A New Era Three

Chapter One: A Doomed Trial

Author's note: This story begins in the middle of the Steven Universe episode "The Trial."

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The courtroom around him was cold as he endured the relentless hateful stares from the two Diamonds seated in front of him. He only had one line of defense: a shaky Zircon who didn't want him alive but had no choice but to fight for his life.

"Blue Diamond, for the purpose of this argument, may I present your palanquin?" The blue Zircon politely asked as she paced the trial hall.

Blue Diamond leaned down and stared at the gem. "Why?"

Zircon straightened up and fear entered her eyes. "I would like to demonstrate the unlikeliness of someone being able to approach Pink Diamond."

Blue leaned back and glanced at Yellow.

"No," she finally said. "I don't want a traitor near my property."

"Of course, my Diamond," Zircon said, flustered. She recovered after taking a deep breath and continued to pace. "Now, as the records show, Pink Diamond was shattered just outside a palanquin much like this. Witnesses say Pink had just stepped out and had only taken a few steps forward when Rose attacked her from the front!"

Blue Diamond made a distressed sound and turned away as she visualized the scene.

"But the question no one seems to be asking is how?" the Zircon continued.

"I've been asking that!" Blue exclaimed.

"And right you are to ask, my Diamond!" Zircon quickly recovered with a stutter. "Because at that time that Pink was shattered, Rose Quartz had been a recognized threat for several hundred years. There were no Rose Quartz soldiers in her entourage and none in her guard. So how did a Rose Quartz, with no business being anywhere near Pink Diamond, get so close in the first place? Where were Pink Diamond's attendants? Her Agates, Her Sapphires? And where was her Pearl? "

"They were with her, of course, they saw the whole thing!" Yellow shouted out in anger as she slammed her fist on her throne.

"But none of them saw Rose Quartz approach? Wouldn't her Sapphires have seen Rose Quartz coming? Wouldn't her Agates have tried to fight her off?" Zircon questioned, not paying attention to the rising tension in the room as the Diamonds took in this new information.

"She must have slipped past them!" Yellow insisted.

"Even if she did, wouldn't her Pearl have cried out an alarm, 'Watch out, My Diamond!?'" Zircon called in a sing-song over the top voice. "No, whoever did this was already close to Pink Diamond. Someone her guards would allow to get near her, someone she would listen to when asked to stop her palanquin and step outside, and someone with the authority to cover it up afterwards! Someone with supreme authority. Someone... like one of you!" She finished her statement by dramatically pointing at Blue and Yellow.

Blue gasped out and Yellow stood, her entire form rigid with anger.

Zircon didn't even have a chance to redeem herself before she was crushed under Yellow's boot. The Diamond lifted her leg and the remains to the gem glittered on the floor: shattered. The other Zircon quietly stepped back and formerly offered the Diamond salute when Yellow turned to her.

Yellow huffed and waved her away. The Zircon walked out of the room as swiftly as she was good, not even looking happy about her victory.

And Steven, he was staring at the gem fragments in front of him.