Imagine a world where the Rebellion failed, taken to a very angsty, realistic conclusion. That's this fic in a nutshell.
Fractures is a Steven Universe fanfic written by Space Dimentio
. It can be found on FanFiction.Net (here), Archive of Our Own (here), and Wattpad (here). The story is continued in Fractures: Side Cracks.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- And Then What?: Pink questions Blue on what the whole point of the Gem Empire's desire to expand and conquer has no real end-game to it and seems to be done for its own sake.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Pink is not afraid of asking certain questions that no other gem is willing to ask.Pink: Y'know, between the three of us, I seem to be the only one asking why. 'Because' is not a satisfactory answer, Blue. White made us for a specific purpose, yes, but have you ever thought to ask… [w]ho made White?
- Chivalrous Pervert: During their bonding time, Pink bluntly admits that she has fused before to Blue (which would be like your baby sister telling you to your face that she is not a virgin) and then she proceeds to tease Blue over it, asking if she has ever fused by accident (or on purpose).
- Death by Adaptation:
- With the exception of Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond, Bismuth, and a handful of others, every other Crystal Gem from the war has long since been shattered, notably Pearl and Garnet.
- Pink Diamond shatters White Diamond when she tries to "bleach" her.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Pink insists to Bismuth to call her Pink, reasoning that Rose Quartz died with her fellow Crystal Gems.
- A Father to His Men: When she is not having one of her "off-days", Pink Diamond acts as this towards the Off-Colors and the New Crystal Gems.
- For Want Of A Nail: White Diamond tells Yellow Diamond about Rose Quartz's real identity before she could fake her death, resulting in Pink being unable to preserve the Earth and the human race being rendered extinct.
- Going Through the Motions: It is implied that Blue's inability to give a satisfactory answer on the point of Homeworld's hierarchy and their desire to colonize are a result of her not actually thinking about it consciously, meaning that Blue does not do it for any imperative other than that that is what they do.
- Heroic BSoD: After being forced to watch all of her fellow Crystal Gems be shattered one after the other to teach her a lesson, Pink Diamond is left in a near-catatonic state, stuck in her room to contemplate the depths of how much she had screwed up for over five-thousand years.
- Heroic Willpower: After mulling over the guilt of her shattered friends and her failed rebellion, Pink musters up the sheer strength of will and utter contempt for the role she's forced to take on to overpower White Diamond with her aura alone, giving her an opening to shatter her in a single-swoop.
- Hidden Depths: Padparadscha is fully aware of how much of a burden she can be, believing she lacks the physical prowess and super-abilities to be any help for the off-Colors, leading to Pink Diamond to console her.
- Humanity's Wake: Humans are now extinct in this alternate timeline as due to the failure of Pink Diamond’s rebellion, the Kindergartens completely drained the Earth of resources.
- Lobotomy: White Diamond has the power to "bleach" unruly gems, draining them of their color and brainwashing gems to make them more agreeable. She attempts to do this with Pink, only for Pink to overpower her with her aura and, White having been caught off guard by this, get shattered instantly.
- Mood-Swinger: After meeting the Off-Colors, her collective traumas have left Pink to behave rather Bipolar; most days she is kind, supportive and wise to them, other days she goes off to sulk on her own collective hang-ups, ignoring or snapping at any gem that goes to console her. The Off-Colors understand this, and allow her to have her space and letting her come to them when she's ready, even if it's just to sit silently with them.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Blue Diamond comes to this conclusion after she finds that Pink Diamond has more or less gone completely catatonic after they shattered every last one of the Crystal Gems right in-front of her to teach her a lesson, missing the lovable, innocent, mildly obnoxious Pink she used to know. Yellow is in denial of this until long after White Diamond is shattered, finally seeing the physical scars her fellow diamonds have infected on her, being reason enough to allow her to leave Homeworld without protest.
- Not Quite Dead: White Diamond, after being shattered, had all of her shards put into one bubble by Blue. Later, Pink has a dream that implies that White Diamond is making psychic contact with Pink, and she's putting herself back together.
- Scars Are Forever/Wound That Will Not Heal: Due to White Diamond's attempt to "bleach" Pink, part of her face is covered in noticeable white scars, as well as having lost the ability to produce healing tears from one of her eyes.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: When Pink reforms after Yellow poofs her, she reforms as her true self, but wearing her Rose Quartz white dress as a form of defiance.
- Stranger in a Familiar Land: By the time Pink Diamond was able to return to Earth after six millennia, she finds that the Earth has long since been drained of all of its resources, now just a massive, lifeless hunk of rock orbiting the sun like all other former colonies.
- Team Mom: Flourite becomes something of a mother figure to both the Off-Colors and Pink Diamond, comforting them and counseling them when they are upset. Pink Diamond even openly refers to her as being like a mother, explaining other what mothers are from her interactions with humans.
