellion, I saw you change. You haven't shattered a Gem since. Your sister would carry out such deeds for you."

She winces. "I couldn't- "

"You could. You're a Diamond. The single most powerful being in the universe." -she shoots back, inexplicably calm. Blue does, however, note the purposeful use of 'single'. "And yet, here we are."

Here they are indeed; a 'simple' Pearl, lecturing her former master, ruler, owner.

Pearl's expression turns sad. "It took a terrible price. And seven-hundred and thirty-four visits to this place…" -she says, somewhat amused, even through her subtle tears. "But you are finally someone I would've been happy to serve."

Blue smiles, and for the first time in too long, it's sincere. "In another life, perhaps."

"Certainly not in this one."

It has only been a year or so since she was last on Earth. She remembers the pleasant surprise at the end of her otherwise depressing trip, the human she encountered at Pink's Palanquin - when she finally began to understand just what she saw in them. What caused her to rebel against her station.

What led to her death.

Her Dreadnought hovers in the upper atmosphere, a glossy blue stain on the otherwise pristine cyan, white, and green of the world below. She can see Pink's birthplace from here, the scar upon this world she least regrets inflicting.

The bridge is empty as she enters it, save for a handful of Peridots and a Nephrite that volunteered to take her to the human homeworld. She can sense their apathy towards her - and a healthy dose of fear, too. She's not sure how that makes her feel yet. She doubts she'll figure it out anytime soon.

"Blue Diamond, we are holding steady in low orbit." -the Nephrite informs her.

"Thank you for your assistance, Captain. I will Warp back to Homeworld when my business here is finished."

The green-black Gem nods her head, in barely appropriate deference. "Of course. Please, give my regards to the Crystal Gems, and have a safe trip."

She knows most Nephrites are enamored with the Rebels. She cannot fathom why, and she doesn't stick around to ask. She thanks the nervous Peridots as well, and leaves without looking back.

Her Palanquin is not exactly equipped for extended atmospheric descent, but it holds together. It's tougher than the last one, though, and manages to survive the trip to the Crystal Gem's main base. There's many of them now - certainly not as many as Rose Quartz recruited during the Rebellion, but enough for her to tread lightly - but the bulk of the Rebels is not there to greet her. In fact, she sees only one Gem awaiting her, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

The worst part is - considering she's never actually fought a Crystal Gem - that she's familiar.

"Blue Diamond." -she says, her voice calm and unwavering.

She knows her former subjects, from Corundums to Quartzes and Beryls, and she's none of them. No single Gem type in existence shares this Rebel's traits. "I do not know your name...fusion."

"Garnet. We've met before." -she says, pushing up her visor.

"Have we?" -Blue asks, examining her closer. For a fusion, she's impressively stable. Small in size, humanoid in traits...it would be nearly impossible, were she not a Diamond, for her not to think of this Rebel as some unknown type of single Gem.

Garnet nods. "Five-thousand, seven-hundred and fifty-two years ago."

Ah. That certainly narrows it down. "My defective Sapphire. And the Ruby guard that dared to fuse with her."

This visibly makes the fusion stiffen, but she nods. "The first of your kind...and certainly not the last." -Blue muses.

Cross-Gem fusion. She still cannot understand it. Isn't sure she wants to, but certainly needs to. It's the only thing that can really threaten her these days, with Yellow bubbled away, and White still catatonic. Lesser Gems, blended together into something, a hideous being that can rival a being as powerful as herself.

"I see you've remained fused." -she notes trying her best to keep the contempt from poisoning her tone.

"I've been known to separate. Once every century or so." -Garnet answers, daring to smirk.

The very thought disturbs her. "I cannot fathom it."

Garnet shrugs. "You've never tried it."

There's truth to the fusion's confident statement, and yet Blue can't help but remember Earth-lit moonwalks, eons since past: silent dances, joyful smiles, and flashes of light - being taller still, twice as powerful, even more alive.

"Not as you have, certainly."

"You might like it." -the fusion suggests.

Blue scoffs bending down so that her face is close enough for Garnet to touch - or punch. "Is that what you see, Your Clarity?"

Garnet is silent for some time, enough to make her wonder if she's simply terrified, or actually looking into the future.

She takes her visor off, a third eye - a relief, to find a defect at last - joining the other two in looking into her own, deeply melancholic. "No. It wouldn't be the same."

Blue almost breaks down on the spot. Somehow, she manages not to. "No. It would not." -she finally answers, after some time.

The fusion does not talk, so Blue shifts her gaze to the massive fusion depicted behind Garnet. She doubts it's to scale - dwarfing her, like she's switched roles with Pearl - but she still knows to fear the nameless, five-Gem fusion. She wonders...

"It wouldn't have helped." -Garnet says, without prompting.

The Diamond frowns. "What?"

"You were going to ask if fusing with her could've saved her. It wouldn't have."

Her eyes narrow in contempt, even as she feels the tears threatening to flow. "Oh? Are Garnets capable of seeing what could have been?"

Garnet's visor materializes again. "I see all possible futures, Blue Diamond. But I don't need this power to figure out that you could not have prevented Pink Diamond's fate."

Her ancient pride wants to argue - to bring her palm down on this impudent abomination, crush her for daring to even exist. Perhaps in some timeline, she does, as Garnet turns tense.

In this timeline, however, she cannot bring herself to care. "I wasn't even near her…" -she says, closing her eyes as she feels the tears run free, tracing familiar paths down her face.

Garnet is crying along, of course, bravely trying - and just failing - to resist a Diamond's aura. "None of us were. Not me, not you…not even Rose Quartz."

"I have seen what her sword can - and cannot - do. I'm keenly aware of how Pink was murdered."

"Then you must be keenly aware that there was nothing to be done. The moment Earth was chosen for a new colony - one that could birth a Diamond - a path was laid before her. She was brave enough to tread it, even as she saw the end of her journey."

And Pink had been, of course. Braver than any of her kin. Questioning her purpose from the moment she had burst from the Earth's soil. Wondering why she should deserve the adoration of a species her duties would see extinct. Doubting that her servants were anything more than slaves.

"You are walking on her footsteps now. Retreading a difficult path. Are you brave enough to walk it?" -Garnet asks her, before turning away, towards the small wooden dwelling cradled in the statue's hands.

She can sense them from here: the original, renegade Pearl, the abnormally powerful Lapis Lazuli, the brilliant little Peridot, the formerly corrupted Jasper, the defective Amethyst - and of course, Rose Quartz. Or rather, her son, the small, half-human hybrid that defies all logic - that has achieved the impossible in dismantling the eons-old Diamond Authority with little more than words and a smile.

Resolute, she takes the next step in her path.

She remembers the Song. Hasn't been able to completely get it out of her head, since she, Yellow, and White sung it. There are no lyrics to it. Only power, magic, and hatred.

Blue has precious little of those left in her.

They're in the Galaxy Warp, newly repaired, courtesy of the Rebel Peridot and her 'borrowed' Flask Robonoids. Blue expects the little pebble to turn them into killing machines, now that she's done with their original purpose. The eager green Gem reminds her of Yellow, a bit - her sister before the War, when she most enjoyed her inventions and the comfort of her labs, not the thought of Earth's destruction via geo-weapons.

With the Cluster in stasis for the foreseeable future, Earth is safe. Blue is somewhat glad that Yellow is bubbled. At least that way she's safe from harm - from the Rebels, sure, but mostly, from herself.

She's about to step onto the Homeworld Warp, when she turns around. The Crystal Gems all hail her in the traditional way - a gesture of trust, she knows, not the respect and deference it once meant - before warping away.

Steven remains, as does his human companion, the one who wields Rose's Sword.

"I did not learn the name of your partner, Steven Universe." -she says, inexplicably urged to converse with the strange little being.

He gasps, excitable as always. "That's right! Blue Diamond, this is Connie; Connie, that's Blue Diamond!"

The human 'Connie' nods. "...nice to meet you, ma'am."

"You are the first of your species I have talked to since this...business has passed." -Blue notes.

The dark shaded human grabs one of her arms with a hand. "You're...the first Diamond I've ever talked to."

Blue hums. "Likely the last. Your species has short lifespans, and I do not expect my sister to be allowed to reform within yours."

The human doesn't reply immediately. "Do you think she deserves it? Being bubbled?"

She thinks on this for a moment. "No. I do not. The rest she'll find within stasis, however…" -Blue trails off.

"I see." -Connie replies. Blue isn't sure the human can, but she's willing to give her - and her entire species, really - the benefit of the doubt.

"Is there a reason you stayed behind?"

Steven nods. "Yeah...we wanted to thank you, sort of. For sparing us, y'know? The Crystal Gems, the Earth…" -Steven says, awkward.

"You could've fought against us, helped Yellow Diamond keep the status quo intact. Instead, you gave us a chance to prove our innocence - our worth." -Connie adds.

Blue smiles, a little sad. "I merely wanted justice, little ones. I did not intend to aid your cause." -she tells them, honest.

"Well, no, but even when you were our enemy, you caused some good things to happen. Like, Garnet exists because of you."

"In spite of me, you may argue."

He continued, unimpeded. "You kept the humans in the Zoo alive and happy, and all of those Rose Quartzes safe!"

"Against my sister's wishes, indeed."

"Even your horrible Corruption song...it's how Steven and I met." -Connie said.

Blue winced, as Steven beamed. "Yeah! A huge worm monster tried to eat us. She's better now, though." -he said, likely referring to his unique ability to reverse the Corruption.

"I would still be the sad, lonely girl without any friends if Homeworld and the War hadn't messed everything up. Now I'm me; sword fighter, jam bud, one half of Stevonnie...if you caused all that when you were bad, imagine all the good you can do now!" -Connie said, ecstatic.

She shook her head, baffled. "Humans must have a strange sense of humor." -she quipped, then added, kneeling down to level with them. "Yet I feel now I must do all I can not to disappoint you, Connie the Sword Fighter, One Half of Stevonnie. The latter, I must confess, I don't know the meaning of."

Connie and Steven looked at each other, blushing, then took each other's hands, an ethereal glow enveloping them until they merged into a single being.

"Stevonnie...you are…"

"A fusion. Nice to meet you." -they said, somewhat nervous.

Most every feeling Blue had ever had ran through her mind, rendering her speechless for a moment. Just as Stevonnie began looking like they might unfuse, however, Blue smiled. "A human as part of a Gem fusion...if only Pink could see you now." -she said, intensely proud in her stead.

The fusion gasped. "Oh! That reminds me." -they said, then whistled loudly. An otherworldly sound, primal in nature, ripped through the night's air, a small portal manifesting and tossing out a furry creature, as pink as Rose's own shield.

Stevonnie reached into the creature's mane, pulling out some kind of wooden container. "What is it?" -Blue asked, curious.

The fusion pursed their lips. "Well, Garnet said you shouldn't get your hopes up...but she also said it was 'worth a try'."

They produced a small, metallic key, and inserted it into the lock, which immediately opened.

Inside, was a bubble, and within it, her love.

"There's more of me on Homeworld, now. Well, other Rose Quartzes. Some, you might even convince to help you. Mom Quartz was never able to restore a shattered Gem, but...that was then, and this is now. Maybe it's time to try again." -Stevonnie said, gently offering the bubble to her. "If you think I could help...maybe I could visit?"

Blue Diamond rose, delicately cradling the bubble in her hands. "The Diamond Authority may have been disbanded, and my power as ruler of Gemkind greatly diminished...but yes. A thousand, thousand times yes."

The last thing she saw of Earth was the hopeful smile of the most unique being in the galaxy - and she knew, deep in her Gem, that she would see it again.

I'm way into Steven Universe lately, and I have thoughts. Lots of theories and headcanons in this.

This is intended as a one-shot, but I'm thinking about making an epilogue for it. Is that something you'd like to see?

Until next time!