Chapter Text
PROLOGUE
Darkness shrouded the entire expanse of the sky that night; not even the moon casted the slightest light on the faint silhouettes of those still wandering the streets, much less her own.
A young woman with hair as black as coal laid resting against the trunk of an old tree, which served as a resting spot after so many hours of travel. Despite all the battles she had fought and the physical feats she had accomplished, she couldn’t escape the fact that she was still half-human and needed to stop at some point. Although, ever since Era 3 had dawned, there was nothing left to fight for.
She pressed her lips together at the very thought. Her brother had succeeded; peace between the worlds had been achieved. She didn’t dismiss it—not at all; in fact, she admired him for it. But a small part of her couldn’t help but feel a little anger at the thought that all her years of fighting had ultimately been for nothing.
She trusted Steven more than anyone else; he was her beloved younger brother, born just thirty seconds after her. But the kid had always been very innocent, very childlike. Even now, at sixteen, he still was—the complete opposite of her, who had matured almost from the very beginning of her childhood.
I still don’t understand how, even after learning the truth, he was able to forgive them. After everything they’ve caused, all the suffering that’s resulted from their actions. It doesn’t make sense. Steven… Why?
The more she thought about it, the fewer answers she found. She regretted not having been there when it all happened. Perhaps, had she been present, things might have turned out differently; peace might have been achieved without the need for those three gems. She could have shattered them into a thousand pieces without a shred of remorse. And the credit would have been hers, too.
Human emotions were such a curious thing. She was glad for the peace, yet at the same time she couldn’t bear the fact that now no one gave a second thought to all the temples, gems and humans she’d saved during her battle years. It was as if she’d never done it, as if she’d never existed. No, now the centre of attention was her brother, the Bringer of Peace. It had always been that way. But it wasn’t fair to blame him; Steven hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t deserve those thoughts.
She sighed wearily, noticing a faint pink glow emanating from her belly. There laid the source of all her sorrows: that gem belonging to her ‘beloved’ mother. If only things had been different. If only she’d had support; if only her mother hadn’t left them with such a horrible fate, or all that mess to clean up.
Everything she’d had to sacrifice because of her.
“Hold on!” she shouted to one of her squads of rebel gems, one of the few remaining.
It was one of her first battles, but by no means the least fierce. Watching her comrades fall one by one, gems shattered into pieces, whilst she could do nothing to stop it.
She ran as fast as her legs would carry her to fight the soldiers of Yellow’s army, her weapon piercing through the bodies of gems and even the stones themselves. She knew it wasn’t right, but she couldn’t afford to have thousands of gems trapped in bubbles. No, this was a war just like the one fought six thousand years ago.
She was used to seeing death; she’d seen it far too many times. But not at first hand – that was different.
It happened right before her eyes, in a split second when she wasn’t quick enough.
"Ruby!"
She watched as a spear pierced the little Ruby’s gem, her eyes widening as she felt herself being destroyed. The gem on her arm shattered into pieces and her body vanished. Her trusted companion was dead.
"NO!"
Her remains were trampled by the warrior Topaz before she could destroy her. She screamed, kneeling on the ground to hold the shards in her hands, anger building inside her. She couldn’t heal her; she couldn’t do anything. She could only throw herself back into battle to prevent any more of them from dying.
A light suddenly cut through her thoughts; it was enormous – possibly a simulation. She knew that a communicator of that sort was by no means human, so there was only one simple explanation left.
Gems.
"Attention, attention! We bring you a message from our new protector, our new leader, Pink Diamond!" She heard it say. Mikaela was startled at the sound of the name, but calmed down when she saw her brother’s face. She’d forgotten that he’d also been named a Diamond… with them. She chose to give the message the attention it deserved; at least her brother had been clever enough to decide to stay on Earth rather than with the rest of the Diamonds. The lad had pulled off quite a narrow escape. He also said that there were people waiting for him in Beach City—his family.
"Don’t worry, little brother. I’ll come and see you again soon. It’s been a few years since the last time. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you alone again. I had some very important things to do." She whispered, knowing he wouldn’t hear her, as she rose from her spot amongst the tree’s roots. "We’ll be together again soon." She promised herself as she made her way to the motorbike parked on the hard shoulder of the road.
Her dark eyes looked at the projection one last time before it ended. She still had a few things to sort out, but she would return to what had once been her home.
It’s about time I go back to see Dad and the crystal gems.
That was where her Era began; her new life would start with her return. And with it, she would have to leave behind everything she had ever been.
Although she hadn’t expected on having to see them in person.