Amber Skies: A Steven Universe AU

Please note that this is a rough draft, and should not be considered a final product. Suggestions and constructive criticism are allowed, but please do not judge me for my bad writing skills. Thank you.This AU takes place sometime after the events of SUF, to clear up any confusion.
== Prologue ==
Gold had had enough.
She was tired of such a forbidden wasteland to call home, and despite her best efforts, her reign was slowly taking a turn for the worse. The gems had taken everything from her.
Her home.
Her life.
Her very own sister.
And soon, possibly her subjects.
She had to do something. A rebellion, perhaps. Agate slowly approached her. "Y-Your highness?" Gold sighed. Agate had always been so frail.
"Yes, Agate?" She said finally. "M-Mercury would like t-to see you." He said, his calico hands shaking.
"She comes with... news... regarding the gems."
== Chapter One: Mercury ==
Mercury closed the door behind her. 
That was nothing short of a nightmare... She thought as she exited the worn-down castle and walked home. It was late, and she didn't want to stay out at night. Their moon had disappeared shortly after Princess Silver had gone rouge, so nights were cold, dark, and just plain scary. She thought about the inter-dimensional vision she had about a place called... she pulled out a notepad she always carried with her. 'Earth.' Yeah. Earth. She sighed. "No place like home..." She said while she opened her door. She looked at the time. 64:96 a.x. Holy mother of Gold! how had she been out that long? She shook her head. The clock must be broken... She reasoned. 
She yawned. The day had been a tiring one. Being one of the only minerals that are capable of having visions, it seemed that Mercury didn't get nearly as much rest as she hoped. So before she went to sleep, she closed her eyes and wished with all her stone that things might change. That there would soon be a time where gems and minerals could live in peace. She then headed to bed to get some well-deserved rest.
== Chapter Two: Amber ==
Meanwhile, on a strange planet known as Earth...
Amber didn't remember much.
All she knew was that she was an abomination.
She didn't even know what she was an abomination of. She was only... Confused.
But why?
Amber was tightly holding onto a branch of the tree she was in. She was looking at the highway from a distance, watching big metallic things on wheels zoom by. What were they? She didn't know. She settled on calling them 'creatures' for now.
Just like me, She thought.
Woah. She put a hand to her head. Where did that come from? She didn't know anything about what she was. How could she be calling herself a creature? Your name is Amber. A voice told her. She nearly fell out of the tree, but caught herself on a nearby branch. "Who are you?" She snarled, looking around frantically. "Show yourself!" You are a mistake and therefore are not supposed to exist. Amber grimaced. "Well I know that much." She said, a little irritated. Do not be snappy with me. It will not end well for you. Amber instinctively shut her mouth but glared at her surroundings. Now. Do as I say. Of course Amber didn't want to. She'd rather throw herself onto the highway, but she felt that she didn't exactly have free will here. Reach behind your back, and let your energy transform. Amber was... a bit curious now. Energy? Since when did she have energy? She lightly touched the brilliant orange gem on her shoulder. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try... She reached over her shoulder and focused. Try harder. "I am, just give me a second!" Amber's focus wavered. "You're distracting me!" She expected to hear a response, but the voice had fallen silent. Whatever. She didn't have time for... whatever that was, anyway. Amber felt a strong surge of energy, and then... Where there was once air... there was now something hard and leather-like. She brought her hand up to see what it was. "Whoa." In her hand was a glowing, bright orange sword that had a somewhat magical aura to it. Behold. The voice said dramatically. Your battle weapon.
 While Amber was studying the sword, she saw something she hadn't noticed before. Scars. All along her upper forearms, were scars. She put the sword down and ran a hand over them. Some looked fresh, and some looked like they had been cut at odd angles. She looked up, expecting an answer from the voice. "Well? What are these from? You know all about me." ...It would be best if I do not talk about it. "Why?" Amber snapped. "I want to know who I was! So who was I?" The voice was silent for several minutes, leaving Amber to only wonder. If this is the answer so you seek, The voice suddenly said, Then follow the creature's path. Find the lion with sunset fur, and learn of a secret plan. When all is said and done, find the house that belongs to no land. Do not enter, for you shall be caught. Shall he find you, time shall tell. Let the universe decide your fate. And with that, the voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Now go. Find your destiny. Amber nodded and got out of the tree. Follow the creature's path. She looked at the highway. I think I know just what that is.
== Chapter Three: Mercury ==
Mercury awoke with a start.
She looked around at her house.. except... It wasn't her house. It was a forest. And it was... Green. What in Xactross? I've never heard of a green forest before... She studied the trunk. These aren't Xactross trees... Where am I...? The realization suddenly hit her. "I know this place!" She said out loud. "Earth." She said while picking up a leaf. She started to giggle. "I'm on Earth! Woooohooo!" She started running around in circles. "The home of the- oh no." She stopped. "The home of the gems..." She sat down and started to panic. "How did I even get here? How do I get back home? What if I run into- ahh!" She was poked in the back by a big, wet nose. Mercury cautiously turned around, only to be face-to-face with an unnaturally pink lion. "G-Get away from me! You... You don't want to mess with the future!" She swatted at the lion, but the lion didn't move. "Do... You even want to hurt me...?" The lion only crouched and looked up at her. "Oh! Do... Do you want me to ride you? I suppose it wouldn't hurt..." She got on the lion's back, feeling its mane. "Aw, you're so soft!" She said giggling. The lion purred in response and started to walk towards the highway. "Where are we going?" She asked. "Also, why are you..." She hesitated. "Like this?" Mercury stroked the lion's mane. The lion looked back at her. "I mean... you're amazing! I heard that lions lived on Earth, but I didn't know they were pink..." The lion ignored her and kept trekking forward. Mercury sighed, disappointed. "Not much of a talker- woooah!" The lion had slid her off his back, making her crash into a nearby bush. "Hey! What was that for!? I thought you were nice!" She struggled to escape the sharp stickers and twigs jutting out from every angle. 
The lion's eyes looked kind, however. He nudged Mercury farther into the sticker bush. "Aw, come on!" Her muffled voice shouted. "I almost had it! You won't get away with this!!" She was left only to sit there as the lion trotted off somewhere. Mercury huffed. "This is why I don't trust nobody..." She grumbled. But somewhere outside the bush, she could hear a woosh sound, and the crunching of leaves underneath shoes. The lion and a dark brown-haired girl peeked their heads over the bush to get a look at her. "Hey..." The girl said in a soft voice. "Are... Are you okay?" 
== Chapter Four: Connie ==
Today had been a pretty normal day for Connie.
She woke up, ate breakfast, did all the usual things she did in the mornings, and was about to eat lunch when Lion showed up.
She hadn't seen Lion in forever, calls with Steven aside, so she was pretty exited to see him again.
Until he showed her something that completely blew her away.
The odd gem-like creature was struggling to get out of a sticker bush. "No! I'm not okay!" it said, sounding annoyed. "So... So you can talk." "Well, yeah, I can talk. Big deal." It huffed. "Woah. I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to-" "Can you get me out of this Gold-flooded bush already? What else did he send you for?" Connie was taken aback by its sudden demand, but complied anyway. She picked up the little gem and started inspecting it for injuries. It was about as tall as Sapphire was, and similar in appearance, but instead of the familiar blue curls, its hair seemed to be an infinite flow of a silver substance. Mercury, she guessed. Its water-like bangs covered its eyes, and occasionally dripped onto her cloak, only to be reabsorbed by it. Its skin was a soft gray, almost like clouds over a stormy sea. She started to pick thorns away from its silver cloak. "What are you...?" She murmured. “What am I? Pfft.” It looked down. “I honestly don’t really know anymore.” it cleared its throat, and looked back up at her. “Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name’s Mercury. A royal Seer for her majesty. I go by she or her, just in case you were curious.” "Oh." Connie said, pulling the last thorn free. "So... You're like... a gem?" Mercury pulled away, brushing her silver hair to the side. "Minerals." She said, slowly. "Are nothing. Like. Gems." A look of anger persisted in her face, but her eyes were full of genuine sadness, and she looked like she was on the brink of tears.
"They suck the life out of planets just to make more of them! I don't even know why Ear- This planet is still alive! It should have become a barren wasteland in a matter of eons!" Tears began streaming down her gray face. "I don't- I don't..." Connie brushed Mercury's tears away. "Hey..." She began. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." Mercury looked up at her. "I'm sorry." She wiped the rest of her tears away. "I was raised under the impression that gems are evil, and that they hate everyone." She pushed her flowing hair back in place, covering her eyes. "Even though I know better than that. The rest of them don't though." Connie looked down at her. "You know... I think I know someone who can help." Lion crouched to the floor, letting Connie get on his back. Mercury followed, a little reluctantly. "And you're sure this is safe?" Connie giggled. "I've done this hundreds of times! But... You might want to hold on a little tighter than that." Mercury looked confused. "What do you-" Lion suddenly roared, forming a pink portal right in front of them. Connie felt arms quickly fasten around her waste as Lion jumped into it, leaving nothing but the wilderness around them behind.
== Chapter Five: Amber ==
Find the lion with sunset fur.
"Why do prophecies always have to be so vague?" She sighed. "The people giving the prophecy know the answer, right? so why do I have to go on a completely unnecessary goose-chase for a sunset lion?" She quietly grumbled to herself as she walked along the side of the long, twisting road. "I don't even know where I am! How am I supposed to know if lions even live here?" She had been tightly holding on to her sword this whole time, as if the world depended on it. Maybe it was just instinct from her past life.
She didn't know.
Just as she was thinking about it, the pinkest lion she had probably ever laid eyes on jumped out of a portal in front of her and starting booking it across the road. She could barely catch a glimpse of a teenage girl and something silver before the lion got to the other side of the highway. Amber took a moment to process what just happened. "A lion with sunset fur- hey, wait up!" She started to run towards them with every ounce of strength in her body. "Wait! Stop!" She yelled. The lion flicked it's ears back and stopped in it's tracks, nearly sending the little silver thing flying. "Hey, what gives?" It said. The girl got off the lion to look at him. "I dunno. What's wrong, Lion?" "Pfft." The silver gem-like thing scoffed. "You were granted a lion with supernatural powers, and you named it... Lion?" The girl shrugged. "I didn't name him. Plus, he's not really our pet." Amber finally caught up with them, noticing that they were a good distance away from the highway. "He... stopped... Because he... heard me." She panted. The silver gem looked shocked, but the girl didn't seem surprised at all. 
"Heya." She simply said with a giggle. "I'm Connie, and this is Mercury. A mineral from..." She seemed to be at a loss for words. "Xactross." The gray mineral finished. "A unique planet, harboring the fact that our two leaders, Queen Gold and Princess Silver, can manipulate the night and day." "Yeah." Connie said. "Are you a mineral too? That would explain some things." Minerals? she thought. Princess Silver? Why does that seem... familiar...? Amber shook her head. "I honestly don't know what I am. Although... I'm pretty sure i'm a gem." She rolled up her sleeves to show them her gem. "I'm not entirely sure though." She finished with a sigh. Connie thought for a moment. "Well, why don't you come with us?" She asked. "Mercury doesn't know how she got here either." "Not that I wanna go back..." Amber heard the little mineral mumble under her breath. "Uh... okay! Where are we going?" Mercury's entire face lit up, and she waited anxiously for Connie to answer. Connie rolled her eyes with a smile. "We're going to see-" "Steven Universe!!" Mercury said, bouncing up and down. "Isn't it exiting? THE. STEVEN. UNIVERSE." She beamed at Amber, waiting for a response. "Um... Who?" Amber couldn't recall anyone named Steven Universe. Mercury's jaw dropped. "Whaddoya mean, who? It's Steven Universe! He's practically a legend!" Mercury turned to Connie, silently asking for help. Connie shook her head, still smiling. "You'll see when we get there. Hop on!" She hoisted herself and Mercury onto lion. Amber walked up to lion and lightly petted his mane. It's almost like this lion is made of cotton candy... She thought to herself as she sat behind Mercury. Lion flicked his ears back and started to run. It was sort of graceful, seeing the lion run almost effortlessly across the long stretch of grass and flowers. Amber watched as the sun started to sink farther and father in the sky, and thought back to her prophecy. And learn of a secret plan. She recited in her head. But... if these two aren't hiding anything, She wondered. 
Then who is? 
== Chapter Six: Gold ==
"Is everything ready, Agate?"
"Yes, your Majesty."
Gold looked out over her fallen empire. It's their fault she's gone. They took everything from me. She thought. Agate had looked distressed ever since she ordered him to prepare for war. "Y-Your Majesty." Gold turned toward him. "Agate, I understand your concern, but if anyone is to die, it will be me. They stole from us. Don't you remember that day?" "Y-Yes, my Queen." Agate stuttered. Gold sighed. "I worry about you sometimes, Agate. You know you aren't just another servant." Agate didn't answer. Gold bent down to look at him. "I will do what must be done." "But my Queen!" Agate suddenly blurted. "If you die, this empire will fall apart! O-Our legacy will be written in dust!" Gold shushed him by holding up a hand. "Our legacy has been in dust, Agate. For eons, now." Agate sighed. "You're right, my Queen. I'm sorry." Gold figured that she wouldn't be able to get him to stop apologizing, so she settled on giving him something to do. "Agate, I need everything prepared for when we warp to Earth." Gold stood back up again, towering over the small mineral. "The reign of the diamonds ends tomorrow." Agate nodded. "I shall have everything ready for you, my Queen." Agate ran off to tell the weapon suppliers and warriors. 
Gold looked out over the horizon, folding her cloak neatly across her hands. 
"I'm sorry, Silver. This may not be what you wanted, but they have to pay for what they stole." 
== Chapter Seven: Mercury ==
Mercury couldn't believe it.
Steven Universe had been her hero for years, and she was finally going to meet him!
Mercury couldn't hold back her excitement. "I'm so excited! I can't believe I'm actually going to meet him!!" Amber, who was sleeping behind her, mumbled something. "What?" She asked her. Amber lifted her face away from Lion's back. "I said WE KNOW. You've been saying it for the past HOUR." She groaned sleepily. "Speaking of which, when will we get there?" "Oh, quit your whining." Said Mercury. "I'm sure we'll get there soon enough." Connie sighed. "I'm sorry, guys... It would be faster, but Lion isn't using his portals for... some reason." She said as she stroked the feline's fluffy mane. Mercury's face fell. "Awww." "Hypocrite" Mumbled Amber from behind Mercury. "Hey, no fair! You're not half as excited as I am!" "I don't think anyone could come close," Amber scoffed. "Let alone me." Mercury could tell that Connie was getting annoyed, so she leaned down to whisper in Amber's ear. "Hey, maybe we should stop fighting," She said. "I don't want Connie to get mad at us." Amber shifted her weight on Lion, her facial expression changing. "Yeah..." She said. "Me neither." There was something about the way that Amber said 'Me neither' made Mercury feel a twang of sadness for the gem. She knew she wasn't supposed to care for gems, (If she did, she would be in a literal world of pain) but she wasn't on Xactross right now.
She was on Earth.
A world of freedom, a world of life. Something she had only seen mere visions of.
And she was happy.
Mercury turned back around, her arms tired from hugging Lion. She knew she had nothing better to do, so she recited one of Xactross' oldest legends to Amber: The Legend of Princess Silver.
"Once apon a time, when the universe was new, Gold and Diamond were created.
All-knowing god-like beings with seemingly unlimited power. 
They were tasked with one job: the creation of their kind.
Gold, the Elder sister, saw the possibilities of creation and life, and made her subjects with her own willpower.
Diamond, the Younger, however, saw that her sister's subjects were frail and weak, being created by only magic.
Diamond wanted more than life. She wanted beings that were capable of regeneration.
So she took matters into her own hands.
By taking organic life from planets, she could create beings of power, like herself.
Gold took notice of her sister's doings, and tried to stop her. She begged and pleaded with Diamond, but saw that she had already succumbed to her greed.
Diamond lashed out, and told her sister that her selflessness had gotten the better of her, and that she best go far away before she was broken.
Gold tried to rebel, but Diamond had already made other all-powerful beings, ones made from entire planets of organic life.
Giants of power, colors of Yellow, Blue, and Pink.
She had named herself White Diamond, and was growing in power as she settled on a place she called Homeworld.
So Gold had fled.
She had gone to a planet far away from Homeworld to settle, and hopefully never run into her sister again.
She was overwhelmed with grief, for her sister whom she had once known had turned to darkness.
So her first creation on this new world was Princess Silver, a being filled with everything Gold had wanted her sister to be.
She gifted her creation great power like herself, and they created an empire of their own together.
Gold gifted herself the Gift of Light, The power to move the sun.
And Silver was gifted the Gift of Dark, The power to move the moon.
For eons, everything was great for the minerals and their growing empire.
But as time past, Silver began to grow cold.
Gold had seen changes for years, and confronted her sister, but Silver refused to speak.
From there, Silver was consumed by the darkness inside of her, and transformed into Eclipse, a monster of darkness and hate.
Gold had fought back with her armies, but they proved to be powerless against her new form.
But then, a gem from Homeworld known only by Prism, arrived and destroyed her physical form, only to flee back to Homeworld with Silver's corrupted stone.
Their planet, now known as Xactross, was in ruin from Eclipse's attack. 
Ever since then, Gold blamed the gems for her fallen princess, and swore vengeance on them all."
Amber sat up, shocked by the end of the legend. "Woah. Did that really happen?" Mercury shrugged. "Queen Gold won't let us forget it, it seems. She's still morning over her broken sister." Amber's eyes looked frightened for a moment, and she mumbled something under her breath. "Mercury... What exactly is she going to do?" Mercury winced, hoping Connie and Amber wouldn't freak out over her response. "I... Think she's going to declare war on the gems."
== Chapter Seven: Amber ==
"What?!"
Amber was downright horrified, and it looked like Connie was, too. "And you chose to tell us this JUST NOW?!" Connie yelped. "That's insane! I thought we were done with all this war stuff!" Mercury seemed to sink lower where she sat. "I'm sorry... I... Just wanted to focus on the beauty of this world." Connie didn't answer. "C'mon Lion. Now we really need to get moving." She said, after what seemed like forever. Amber didn't think Lion would be able to understand Connie, but it seemed like he understood every word. Lion rushed forward, jumping into the portal he had created.
(oof, I need ideas-)Category:Alternate Universe
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Literature
Category:Fantasy
Category:Original Stories
Category:Steven Universe
Category:Fanfictions (Unfinished)