Steven Universe: Black Hole

Steven Universe: Black Hole Part 3

It's finally here! The final part of the story, and also the longest by far! Seriously, the first part was long, but this is twice the length of the first part (it also has better grammar. Part 1's grammar was ATROCIOUS)! I worked really hard on this part, and spent a lot of time writing, proofreading, re-proofreading, all that jazz. But, I may have missed a few things, so sorry about that! I still hope you...

Enjoy!

Steven Universe: Black Hole pt. 3

The Event Horizon

Connie and Lapis burst through the door to Steven's house. Lapis was carrying Steven, and she placed him on his bed. He seemed to be sleeping. Both of them hoped he was doing just that. Connie looked at Steven in a fearful way, feeling as though she was witnessing his death. She felt as though she'd seen quite enough after a bit, so she stepped out into the brisk, night air. She stood on the deck, trying to find some way to help the situation. Yet, she couldn't. There was no conceivable way to help him. She recognized the bleakness of this situation in that instant. Even bleaker with the feeling that she was absolutely powerless. That she could do nothing to help the friend that she's loan for so long. She looked at the stars, and was jealous of how they always seemed so joyful, even in times like this. The stars. Connie looked along the coast of the beach, searching for something. She then walked back inside, and began to ransack the place. Lapis noticed this strange behavior, and looked at her curiously as she searched.

"What are you doing?" Lapis asked. "We should be trying to help Steven."

"I am." Connie replied. She'd looked behind just about every door at this point, and decided it was time to check the closet. Would it make sense for it to be there? Would it even fit? she wondered. She searched anyway. Nothing. Her paranoia grew, and she was afraid that there was now nothing that they could do. She bolted up the stairs to Steven's bed, and tried to wake him up. She shook him, slapped him, shouted at him, everything she could to wake him up. Still, he slept. His eyelids fluttered, almost as if he was having a seizure. She remembered how Steven had described Pearl's "freedom," and shuddered at the recollection, hoping this didn't apply to him as well. Just then, the temple door was opened. Their attention was refocused on that in an instant, and what they saw confused and surprised them.

1

Steven was trapped in eternal emptiness. It was almost like the black hole, only worse. Worse because now Black Diamond stood proud, tall, and daunting before him, while he could only float around aimlessly. He couldn't do anything without feeling some sort of pain. In fact, doing nothing was painful enough.

"It's been difficult." Black Diamond said, her voice echoing around him as it did in the black hole. "Difficult spreading and completing the process while most of my energy was removed. If you had only let me finish removing it for a little bit longer, you would not be experiencing this."

"Leave...me al-alone." Steven said, gasping in agony.

"As if! Things are already going so well. Steven Quartz, I've done everything I could to thank you, and even to befriend you."

"Apparently...y-you and I have dif-different ways of...doing that."

"Apparently so." Black Diamond observed Steven as he writhed in pain, whimpering now and then. Yet, she was not entertained by it, as much as she was morbidly fascinated by it. It was like seeing a dead body or a car crash take place. She seemed to pity him. "I have other matters to attend to."

"S-So you're gonna lea-leave me here? In p-pain?" Steven asked.

"I'm not even here! Not physically." Black Diamond responded. She had to concentrate on her objective. She couldn't give up her true plans just for the sake of a human. "Goodbye, Steven Quartz." Black Diamond disappeared in a cloud of vapor, and Steven was left alone. All he could see was darkness. Yet, a faint light began to glow around him, illuminating the dark infinity. It was then that he opened his eyes, and saw that he was in his bed. He couldn't remember how he got there. He saw Connie on the right hand side of his bed, yet she seemed to be looking off towards the temple. He couldn't move, sadly. He was kept prisoner in his own head, and he could only move his eyes and eyelids. It was much like sleep paralysis. Then, Connie and seemingly Lapis simultaneously said the same thing. Something that confused Steven.

2

"Amethyst?!" Connie and Lapis exclaimed at the same time, both equally bewildered. There, lo and behold, stood Amethyst outside the door of the Temple. She looked at the other two, her eyes opened wide.

"Is she gone?" Amethyst asked. "I couldn't be sure unless I came out here."

"Black Diamond? She was here?" Connie asked. Amethyst nodded. "Yeah, she's gone for now." Connie said, a bit exasperated. She's been through quite a lot in such a seemingly short timespan. Amethyst continued to walk forward, relieved.

"I went home to grab some more food when those freaks forced me to open the temple and lead them to the Crystal Heart. I was scared stiff! I took them there and had to hide before they caught me and, like, brainwashed me or whatever." Amethyst then noticed Steven lying on the bed, clearly in a very poor state. "Oh my gosh! What happened to Steven?!" she asked, rushing up beside him. She took note of the contaminated, black substance constantly rushing through his veins. This infection seemed to spread across his entire body, including his poor, pained face. His eyes were open, and he was staring at Amethyst, helplessly pleading with her to help him.

"We don't know what to do." Connie said. "He's been like this for about 20 minutes, and I don't think he can move." She then turned to Lapis, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "We need to find Peridot and Steven's dad." she said. She stood up confidently, and walked out the door, Amethyst following.

"You coming, Lapis?" Amethyst asked. Lapis shook her head.

"Someone needs to watch over Steven." Lapis said. Amethyst nodded, and proceeded out the door. The moon was no longer visible, instead hidden by an army of clouds. The sand below was cold and compact. Everything around them seemed devoid of color, with only the occasional shade of blue to remind them that it's still nighttime. Connie kept storming along the beach, leaving deeply engraved footprints in her wake. Amethyst was barely able to keep up with her at that point.

"Connie! Slow down!" Amethyst called out.

"Keep up." Connie replied, not disrupting her pace.

"Where are we even going?" Amethyst asked. Connie didn't respond that time, but just kept walking. Amethyst understood what was going on. She rushed up to Connie and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. Connie looked at her, her eyes glossy yet her face contorted into a complexion of rage. "I think our best bet is to find the one behind this. Maybe they'll be with them." Connie looked at her confused.

"The one behind this? You can just say Black Diamond." Connie said.

"Didn't Steven tell you? The Wailing Stone pretty much appeared and activated on its own that day. B.D. was still in her little 'prison.' There's no way she could've done that." Amethyst clarified. Connie thought for a moment.

"Maybe it was one of her 'subjects,' then. It's clear that she can act as the queen of a hive mind."

"Maybe so, but there's still a chance it was someone a little more coordinated. Maybe even someone who hated the Crystal Gems." Connie finally understood what Amethyst was implying. From what Steven had told her, an enemy of theirs would be a very likely candidate.

"But, how do we get there?" Connie asked. Amethyst gave her a little smirk.

"I do happen to know a certain animal that can go places we can't really get to." Amethyst said, gesturing back to the house. There, lying underneath it, was Lion. Connie and Amethyst walked side-by-side over to him, surprised he was able to stay asleep for this long. Amethyst poked his ear. He seemed annoyed by this, as usual. Amethyst was a bit cheered up by this, even to the point of smiling. She scratched behind his ear, and he began to let his head gravitate towards it. Amethyst was enjoying this brief intermission from such a dire situation. Connie, however, was not.

"Amethyst, we have to go." Connie said, politely yet obviously annoyed. Amethyst looked up at her, reality crashing down upon her once again. Her serious expression returned, and she nodded like a child who was just punished by their parent. Amethyst stood back up. Lion still remained sluggish, and was clearly begging for Amethyst to continue her bonding. "Lion, Steven's in bad shape. We don't know how much longer he may have if we don't do something and fast." Lion opened his eyes, surprised at this news. He stood up, and urgently ran onto the beach. The other two hopped into his mane. Lion readied himself, and then opened one of his wormholes, ending up at the Galaxy Warp. The other two were seriously confused by this. They looked around, trying to find some sort of way to make sense of their given destination.

"Lion! What the heck?!" Amethyst interrogated. "We can't use these warps! If we'd wanted to get here, we could've just used the one at home!" Lion sat there, sad and guilty.

"Amethyst, calm down." Connie said.

"Calm down?!" Amethyst shouted. "Make up your mind, Connie! One minute you're mad at everything 'cause Steven's in trouble, next minute you're telling me to calm down?!"
"I'm just confused! Okay?!" Connie snapped. "I don't know what's going on, or what to do!" Tears streamed down the sides of her face. "I'm scared! I'm scared, and I'm away from home, and my best friend is probably going to DIE! What am I supposed to do?! Shrug it off like it's no big deal?!" Connie's voice was shaky now, and she stormed back over to Lion, climbing into his mane once again. She hid her face from Amethyst, instead burying it into her arms. Amethyst could only look on in despair, equally as lost as Connie.

"Lion," Amethyst said, sadly. Lion looked at her. "Take her back home." Connie then looked back up, crying and frustrated. Before she could say anything, Connie was taken away through one of Lion's portals. Amethyst walked onto the warp pad leading home, and was instantly transported back. Lapis was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, a bit surprised to see Amethyst appear. "Lapis." Amethyst began. "I'm going to need your help in this."

"Help?" Lapis asked, annoyed. "I'll stand by Steven through battles with Gems, Amethyst. But, this is a battle with Diamonds. The last time that happened I..." Lapis stopped, clearly re-living unpleasant memories.

"Lapis, it's for the sake of Steven!" Amethyst shouted.

"Back off! You did nothing to help him this entire time! You helped her!"

"What was I supposed to do?! If Black-freaking-Diamond showed up on your doorstep and demanded that you led her to your temple and you're BY YOURSELF, what would you do?!" Lapis stood there, furious. She couldn't say anything now. But, she didn't want another war. Especially not for Steven. Lapis could only storm out the door, and flew up into the sky to think. Amethyst punched the ground in frustration. Every time she tried to do something to help, it always just goes awry. She felt angry at herself, more than anyone. She felt like it was all her fault. Steven croaked loudly from his bed. Amethyst looked back up, surprised. Relieved. She ran back up the stairs to the side of Steven's bed.

"Steven? You're awake?" Amethyst asked. Steven didn't move, yet made an "uh-huh" noise. He sounded stuffed up, and like he had a dry throat. "Okay. Okay okay okay okay. What do I do?" Again, Steven didn't move, but grunted in a way that said that he didn't know. Amethyst had to figure this out. She had to figure out what was wrong before she could fix it. But, she didn't know anything about human-Gem hybrids, especially how they worked. She had to try something. And what she decided to try was probably a very, very bad idea.

3

Only the darkness and the smell of rot remained. A dark, murky, sludgy substance supported them. A cough. A hack. A whimper of pain.

"Where are we?" Peridot asked, not sure if anyone else was even there. Anyone who could help, at least.

"Who's there?" asked a masculine voice. "Peridot?"

"Greg? How did you get down here?" Peridot asked, confused.

"I'm...not sure. I was sleeping in my van just outside the wash, but I couldn't really wake up that easily. Once I did, though, my stomach hurt and my feet were numb."

"Really? I feel fine, honestly. Mostly just a headache."

"What the heck is this smell, though?"

"Hold on, I'll try to use my gem for light."

Peridot attempted to project light from her forehead, yet found it only amplified her migraine. She had to concentrate hard, closing her eyes to help with the feeling of pain. Only a brief flash was emitted, but that was enough for Greg to get the picture.

"Oh my gosh." Greg said, his voice full of fear. He tried to back away, hitting a wall after a few seconds.

"What?" Peridot asked, pain still covering her upper body. Greg didn't respond. He stood still, silently processing. Peridot began to fear that he wasn't even there at all. "Greg, what is it?"

"Peridot," Greg began. "Back away from the center."

"Center? What do you mean? Where are we?" Peridot began to feel more paranoid, now. A sense of unease began to fester in her chest, drying up her throat.

"There's...bodies."

"Bodies?"

"Yes. Most of them are in the center. They looked...distorted."

"H-How so?"

"I...I don't know." They sat in silence for what felt like hours. The smell only grew worse the more time they spent there. Peridot even gagged once. Greg tried to move around a bit, tracing the walls. It wasn't circular, and felt more quadrilateral. However, all he could feel across the walls, was smooth, cold, hard rock. After a while, they both heard a feminine voice echo through their prison, bouncing off the walls and reverberating. It sounded slightly familiar, but only to a certain extent. Still, though, they were desperate in that moment. They yelled and shouted as loud as they could, pleading for someone to help them. As their eyes adjusted, they noticed that a light shone down upon them. It was dim and faint, almost like a candle in a dark tunnel, yet it still illuminated enough to see. They had to get out of there, but they couldn't quite figure out how. The walls were too far apart and smooth for them to "climb" up. Greg then got an idea. "Peridot. Would you mind if I tried throwing you up as far as I could?" Peridot looked at him as if he were insane.

"What?! Why?!" Peridot yelled.

"I think you can get up far enough to get out. Are you willing to give it a shot?" Greg asked. Peridot had to think about it. Considering the good, the bad, the pros and cons, before finally making her decision. She felt weak and weary, so that may have affected her decision. She decided to go along with it, though, and Greg picked her up, ready to throw her like a football. He chucked her as high into the air as he could, and she flailed her arms around aimlessly, not knowing what to do. She could tell the light was getting brighter, and she could see the edges of the walls, and they seemed to be growing more and more rocky and edgy. She became desperate to grab onto them, and she grasped the edge of one as soon as she began to lose momentum. She dangled on the edge, her limbs still weak.

"That was...actually very impressive!" Peridot yelled, her voice echoing as it went down.

"Thanks! I was in football for a few years. Just kinda got bo--"

"Greg!"

"Right. Sorry. Do you see anything?" Peridot looked back up, towards the blinding, white light. It seemed to be only a few feet away. She tried to climb up a bit, her feet on the ledge she had held onto. She tried to keep her balance, and got into an Atlas-esque pose, her hands pushing up on the ceiling. She tried to push, hoping it to be a slab or a plate. No luck. The voice was heard again, yet Peridot couldn't tell from where. She looked around, having trouble seeing the dark walls, even in this light. She could see just enough to make out a fairly wide tunnel across from her.

"I think so. It looks kind of like a tunnel!" Peridot replied.

"Really?! Try and...I dunno, go for it?" Greg suggested, reconsidering this statement.

"Are you sure? You'll be left alone down there!"

"We'll figure it out. Just, try not to die!" She was about to take a risk. She turned slightly, so that she was directly facing the tunnel. She stared into it, seeing it as a dark, empty hole carved into the wall of their prison. She loosened her force on the ceiling, and bent her knees a bit. She took a moment, gaining the determination necessary for it. She counted down from 5 in her mind, hesitating just before she reached 1. She jumped.

4

Amethyst searched along the shoreline, looking behind the rocks and on the side of the cliff's base. There. The Wailing Stone. She wrapped her arms around it, and carried it back to the house, placing it on the deck. This was an awful idea, yet it was the only one she could think of. She didn't even know if it would work. She pressed the button, placing Pearl's gem in the center of it. The deafening noise changed a bit, sounding like a shrill screech. She hoped it would be heard. But, at the same time, she didn't. All she could really do now was wait. Watch over Steven. It seems there wasn't much else left to do at this point. Amethyst ran in, and sat by the side of Steven's bed. She wondered if he was in pain at all. Probably, but she still couldn't know for sure. All she could do was wait.

5

Her ship had finally arrived. Well, not exactly her ship. She of course had to borrow it. Steal it, even. How else would she have gotten off of that wretched snow planet? Black Diamond awaited for her subjects to confirm that it was safe to step out. After all, the security put in place on Homeworld was certainly upgraded. Especially around the great White Diamond. The Diamond of purity. Of wisdom. Black Diamond nearly shivered at the thought. Once it was clear, she proudly stepped from her vessel, blinded by the shining lights around her. The sky of Homeworld wasn't quite as different as she'd remembered. Still sickeningly blue. Still so bland and boring. It was quiet, which was a welcome change. Yet, the light around her was enough to make her go deaf just from seeing it. Especially in regards to her. Blue Diamond had lied. Of course she had. White Diamond could never disappear. She couldn't even leave Homeworld! Not with her massive size. She towered above even Black Diamond. A mountain in front of a skyscraper. A planet in front of a moon. Her new Pearl laid out a platform for her, which she promptly stood upon. She was elevated up in moments, taking a solid minute before even nearing the top of the massive Diamond. There, Black Diamond and White Diamond finally reunited. White Diamond seemed almost disappointed to find her displayed.

"I will admit. I expected Yellow Diamond." White Diamond said, her voice shaking the air around them. "At least she would have been a welcome sight."

"Am I not welcome?" Black Diamond asked confidently. "I find this to be disrespectful of a Diamond."

"Your mere presence is disrespectful enough."

"Not exactly the greeting I expected from you."

"No? Then what did you expect? Fanfare? Monuments?"

"A simple 'hello' would have sufficed."

"That implies cordiality. This reunion of ours is anything but."

"Besides the point. The point is, I am giving you the opportunity to surrender all of your Gems to me." White Diamond looked at her in disbelief.

"What?" she asked. "I refuse! You have no authority to make this threat."

"Not a threat." Black Diamond responded. "An offer. Your Gems shall be freed either way. This option is simply much less...terrible."

"After all these millennia? As if you'd have the courage. The will."

"Have the years taken your memories along with your age? Have you forgotten that easily what had happened?" White Diamond could only look on, keeping a stern expression. Yet, her mind whirled around and around, trying to suppress the memory of that awful day.

***

She could not move. She never could. She could project her form to different parts of Homeworld, but she could do much less than provide guidance to her citizens. Yet, here, she was forced to lay witness to the slaughter of them. The entire city. Bathed in black ooze and decorated in the flashing lights and explosions of Gems who tried to save themselves. A massacre. Gems gathered around her, hoping to gain strength. Hoping that she would save them and their friends. She could do nothing. Nothing but scream and shout. It had lasted hours. Hours until the other three Diamonds had found the cause of it all. They had restrained her, and kept her that way before White Diamond. Yet, Black Diamond showed no remorse. No regret. She showed euphoria. An ecstatic look of wonder in her eyes, as if this was the absolute best day of their lives. Nobody spoke. They all knew what they had to do. The three Diamonds deployed their weapons, piercing the one who had ruined their beautiful world. Stabbing her. And, to their surprise, she bled. She bled a black liquid, as if the darkness of her soul had begun seeping out. She did not poof, as Gems would. She did not cry out in pain. She laughed. She cackled. She enjoyed it. How? How had she not felt the pain? The punishment for all of the souls she had wronged? Had ruined?

"I have not ruined them!" she had shouted. "I have fixed them! They were confined to your control! Your rules! Your laws! In doing so, they were restricted from their true potential! You were all just too blind to understand it! I have cured them! Healed them! FREED THEM!"

"Then, perhaps, you shall free yourself." White Diamond had said. They attacked the area around Black Diamond's gem, the most vulnerable area. As soon as she had poofed, all four of them had simultaneously bubbled her. Trapping her. Yellow Diamond agreed to take it to a black hole. Far away from there. From anyone. And, there, it had rested. For centuries. For millennia, there was peace. Order. The way things should be.

***

Yet, here she stood. The one to ruin it all. A plague.

"How could I forget?" White Diamond asked, successfully masking her emotions.

"Good." Black Diamond began. "Now, if you'd prefer not to have those circumstances repeat, then I advi--"

"Enough." White Diamond said. Black Diamond looked at her, confused. "Enough of your pitiful games. In doing this, you have alienated yourself from the Authority. You are not a Diamond. You are a rock. A sentient rock jealous of the gems that surround you. So, instead, you force them to be as worthless and as hideous as yourself. To make you happy." Black Diamond chuckled, yet there was anger building within her tone.

"Not a Diamond? At the very least I choose to do something for my subjects! My Gems! Instead of giving them wisdom and guidance, thus restricting my word as being the only one they can follow. I grant them freedom! The only Gems who 'suffer' aren't even within the bodies that go through the suffering! I do something, and you blame me of being an alien to the Authority? The only one of us who is actually in control of something is ME!"

"You do not control them, Black. You control nothing other than yourself. And even then, you never seemed to ask, perhaps you aren't in control? Perhaps this...dark energy of yours is the one controlling you instead?" Black Diamond's face expressed hurt. Betrayal. And, for a moment, fear. What if she was right? What if she was the true prisoner? Her anger soon returned.

"You always treat me as if I am but your shadow, White!" she snapped.

"Did you ever think that perhaps that's why you are 'Black Diamond?' The color of a shadow?" White Diamond replied.

"Of course I am darkness. Where there is light, there must be darkness! Do not expect to drown the galaxies in your light, the light of a mere star! For, in a galaxy of stars, there must always exist a black hole." Yet, as she prepared to continue this argument, there came a deafening noise, ringing within her own head. Her own mind. She heard a voice. A voice she knew. And this voice annoyed her endlessly. She looked into the void of White Diamond's pupil. A void she recognized. "Apologies. It seems something has come up." Black Diamond said. "I will return."

"You already have. And that is more than enough." White Diamond said. Black Diamond descended. She felt incomplete. Everything was going perfectly, yet she still felt incomplete. She knew, though. She knew where the noise was coming from. As she reached the ground, she stomped off of the platform, and destroyed it with her foot.

6

Peridot grabbed on to the ledge, desperately. It was a good hold, and a firm grip, yet she still felt panicked. She hoisted herself up, into the tunnel. It was completely dark, no matter where she looked. She walked forward a bit, trying to adjust to the darkness. Her head felt as though it were about to explode. She thought about that, and thought about how gross and painful that would be. Just then, the feminine voice rang out again, sounding through the tunnel, surrounding her like a wave. It was much louder than before, and sounded a bit familiar. She just couldn't place it. She walked forward even more. This walk slowly elevated into more of a fast jog. She was desperate to escape. To find the source of the voice. A faint glow emanated from the end of the tunnel before her. A blue glow. She slipped on something, and fell backwards. An enormous amount of pain shot up her back. Almost as if someone had just ripped that entire section of her body off with brute force. She felt unusually brittle, like a Gem made purely of thin glass. A gasp was heard from the end of the tunnel, and it seemed that the entity was approaching her. There, before her, she could make out the silhouette of Sapphire.

"Peridot?" Sapphire asked, concerned. Peridot couldn't speak. She couldn't form words. She couldn't even make any noise. It was as if she was malfunctioning somehow. She wasn't working properly. Sapphire shone her light on Peridot, and was shocked seconds after. "Oh dear." Sapphire said. Peridot didn't understand. Sapphire covered her mouth, and slowly moved away, before breaking into a sprint. Peridot tried to call out, yet her body began to move outside of her control. She choked. Gagged. Started coughing up some sort of substance from deep within her. It was a rank, slimy substance. Her head felt as though it were being split in half. The darkness surrounded her. This was different, though. This wasn't the darkness of the tunnel. She vomited multiple times, and it felt like a whole other life form was being ejected from her body. She tried to scream and cry out for help, yet she couldn't. The tunnels were empty. She was alone. In pain. Spasming. She felt as if she weren't there anymore. As if she were part of the air surrounding her. Part of everything. Then, she stopped moving.

***

Sapphire ran. She ran for a long amount of time, it seemed. She couldn't find the end of this tunnel! She ran for hours before, and that got her nowhere. She hoped that she wasn't just running in circles. If she called out, there was the possibility that someone could find her. Yet, what if that someone wasn't exactly someone she wanted to see? She'd already lost Ruby, and she'd rather not endanger anyone else. Her future vision had been malfunctioning ever since Black Diamond's brainwashed lackies had tried to "free" them. Apparently, freeing a fusion had never been done before, and has thankfully still not been done. It was still horrifying for Sapphire to watch as her Ruby was integrated into this festering hive of evil. To think about all the sludge and the fading of her color, to think about the pain she'd gone through that Sapphire didn't share. It was heartbreaking. She tried not to think about it. Mourning didn't help anyone. Guilt didn't help anyone. The only thing she could try and do was keep moving.

"Peridot!" a voice echoed from down the tunnel. Sapphire froze. It was a voice she knew, thankfully. Greg's voice. But, she didn't know if it was some sort of trick. Something that Black Diamond would do just to bring her out into the open, to make her an easy target. After all, Peridot had been freed, it seemed. She moved towards it. Cautiously. Carefully. Quietly. Greg called again. She kept walking. There. There! A faint glow glistened on the smooth, shiny walls of the tunnel. A dark grey circle was shown in front of her. Yes! She stepped over to the edge, and saw that she was quite high up. That there was a rather large hole before her. Greg shouted yet again. "Peridot, are you okay?!" Sapphire shone her light down into the hole. Nothing but gradient darkness all the way down. She then shone it on the ceiling. Was that...a hatch? A platform, even? Upon analyzing this, Sapphire realized where they were. Her hope faded like a dying flame. They were in an elevator shaft. Likely on one of Black Diamond's conquered planets, or even Homeworld. And, to make things worse, now Sapphire was trapped there with one of Black Diamond's servants. At least one, that is. With her hope lost, she didn't feel like there was much of an option left. She shouted back down to Greg, but ensured it could not be heard easily by anyone else.

"She's gone, Greg. She's been...infected." she said.

"Who's there?! Did you hurt her?" Greg asked.

"It's Sapphire."

"Sapphire? Is Ru--"

"Ssh!" They couldn't risk being caught. They had to keep the talking to a minimum. And a quiet minimum, at that.

7

Amethyst kept her hand on Steven's shoulder. She thought he might be cold, and though she couldn't give off any real physical heat, she was sure this was still just as good.

"Steven?" Amethyst asked, hoping he would actually respond. He could only go "huh?" She thought of a million things that she could say. All things he didn't need to hear. "I'm..." she began. "I'm...I...just, hang

in there, okay?" Steven obviously tried to nod, which was definitely a good sign. It's what she needed to give her the strength to deal with this all. The front of the house got absolutely destroyed as Black Diamond burst in, who wore an angered expression. Amethyst jumped back, shocked. Black Diamond scanned the house, slowly entering before her eyes landed on Amethyst. Her face relaxed, back into a serious expression.

"Oh. You." Black Diamond said, clearly annoyed. Amethyst tried to speak, yet her throat felt dry. She thought more about the events of the past few days. About Pearl. About Steven. About everyone. Lion jumped in, pouncing on Black Diamond as an attack. Black Diamond didn't even notice. Amethyst took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Black Diamond. You need to fix Steven right now." Amethyst demanded, anger in her voice.

"Or what?" was the response. Amethyst was taken by surprise. 'Or what?' indeed. "You have nothing to threaten me with. Two of your so-called 'Crystal Gems' are gone. So, why should I accept this offer?"

"Because..." Amethyst searched for something. Then, she stood up tall and proud, her face becoming stern. "Because we are the Crystal Gems. And we always find a way." Steven cheered as best as he could, trying to look at Black Diamond. Black Diamond only smiled in amusement. She shook her head, then stood up, breaking through the roof of the house. "Hey! Where do you think you're goin'?!" Amethyst shouted. Black Diamond stepped back out onto the beach, finding the Wailing Stone on the deck. A look of joyous realization overcame her, as she saw that Pearl's gem was there, too. Amethyst saw this, and rushed over to it, snatching the gem before Black Diamond could reach it. Black Diamond froze for a moment, before picking up the Wailing Stone, and crushing it in her hand. She looked at Amethyst, then at Steven. She was fascinated that they still had remained so vigilant. So determined to stop her from succeeding. Perhaps, that's what she needed to rectify? No. She had to keep a clear head. Black Diamond rolled her eyes, then poofed, a blackened gem plummeting to the beach below. Wonderful. Amethyst stomped her foot in frustration. That was her chance, and she wasted it! How could she? Lion sat on the beach, confused and angry as well. Amethyst looked Pearl's gem over, trying to think like her. Of what she would do now. She'd probably scold her for such an awful plan, or just sit by Steven's side to try and figure out what was wrong. It was in that moment that she realized none of them would know what to do. For as long as she could remember, there had never been mention of Black Diamond before. There had never been warnings against that black hole. The fact that the others willingly went towards it made her wonder if they didn't know about it, either. She fell to the floor, holding the gem to her chest.

8

Sapphire knew that the only way to get the platform to move would be by standing on top of it. Yet, if it were activated by weight, it might be even more difficult. Especially for her. And what if it went down, and crushed Greg? Or if it went up and left him behind? Or even if it was too outdated to work anymore? One step at a time, she told herself. Just think about what you have to do right now. Don't think ahead! Right then, the most difficult part was getting on the platform. Then she thought of a way. But, how would she get Greg out of that pit? How far down were they?

"Greg," Sapphire said, "try moving towards the center. There might be a hatch there."

"Um, seems plausible, but..." Greg replied. "There's...like, bodies in the center."

"Bodies?"

"Yeah...Gem bodies, I think." Sapphire came to a realization. Peridot isn't the only infected one there. This certainly threw a wrench into her plans. No, not ruined, merely increased the amount of difficulty.

"Okay. Stay there, I have an idea. Just...yeah." Sapphire cautiously re-entered the tunnels. If she was right, there had to be a system of tunnels that lead to an emergency escape, in case of an attack or otherwise. The tunnels were much more damp than previously. Likely runoff from Peridot's infection. Even though she knew it wasn't quite an infection spread by fluids, Sapphire still avoided them as much as possible. She stopped every now and then, not only getting herself acclimated to the area, but also listening for the noises of any infected. She only shone her light before her every other instance, though. She couldn't risk any more danger at this point.

***

Greg could only sit in this dark, cold hole. If only I'd brought a flashlight or something he thought. He sat still for a minute, getting used to the feeling of what he hoped was water. Then, the liquid was as motionless as him. He sat like this for several minutes, it seemed, before he felt motion. Though, it was not of his doing. A small wave had brushed up against his chest, and he was confused. Scared, even. He hadn't heard anything fall or move from the area around him. He held his breath for a moment, allowing him to hear the area better. Nothing. Nothing but silence and the ambient air. Still, the water moved. Then, the waves began getting stronger, and he felt a force from underneath it as well. A constant force like the slowed beating of a heart. Walking. Greg panicked, gasped, and stood up immediately. He wanted to ask who was there, yet Sapphire told him to keep the noise to a minimum, if any. He couldn't think straight at that moment. Then and there, he knew only two things: That something was down there with him, and he had to stay quiet. He moved very cautiously around the center in a clockwise walk, staying close to the wall. He had to try and keep this up until Sapphire returned. Though, she never said that she would, did she? Greg's pace quickened.

***

Sapphire came across an intersection of 8 tunnels. Wonderful. If she had the will to use her future vision again, even with it malfunctioning, perhaps she would have had a better chance of safe navigation. She looked on the floor, observing the blue reflection on the black liquid beneath her. She stood still, listening and watching. There was no breathing, there was no movement, and the only noise was that of a low hum from throughout the tunnels. The sound of rushing blood through the veins of the structure. Perhaps... Sapphire looked at the trail of liquid on the floor, noticing that only one of the tunnels seemed to have it flowing out. It was akin to a sewer, one that she not-so-fondly remembered from a few decades ago on Earth. The smell was no exception. She followed the stream down the tunnel, wary of herself and hovering above it. She noticed that the walls had become more jagged and rough, losing their smooth textures from before. It was as if there were erosion from some sort of weather. This could be a good sign, as it would mean that she is near an opening of some sort, or even an older place that would be easy to escape from. She reached a very large, open room with only the light of one gem providing any sort of comfort. The rest was nothing more than a large, dark, and cold abyss. She searched along the walls for some sort of hatch or a switch to activate the platform. She finally found something that could be of use: a button. She tried to look around it, to see what could possibly be the purpose of it. There was a rough, etched message around the button in Gem language, translating to "Help." Sapphire thought it to be her best bet, so she pressed the button. Almost immediately, a large cone of light formed behind her, sending a blinding laser up into the ceiling. The laser shone into the gem, and made a high-pitched noise. Bad idea. Sapphire quickly escaped from that room, moving as fast as she could down the tunnels. She tried her best to navigate herself from memory. It became increasingly difficult, as the tunnels swirled and twisted in every direction. She finally made it back to the intersection, and tried to remember her placement from earlier. She remembered that the tunnel with the stream was to the right of her, but not whether it was directly to the right of her, or a few feet away. They all looked exactly the same as each other. She looked between the two tunnels, also observing the ground in front of it. Smooth and flat, no sign of contact in eons. At this point she was out of options. She looked at her gem, and it glowed faintly in the darkness. There were scratches on it from when she tried to crawl away from Black Diamond's minions. That's the downside of having a gem in your palm, she thought. She closed her eye, and focused on the area around her. Seeing all the different pathways laid out before her. Right side 1. Death. Right side 2. Death. Back 1. Trap. Back 2. Infected. Left 1. Trapped. Left 2. Lost and death. Front 1. She felt uneasy. That path was dark. All she could see was darkness. She tried to take a step back. She tried not to think so small, and to calm herself down. It was all dark. She couldn't see. She felt a spike of pain in her hand, shooting up her arm. Sapphire lost her focus, and then...she appeared. All paths now lead to infection. The eyes burned their way into her very core. The emptiness of them. The lack of darkness. The lack of evil. Yet still retaining the cold gaze that the darkness had. A smile. A cough.

"Found you." she said. Sapphire's eye snapped back open. She had to leave. She took Front 2, it was the only other option. She basically ran down that hall, not even making an effort to hover. Her right arm felt like an ice block with fingers that poked and prodded and grabbed all the way up to her shoulder. It was the grip of a predator. It was the crawl of a spider. It was the hand of Death. Her vision was compromised, just as she'd feared. And now she, too, had been compromised. But she had to power through. She had to do something. As she was in the hall, she began to note a loud and low hum that vibrated the area around her. A bright glow appeared behind her. Slowing her pace a bit, she saw a ring of white light traveling down the hall at walking speed. It blew past her, and a tone rung in her head for what felt like minutes. The force of it pushed her back a bit, as well. Another one was coming down the hall, now. She quickened once again, hoping to avoid such things. They were beacons. Signals, designed to alert outside Gems that something was amiss. This could be helpful in some ways. In others, it could be catastrophic. She made her way to a familiar area. A much too familiar one. She could just barely see the pool of black sludge on the ground from where Peridot had been, yet she saw that Peridot herself had vanished. She warily surveyed her area. No sign of anyone. Knock on wood. She tried to remember her way back from there. Her arm was killing her, though, and it was hard to focus. She figured it out well enough, thankfully, and saw the opening to the pit Greg was in. With Peridot standing there, staring at her. She tried to stay calm, suppressing the urge to vomit or scramble in fear. She had to focus.

"Sapphire! I...I think there's something down here with me! Could you try and hurry up a bit?" Greg shouted from below. Sapphire's heart sank. Now they were both doomed. Now everyone was doomed. And there was nothing that she could do to stop it. A low hum became audible, and Sapphire's hope returned. Then, an idea came to mind. She looked behind her, seeing an ever-increasing glow from down the tunnel. If the signal was to make it to the surface, the platform had to be moved. Or destroyed. Sapphire rushed at the infected Peridot, jumping just enough to levitate up to the bottom of the platform, slamming into it. That amount of force was enough to budge it just a bit, but not enough to do much else. Sapphire landed on the small ledge across from the tunnel, and tried to push up on the platform again. Something had to work! She could hear the echoes of splashing from the bottom of the pit. Frantic and panicked. Something was certainly going on down there. The white ring emerged from the tunnel, and Sapphire had only one more idea that she felt could work. She put out her right hand in desperation, and the ring of light shrank and collected around her arm. There was a significant amount of force, now, and it took all her strength to even budge her arm. She struggled to lift it up to the bottom of the platform, and tried to push upwards. The force from the light was enough to move the platform up, and thus to set it in motion. Downwards. Quickly, she jumped back to the tunnel across from her, allowing the platform to pass. She pushed Peridot away from her, and jumped down onto the slowly descending platform. Light spilled into the shaft, shining down upon her. She tried to coax it into moving upwards, standing on top of it and thinking about ascending.

"Greg!" Sapphire shouted. "Lie down as flat as you can!" An audible splash was then heard, though muffled by the whirring of the platform. The infected Peridot jumped down beside her, and lunged at her. Thankfully, her fairly inferior strength and stature made little impact. Even so, Sapphire tried to defend herself. "Black Diamond, you need to help me stop this platform!"

"And why should I?" she retorted

"Because if you don't, then we all die! This place is sending a signal to White Diamond and the others to come here and get us out!"

"Ha! Don't you get it yet, you glorified ice cube? I'm in control here! Besides, I've already begun your freedom."

"Very well, then. Spare him. He has done nothing against you, and there is thus no reason for his punishment." The infected Peridot glared at her, seeing that she had a fair point. Sapphire heard echoing footsteps from above, and looked up to see two or three Kindergarten Gems jumping down. They shook the platform when they landed, notably causing it to jolt down a few feet. These Gems then formed into Black Diamonds, which caused the platform to respond to their will. The platform was elevated, and Sapphire could hear Greg yelling and screaming in fear. "What are you doing to him?!"

"I'm picking him up," was the response. "He'll be boosted out. Eventually."

"Eventually? Why not now?!"

"Because there are more pressing matters to attend to now." The infected Peridot smiled with superior glee, and they reached the top of the elevator shaft. They were in an old research building, it seemed. Only, the walls were covered in dark fluids and scratches that were painful even to look at. The defining thing about the place, however, was the ceiling. It was covered, no, layered with white Gem bubbles. All of them contained black gems. "When I was informed they were left in a temple, I expected something along the lines of one of the various planets I'd conquered. Granted, I found a good majority of them there, yet nothing compared to this." Sapphire couldn't help but look at them in awe and fear.

"H-How many are there?" Sapphire asked, her voice flooding with pain.

"Hundreds. Thousands." replied all of the infected Gems. Sapphire understood what was to happen now. She looked around for an exit or a door of some sort, careful not to try and focus on escaping. Her mind was not entirely hers anymore. Scanning the area, she saw torn bits of machinery, and a few other Gems seemed to be trying to dismantle an energy core. Odd, but not important. She found an exit in seconds. Although quite out-of-the-way in regards to everything else in there, it still wasn't very easy to spot. She sized up her captors in that moment, as well. Not enough time now. She'd have to come back for Greg later. Right now, she had more important plans. Steven.

9

Yellow Diamond sat and stared at Black Diamond. It was clear she wasn't quite focused on her, and that her mind was very much preoccupied. Her eyes' shades were now reversed, and held their gaze into nothing. Here she sat. In her ship. On her planet. A hostage to the one Diamond she most despised. She looked at the pilots of the recently landed craft. All statues in their seats, awaiting the orders of their new captain. She couldn't take this. Time and time again had she been thwarted by this Diamond. No more. No more! No more would she take this oppression and domination from someone who was just as powerful as her! She stood up, her arms and mouth bound together by a hardened, black substance that felt as if it were fused to her body. She slowly moved her hands from her back to her front, and considered attacking Black Diamond. She had to be tactical about this. She couldn't simply use brute force, now. Especially since her battalion and troops had since been infected. Instead, she simply glared at her, slowly moving back towards a door in front of Black Diamond. She kept Black Diamond in the corner of her vision as she placed her hand on the pad to open the door, and slowly snuck out, closing the door behind her just in case. She looked around the area, only seeing infected Gems caught mid-motion around the ship. She navigated herself through, to one of the exits closest to her. It was quite easy to get through, she thought. And, as the door opened, she found it refreshing to see the skyline of Homeworld once again. She stepped out through the door, appalled to see her ship now covered in black vines and filth. This reminded her that she had been restrained, and had to figure out a way of getting them off. She saw the towering figure of White Diamond before her, not even being able to see her head as she looked up. Who was once her Pearl stood next to a destroyed platform. Great. Perhaps Blue would be able to help. she thought. There are escape pods near the back of the ship. This should certainly prove beneficial. She entered the ship again, yet stopped as soon as she took that second step. All of the infected were now staring directly at her. Motionless. Expressionless. Voiceless. Yet, she knew what this meant. She saw that the door to the cockpit was open. She slowly walked forward, slightly relieved that the looks of the Gems did not follow. Only the pilots were in the cockpit, also turned towards the open doorway. She backed away, moving towards the rear of the ship. She started going into a sprint, and had to make it through countless doorways and corridors before reaching the hallway to the escape pod bay. The door, too, was open. And all that lay beyond was but a curtain of darkness. She'd rather not peer behind it, for fear of its revelation, yet she knew she had to. Cautiously, she entered the bay. It was a large, semi-circular room, above the engine room. She could see little in the bay, if anything at all. But she heard plenty. She heard...footsteps. The light from the doorway was instantly doused, and she whipped around to face her potential attacker.

"Ah, Yellow. I can't leave you alone for 10 seconds without you running off, can I?" Black Diamond sighed. Her white eyes cut through the darkness like knives able to pierce reality itself. Normally, she would be intimidated by Black Diamond and her threats, yet Yellow had grown tired of her voice. She lunged at Black Diamond, who was but a shadow in the dark, yet still managed to tackle her. Desperate and confused, Yellow put all of her strength towards pushing her "cuffs" into Black Diamond's neck. Black Diamond grunted and coughed, but this quickly turned into villainous laughter, and several sharp objects suddenly stabbed into Yellow Diamond's back. She yelped out in sudden pain. "Gems don't need to breathe, Yellow. They do, however, need to live." Black Diamond said, unfazed. "Usually, Gems 'poof' when there is too much damage or pain. How much pain can you endure?" What seemed to be Black Diamond's spike fingers gradually dug deeper into Yellow Diamond's back. She suppressed the urge to poof, her mind soaked by the overwhelming amount of pain. She had never felt such a thing to this degree. She couldn't lose to her. Not again. Yellow Diamond stood up a small bit, still pinning her opponent to the ground, and aimed the top of her helmet towards Black Diamond's head. She slammed it forwards as fast and as hard as she could, like a rhino ramming into its prey. Black Diamond yelled in extreme agony for a few moments, her spikes releasing Yellow Diamond. Yellow was knocked back, and she felt the searing wounds firmly grasp the sensation of stinging, aching pain in her back once again as she hit the floor. She saw an opportunity, and ran towards where she remembered the back wall was. Where the pods were. She burst into a pod, which instantly activated as she sat down, yellow lights and screens surrounding her. It was fairly small, and was initially intended for a small platoon of medium-sized Gems, but it would have to do. She heard the rapid, booming steps of Black Diamond approaching behind her, and she blasted out of there at sound speed. She looked back at her ship, which seemed to now be tethered down to Homeworld by the black vines, and kept right in front of White Diamond. She tried to pinpoint Blue Diamond's location, which was increasingly difficult with her bound hands and cramped pod. She succeeded, after some difficult tries, and headed towards her last chance at success.

10

Lapis hovered above the ocean, thinking. After what happened the first time she got on the wrong side of the Diamonds, she couldn't risk that again. Not for her, not for her friends, and not for anyone. And it was all their fault. Even now, they turn on her when she tries to help. Everyone has betrayed her, but she's treated as the traitor! The waves beneath her grew stronger. More violent. She was not a traitor. And she would not be a pawn. Not again. Not ever again. But she couldn't bear to know that Steven was in danger. She couldn't bear the truth of their situation. She couldn't take it! A fountain of water erupted all around her, splashing back down to make a momentary crater in the ocean below. Ripples and waves resonated as a result of the outburst. In addition to the waves, she heard the fast sound of rushing water. Yet, it only sounded every other second. It was constant. Rhythmic. And growing in volume. She looked around, but saw nothing on any side around her. Beneath her were the waves. Above her... Another Lapis Lazuli dove down towards her. She dodged in the air, and struck her assailant with the water below. This Lapis seemed different, though. Devoid of color. Infected. This Lapis created a wall of water before them, and sent it straight towards Lapis herself. She tried to fly above it, yet it snaked through the air, following her with every inch. She tried to combat it, use her force to stop it, but it was no use. She was knocked out of the air, falling down into the churning ocean below. She caught herself as she fell, swooping back up while water splashed beneath. Quickly, she bolted towards her infected doppelganger, who lifted up more water to create watery spikes. They rushed towards her at the speed of a bullet, and she moved acrobatically to evade them. She then made a beeline towards this Lazuli, but stopped just short when the infected fell and screamed in agony. She plummeted towards the water, and Lapis didn't know what to do. She didn't know how this infection worked. The only stories she'd heard of Black Diamond were of what she was and what she could do, and even then they were pushed to the back of Lapis's mind due to how ridiculously outlandish they seemed to her. She dove into the water after her assailant, determined to prevent any future encounters. She found her at the bottom, writhing in pain. Lapis turned the infected doppelganger on her side, and firmly grasped the gemstone on her opponent's left shoulder, causing an explosion of dust and bubbles. She firmly clutched the gemstone, and lifted herself from beneath the surface. She had wanted to avoid this. She had wanted to avoid another Diamond-level battle. Another planet-ending event. But now she'd done it. Now she'd gotten involved in the affairs of something much greater and infinitely more powerful than she could hope to comprehend. Now she'd gotten involved in something that risked the lives of those closest to her, herself included. Now it started happening again. And she had to make her moves very carefully. She flew back towards Steven's house. It was time to fight a war.

11

Sapphire followed the infected Gems for a few moments, ready to run towards the door, yet was startled when she felt a powerful shock of pain in her arm and shoulder, and the other infected Gems fell to the ground and screamed in what sounded like torment. No matter. She turned around, and ran straight to the door, ramming into it with her healthy side. Great. Stuck. She saw a panel nearby, yet it was better fit to the size of the more laborious Gems, and would likely not accept her comparatively dainty hands. The door itself was too massive to use any form of blunt force on. Perhaps... The research areas had been equipped with many different tools for the creation or dissection of certain life forms. But, of course, the most common tool to them was that of the concentrated heat rays. Those could easily destroy anything, though in small amounts. Small amounts it is, Sapphire thought. She saw a few workstations equipped with needle-esque tools purposed for what she was looking for. The infected Gems still remained curled up on the floor, but she figured she didn't have much time left. She tore off the end of the heat tool, and ran back to the door. She activated it after tapping it a few times, and traced a small door for herself. It seemed to only shave off a few layers, though, only making it through about 2 inches. She re-traced it over and over, noting that the pain in her arm was beginning to subside, and that the infected began to stand up once again. She heard them running towards her after a few moments, but she finally shaved off the last few layers of the door, ramming into it once again. She emerged, and was excited to see...more of the complex. A cold sensation surged through her body, and she felt inexplicably nauseous. She ran forward again, noting that she was a bit slower this time. She found that it was some sort of lobby area. There were two, enormous and decorated doors that towered before her, and there were many benches and doors around. The room itself was immense, appearing akin to the plaza of a mall. Then, something caught her eye. And this brought joy with it. Roaming Eyes. All lined up on the side of what looked to be an indoor runway. She rushed towards one of them, the one closest to what seemed to be the bay doors, and boarded frantically. Ruby usually did the piloting, yet she remembered a few tips that she'd given her. 30 ticks clockwise, 2 bottom buttons, 4 middle buttons... A loud bang was heard from the outside of the Roaming Eye. Then another, on the opposite side. She was compelled to ensure the Eye was secure, but she quickly realized that they didn't want to get in. They wanted to make sure she didn't get out. The sounds of electricity and sparks were heard, and the Eye quickly lost power. Perfect. She jumped back out through the window in front of her, running for the one beside her. When she got in, she instantly lifted off, staying outside of her attackers' reach, hoping that they would be too confused or preoccupied to think of shape-shifting. The main problem, however, was that the bay doors were not open, and she did not know how to open them. She examined all of the control options on the console, yet her thoughts were again interrupted by another bang on the side of the Eye. Shape-shifting it was. Lovely. She moved to the side a bit, but another bang was heard momentarily. A dent was beginning to form in the side, and it was clear that it wouldn't be long before the intruders broke through. She had to work quickly. She began to frantically work all of the controls and icons on the console, yet nothing seemed to work. Another bang. She decided to just wing it, and flew at full speed towards the doors. She burst through quite easily, and was exposed to that dreaded planet from which she had escaped those many centuries ago. She couldn't stop thinking about those infected gems trapped in that building, awaiting their activity like offspring will thin eggs, but she had something more important to occupy her mind. She entered in the coordinates to Earth, and began to travel through a wormhole. Her arm and chest ached, as if they were being torn off.

12

Amethyst sat at the foot of Steven's bed, sulking. She had no idea as to what she was to do. She had no plan, and her previous one had failed miserably. She felt that the only thing she could do right now was stay by Steven's side and comfort him as much as she could. Pearl's gem was still pristine and white. Amethyst placed the gem on the pillow next to Steven, as she knew that it could also provide comfort. Maybe even more. Garnet and Pearl were motherly towards him, and she knew it. They never said it, but it was clear they didn't want Steven to grow up without some sort of motherly influence. Except for Amethyst. Yes, she loved him beyond a doubt, but she never saw the use of mothering Steven. She wanted him to grow up like her, so that she could talk to him and relate to him a lot better. Instead, he didn't grow up like her, but he didn't turn out like the other two. He was, and is, himself. He grew up to be Steven. A faint splashing sound snapped Amethyst out of her pondering, and she was confused as to what the source of it could be. Slowly and cautiously, she walked towards the recently-destroyed doorway, and Lapis stood valiantly in the center. She turned to Amethyst, her eyes full of courage

"I've thought about it," Lapis declared in a monotone voice, "and I'm ready to fight." Amethyst looked at her for a moment, processing the information. She had so much on her chest then and there, it was nothing less than overwhelming. Amethyst motioned for them to chat outside, not wanting Steven to hear. The two walked out into the center of the beach, the chilling light of the moon sprinkling on the surface of the waves, serving as a dimmed sun to the Earth.

"Look," Amethyst began, "I tried to reason with Black Diamond. Persuade her. Maybe even intimidate her. But, she doesn't care. She has no fear, she is fear. She makes sure winning is far outta reach for us. I've tried threatening her and finding some way to help Steven out, but the truth is: I dunno what to do. I dunno what I can do. And, I don't think you do either. We need all the strength and help we can get, but are you sure you can stop this?"

"Just because I'm ready to fight doesn't mean I know how to stop it." Lapis said, doubt rising in her tone. "I...don't know how to win. I don't know if we even can. But, what's the point in losing a war you didn't at least try to win?"

"Lapis, this isn't like what happened last time for you. This is bigger than that. If we lose, we lose everything. We lose everyone. Heck, we've already started down that path! Look at Pearl! Look at Garnet! Peridot! Even Steven!" Lapis looked at Amethyst, a worried expression across her brow. "It's hopeless, Lapis. Might as well wait out the apocalypse, right?" Amethyst looked down in shame and defeat, before slowly walking back towards the house. Lapis crossed her arms and sat down on the sand, thinking about the situation a little more. The dim glow of the moon lit up the beach, and the tiny little crystals and flakes glittered like millions of stars. They got brighter, and a rumbling became audible. Lapis looked up, scanning the sky. One of the stars was immensely big and hot, growing bigger by the second. That's not a star. Lapis bolted over to the side as a ship crashed into the beach. A Roaming Eye. Amethyst jogged back over, curious and scared. Lapis, however, prepared a rather large ball of water, ready to strike at any moment. The Eye's ramp deployed, and Sapphire fell out, her right arm, shoulder, and most of her chest becoming dulled shades of grey.

"She's infected." Lapis said bluntly, and trapped her in the ball of water, beginning to throw her into the ocean.

"Wait!" Amethyst shouted. "Look at her eye!"

"Why?"

"Just trust me!" Lapis turned Sapphire towards her so they could see her eye. Still as white as ever. "She's clean!" Amethyst cheered. Lapis released Sapphire, who fell to the ground, clutching her arm. She looked up in panic.

"Steven!" Sapphire shouted. "Where is he?!"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down, Saph." Amethyst said.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?!" Sapphire snapped. "I have spent 4 days in darkness and fear, have traveled hundreds if not thousands of light years and even witnessed Ruby get infected with the hopes that I will make sure Steven is alive and safe! I am NOT going another SECOND without seeing him!"

"Ruby's gone, too?" Amethyst said, weakly. Sapphire looked at her with a firm yet sorrowed expression, before walking towards the house, determined. Lapis and Amethyst followed, increasingly eager to know, while also maintaining a small amount of caution. Sapphire walked through the "doorway," not even paying much mind to the damage. She could hear Steven's breathing from up the stairs, and rushed up to see him. There, she could see the extent of the damage. You poor thing. she thought. Steven was riddled with black veins that were covered by layers of flesh, attempting to protect his compromised system. His eyes were dull and glossy, staying at a shade that wasn't quite plain white, but was not exactly a grey, either. His lips remained in a closed expression, and his face was an idle mask that surrounded his pain-filled eyes. Sapphire placed her good hand on Steven's cheek, the true gravity of the situation finally weighing down on her. Pearl was gone. Ruby was gone. Amethyst had lost hope. Steven had been paralysed. And she, too, would be gone soon. Yet again, the power of the Diamonds had bested them. At least this war was shorter. Sapphire thought to herself. She pulled Steven's shirt up to look at his gemstone. Completely black.

"How long has he been like this?" Sapphire asked the room.

"Like...a day? Two?" Amethyst said.

"Then there may still be hope." Sapphire turned to the others. "If Steven isn't dying or fully infected, there could be a way to help him."

"What?! Dude, we don't even know how to help Pearl!"

"Pearl is different. Black Diamond has completely removed Pearl's energy from her gemstone, it seems. Steven is half human. If we can find a way to let his humanity overpower his gem, he could still be able to move. Talk, at least."

"Are you sure this is going to work? What if he stays like this fore--" Lapis began.

"I AM TRYING MY BEST, LAPIS! I DON'T KNOW ANY MORE THAN YOU DO!" Sapphire shouted in anger. She looked back at Steven, and waved the other two away. The truth was, she wasn't sure she was even close to right. But if they could manage to keep their determination and spirits up in such dire times, then that could prove to be a much more valuable success. She held his hands in her own, before touching the surface of her gemstone to his.

13

After what had felt like hours, she finally made it to Blue Diamond's palace on the other side of Homeworld. They had made it clear that certain portions of the planet would be owned by each of them. White had to take over what used to be Pink's territory, and Yellow and Blue's were on opposite sides of the planet. Blue Diamond's tower was tall, smooth, and vibrantly blue as it stabbed the sky. She landed her pod on one of the designated landing sites, and was asked for identity confirmation. She simply opened the hatch to her pod, and everyone around her saluted, before a few helped her out of her restraints. They were easily cut by their summoned weapons, and Yellow was happy to have such freedom once again. One of them rushed inside to inform Blue of her arrival. Yellow was led inside, all the security precautions being activated. Word of Yellow Diamond's captivity did not take long to reach nearly everyone on Homeworld. The blue lights that shone down through the palace's foyer, coursing through the glass columns, and spilling through holes in the ceiling, made Yellow feel almost comforted. Her physical hue had shades of green leaking into it, and she could feel the coldness of the architecture that structured the base of the most political Diamond. She had to admit that Blue's tall, sleek palace was much more appealing than her own wide, polygonal palace. Regardless, Yellow desperately needed to talk with her next best resource to prevent Black Diamond from achieving victory. As she reached the end of the foyer, a platform descended from the ceiling.

"Blue Diamond is waiting for you at the top." said a voice over the sound system. Yellow stepped hurriedly onto the platform, being lifted up instantly. The pace at which it was ascending combined with the height of the palace made this a stressful ride. How do I make this go faster?! Yellow Diamond thought. She finally reached the top after a few minutes, desperate to find some solace with her closest friend. To tell her all that has transpired in the past 2 weeks. Only 2 weeks, she thought, and she's already so close to winning. Blue Diamond sat with her back to Yellow, her Pearl loyally perched on her shoulder.

"Greetings, Yellow. It's good to meet again." Blue Diamond said in a sickeningly calm voice.

"Blue, so much has happened since Black was freed! I've been through absolute torture!" Yellow explained, exasperated.

"Truly? I'm sorry to hear that." Blue got up from her chair. Her face remained veiled by her cloak, and she turned towards Yellow slowly and in a controlled manner. "You seem relatively fine, though. Are you not?"

"Am...Am I NOT?! Were you even listening to a word I've just said?!"

"Oh, indeed I have. Yet, there is nothing that I can do, is there?"

"At least let me tell you about what I've been through. For once I feel so overwhelmed by these past events, I need to get it off my chest."

"There won't be any need for that." Blue Diamond's eyes were hidden, yet Yellow could tell she was staring at her with intent. Disdain, even. "Pearl, fetch her a chair, would you?"

"Yes, my Diamond." Blue Pearl said, bowing before walking off out of sight.

"Blue, I must say you aren't being very...accommodating."

"No? My dearest apologies, how would you like me to act, Yellow?" Blue said, a fire of anger sparking in her voice. "How do you want me to feel?" Yellow Diamond merely stood there in shock. She could not believe that Blue Diamond, her own friend, had begun to betray her in her moment of need.

"What is the meaning of this, Blue?" Yellow interrogated.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Blue said, feigning innocence. "Haven't you considered that it may be the fact that you've kept me from grieving over such a precious Diamond? One that I encouraged and you despised? The fact that you've been trying to control me and everything that I do, constantly interfering with my plans by sending your troops down to planets that I've protected and eyed? The fact that the 'Crystal Gems' are still alive and strong, while you don't put in the necessary action to stop them? Or, perhaps the fact that I've become so fed up with all of this...ignorance and control that I had to take drastic measures to solve it?" Yellow saw it in her eyes. This wasn't an anger that she'd associated with Blue. Or with any of the Diamonds that still stood, for that matter. And, like the barrel of a gun, such powerful threat was directed straight at her. With all this negativity towards control of Gems and the fellow Diamonds, Blue was beginning to sound like...

"No. You didn't." Yellow said in disbelief.

"I had no other choice." Blue replied, fully angry now. "Who else was I to call upon to do it? Not to mention that she could be used as quite the tool in keeping balance and control across the galaxy. I'd seen her full power once, and I knew that she was the only one who was right for the task. I've had to ensure everything went as I envisioned. I located the home of those...Crystal Gems, finding that they possessed an ancient beacon! This was what truly set my plan into motion."

"Why not simply destroy their home, and thusly them in the process?" Yellow asked.

"Because," Blue Diamond began, angry, "I'm not like you, Yellow. I don't go in asking for a war. Asking for death. That's how Pink got shattered. That's how I may have ended up. Not to mention that they would most likely come back stronger than ever. I had to ensure that was not a possibility. After that, everything simply fell into place. And here we are." Blue Diamond walked back over to the window that overlooked Homeworld. "Indeed, I have lost many troops in her endeavors, and I'm sure you wish to stop her with your army. Normally, I would be happy to oblige. But, you see, I can't allow you to leave this place until it is truly complete. You were my biggest obstacle in all of this. If this plan was to truly succeed, I couldn't allow any interference from you or the army you command. So, what better means of getting revenge on my 'dearest' ally than Black Diamond herself? The reaper of all Gems. The accumulation of evil and hate. A black hole in the face of the Authority. She just had to be used."

"Used?" a voice said, angrily. Blue Diamond's face lost its confidence. She turned around instantly, seeing two white lights staring at her from the dark. Yellow backed away into a corner, full of dread. "I do hope I heard you wrong, Blue. I don't think you want to know what I'll do if that is what you said." Black Diamond stepped out from the dark section of the room, holding the limp, infected body of Blue Pearl. Blue Diamond fell to the ground, tears in her eyes. She attempted to overwhelm Black Diamond with her aura of sadness, yet Black Diamond remained unaffected. "Come to think of it, I'm sure you already do." Black Diamond poised one of her fingers, angrily staring at Blue with the fires of Hell in her eyes. Blue Diamond could only cower in fear.

14

Steven's eyes felt weaker and weaker by the second. The world in his peripheral vision was dark and blurry. He didn't feel like himself. Trillions of voices whispered in the back of his head. He felt fear every waking moment. He couldn't even cry. His chest was heavy, as if a building had been built on top of it. Chills coursed through his veins, as if his blood had been made ice. His life force frozen. His gut was a pit, a large hole that was filled with nothing but numbness. A black hole that pulled in pure suffering. He could feel the cold, numbing force branch out from his gem. A tree of death that grew within him, sprouting leaves of pain and weakness. He couldn't move anything beyond his eyes and lungs. This is it. he thought. I'm going to die here. Like this. And there isn't even anything I can do about it. His vision had begun to blur. His ears were underwater. Muffled, feminine voices sounded beside him. It didn't matter anymore. He was powerless. He was hopeless. He was, quite simply, dead. He felt a hand touch his cheek, the sensation barely surfacing through the tingling and stabbing, not unlike putting pressure on a leg with cut-off circulation. He moved his eyes to his right, stinging like there was soap in them. Fine details had become a good dream for him. All he could see was blobs of colors and shades. But, the closest figure, the one comforting him, he knew. This one conglomerate of blue and its many shades, he knew. This one he missed. This one served a sign that it was time for him to fight. This one gave him strength. He closed his eyes, his memory lingering on that unfocused blob of hope. He tried with all his might to move, the panic subsiding after several hours of unmoving fear. No longer. His brain punched against the concrete wall that surrounded it, trying to send signals to his muscles and nerves. No longer. It struggled and ached, but he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't stop trying until the job was done. Even if it took hours. Days. Even if he experienced more pain than he could even comprehend. Even if that meant that he had to die for it. No longer. His mind persisted in the wall's destruction, its knuckles beginning to bleed from such force as well as its answer of resistance. It didn't care about the pain. The wall cracked and popped as he screamed inside his own head. The cracks branched out across the wall, cutting deep into its very soul. Now it knew how he felt. To live in pain. In numbness. To hang on to that last thread of life. To be dangling from the edge of the abyss by one finger, knowing full-well that he could fall at any moment and not be able to return. No. Longer. He screamed at the top of his mind as his restraints crumbled within him. Only the room to send signals to his weakened limbs. Only the room to move. It was enough. He sat up, peeling away from his cocoon of agony. He opened his eyes, his irises adjusting. His eyes once again working. There, he saw Lapis, Amethyst, and Sapphire staring at him with amazement. He breathed heavily, tired from the battle within himself. He made fists, enjoying the ability to articulate once again. He hugged Sapphire, cherishing the sensation of embrace. Welcoming the feeling of love and comfort yet again, finally able to know that someone was there. He wasn't yet free, that he knew, but he could move. He could see. He could cry. And so, he did.

15

Everyone was silent. All they could do at that moment was gaze in awe at what they considered to be a miracle. Steven sat up and looked at them, moving for the first time in hours. It was like seeing a corpse rise from the dead: surprising and wondrous, yet borderline terrifying. Sapphire cleared the hair from her eye, staring straight at Steven in bewilderment. He looked around the room, getting his bearings. He blinked a few times, before realizing who everyone in the room was. He covered his mouth, and his eyes glossed up with the pool of tears filling up on his lower eyelid, resulting in such tears leaking down from their perch. He broke down, overwhelmed with emotions. A great sign. Sapphire hugged him tightly, stroking his hair with her healthy hand. She hummed a comforting tune angelically, and Steven clung onto her as if she was the only thing keeping him alive.

"I...I m-missed y-you." Steven said through sobs. Sapphire chuckled softly, momentarily ceasing her humming.

"I missed you, too." Sapphire replied. They held their embrace for a few more seconds, before Steven started to control his breathing a bit more and broke away, sitting on the bed and staring at the floor.

"How do you feel?" Lapis asked. "Does it hurt to move?"

"A little." Steven replied. He paused. "It doesn't really matter, though."

"Steven, if you're in pain, then of course it matters!"

"A lot more Gems--a lot more people--will feel even more pain if I don't do something." A terrifying silence hung above their heads. "We don't have much time, do we?" Amethyst nodded after a few seconds, not wanting to overwhelm Steven. She couldn't be sure what the poor guy's been through. How all this has been affecting him. "Then it's time to go." Steven got up, wincing for a moment. Amethyst and Lapis moved to help him, but Steven put a hand up to stop them.

"There's a Roaming Eye on the beach. I took it here." Sapphire said. Steven nodded, and walked downstairs, heading out the door. As damaged as it was, Steven knew that they could make it work. It would have to. The four of them hopped in, and Steven realized something.

"Where's Connie?" Steven asked. Amethyst was the only one to turn her head away. That was the only answer he needed. "Why?"

"She was getting outta hand. I...was afraid she was gonna get herself hurt." Amethyst said, guilty.

"Amethyst, she can handle herself! She could really help us defeat Black Diamond!"

"I know! I know! I...I guess I just kinda panicked!"

"Well, we have to get her! She has mom's sword, that can poof Gems!"

"But...can we be sure that it will work on Black Diamond?" Sapphire asked. Nobody spoke.

"Maybe." Steven answered. They lifted off the ground, heading towards Connie's house. Sapphire wasn't exactly a good pilot for the Eye by any means, but they all knew that she was the best they had.

After a few minutes of turbulence and speed regulations, they abruptly dropped in front of the Maheswaran residence. As the door opened and the ramp deployed, Steven began to exit, stopping just short of the ramp.

"Amethyst, you should go." He said.

"M-Me?" Amethyst replied worriedly. "Why me? It's you she'd most wanna see right now."

"Maybe so. But I don't owe her an apology."

"Neither do I! I wasn't the one wh--"

"Amethyst, just do it." Lapis said. "We're running out of time." Amethyst looked around at the group, nervous. She exited the Eye reluctantly, ringing the doorbell. After a minute or so, Dr. Maheswaran answered the door, Amethyst's presence causing a scowl to form on her face.

"What do you want? Connie's been through enough." Dr. Maheswaran said.

"I just wanna talk to her." Amethyst replied. "I... I want to apologize." Dr. Maheswaran raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, leaning in the doorway.

"Uh-huh. Well, thanks to your talking, she came home bawling her eyes out. She said that she wanted to help by any means necessary, but you pushed her away."

"She was hysterical! She was confused and angry, and I didn't know how to deal with it!"

"She was desperate! If your friend was on the verge of death and nobody seemed to be willing to help, how would you react? What would you do?"

"Y'know what? I did lose a friend! And another friend! And another! I was close to losing 4, and I did everything I could think of to make sure that didn't happen! And I had to make sure that I didn't cause any more collateral damage to any other friends that were there! If I messed up while trying to save Steven, Connie could've been the one on the verge of death. Maybe even WORSE!" Everyone was silent, and it took a few moments for Amethyst to look in the doorway and see the faint shape of Connie behind her mother. She seemed terrified, and that she was clinging on to her parent for protection. Amethyst's expression softened from one of anger and frustration, to one of sorrow and guilt. "Connie, I'm so sorry for what happened. I'm sorry I reacted the way that I did, but you gotta understand why I acted that way. We need you right now. You've got a sword, and we've got almost nothing! So, please?"

"Why should I? It won't help Steven, will it?" Connie said, quietly. "He's still gonna die."

"He's ri--...he isn't the only one that matters. Ruby's gone. Peridot's gone. Who knows how many more are gonna go besides Steven? If we don't do something soon, things are gonna get a lot worse." Connie stood there, her head resting on her mother's torso. She slowly broke away, walking back into the house.

"It's as I said: she's been through enough." Dr. Maheswaran said. "Leave Connie alone." She began to close the door, yet Steven rushed over beside Amethyst, and kept it open. He was in pain, that was apparent, but he powered through it. Dr. Maheswaran looked at him as if he were some sort of freakish monster, focusing on the shadowy veins that lay beneath his skin. Connie appeared yet again, carrying Rose's sword, her eyes kept at her feet. She solemnly looked up to the doorway, her eyes widening at the sight of Steven. She tried to say his name, the second syllable stuck in her throat. Steven looked at her with determination.

"C'mon!" Steven said, his voice gripped with stinging pain. Connie nodded, hopping through the doorway. Sapphire and Lapis sighed, relieved that everything had worked out. Steven let go of the door, walking back to the Eye with the other two behind.

"Connie!" Her mother called. As Connie reached the ramp, she turned around. Her mother stood outside the door, her hands to her heart. Her eyes conveyed insurmountable concern that burst out of their familial affection. "I...I love you so much." Connie smiled bittersweetly.

"I love you, too." She replied. Connie entered the Eye, and the ramp closed as the craft levitated upwards, rushing off into the sky. Dr. Maheswaran stood there, keeping her eyes on it until it was out of sight.

16

The room was quieter than the dead. Yellow Diamond hid out of sight, waiting for the booming steps of their intruder to fade away, and out of the room. They did not. Instead, two sets of walking sounds, both like that of the smaller Gems, exited the place. After a few more seconds, Yellow came out of hiding, seeing only one other body in the room. One that lay in a pool of pungent, black sludge. She turned Blue's body over onto her back, and saw that her eyes were completely blackened, yet her body and gem were merely a dark shade. She had lost most of her color, but some still remained, a faded remnant of what was. Her face remained stained with the black sludge that leaked from her nose and mouth, and rivers of darkness that ran from her eyes had begun to dry. Not wanting to beckon another ambush, Yellow let go of the body, moving away from it cautiously. It wasn't safe here. Soon, no part of Homeworld would be safe. She had nowhere left to go. No place to escape to. She heard a fiery rumbling from outside. She looked out one of the windows, seeing her hijacked ship hovering above the palace, before many beams of yellowish-white light shot down to the landing area. There was a crowd of colorless Gems, with one, standing taller than any of them, in the front. Wonderful. A small section of them went back in, carrying out what looked to be a machine of some sort. A reactor core? Power generator? She didn't care. Yellow headed towards the platform, descending slowly. Though muffled, she could barely hear the sounds of lasers being shot and the clanging of weapons, yet these noises were washed away by a wave of horrified screams. Screams that took mere seconds to devolve into gagging and choking, before they went silent. Her back still ached, and her mind lost it's focus. She no longer had a plan. She couldn't do anything! What other options did she have? A voice echoed throughout the elevator shaft over the sound system.

"This is an emergency. An intruder has entered the palace. All Gems report to the ballroom immediately. Repeat, an intruder has entered the palace. Report to the ballroom immediately." As she reached the bottom floor, she saw the last few members of Black Diamond's crowd walk around a corner. No time. She looked around, seeing the open doorway. Pools of infection and scratches of agony decorated the floor and walls. All the guards were gone. Yellow ran outside looking around for her escape pod. She saw what was left, and stomped the ground in frustration. Black Diamond must know that she's here. An idea popped into her mind. Her last chance. She circled the entire palace, taking about 15 minutes in all, before she saw it. It rose up behind the spire, and towered above her. It had to work. She rushed to the entrance, running throughout the ship. She knew nothing about this ship's true layout. She assumed it to be similar to her own, but she was wrong. The hallways were smaller and more complex, filled with more decorations and designs along the walls and ceilings. As she went along, she saw dried stains of black mess. This raised a feeling of fear, yet this soon subsided as she knew that Blue's Gems had been infected not long after Black was first released. The image of Black Diamond standing in the doorway, as that Steven Universe human stood by her, flashed in her head. The rage that burned in the furnace of her heart ascended into a bonfire when she remembered the amount of trust she'd laid on that human. How lenient she was. How kind she was. All gone to waste. A new sense of determination being found, she pressed on confidently. She followed a few directions to the escape pod bay. She wouldn't be able to pilot the large ship very well if the layout was this different, and it wouldn't exactly make for a stealthy getaway. Hopefully she thinks I'm still in the palace. she thought. The memories of that human coursing through her head motivated a different length of her mission. She got in the largest escape pod in the center of all of them, the one meant for Blue, and set a course for Earth. After she destroyed Black Diamond once and for all, she couldn't allow any more encounters with that mischievous little flesh sack.

***

Gems of many different colors filled the ballroom, all confused and frightened. It was a large, tall, semi-circular cylindrical room with a chandelier hanging down from the ceiling. There were two sets of double doors on the flat side that connected to the rest of the palace, and stairs that lifted up above the doors on either side of the room. These stairs led up to a giant balcony for their Diamond, with one set of double doors. The Gems tried to reassure each other that they would be kept safe, as Blue Diamond had promised them. They simply had to wait for a bit, and keep quiet. They all quieted down, for fear of their intruder finding them. They weren't even sure who it was, but if an emergency protocol was necessary, it couldn't be anyone good. The doors on the balcony above opened, and everyone looked up to see who entered. It was a tall, dark, and daunting figure that stood before them, with a Pearl in either hand. The Pearls were set on the banister, where they looked down upon the crowd as their leader did. It was like staring death in the face and begging for mercy. A few of them tried to open the doors, while staying as quiet as they could.

"Greetings." Black Diamond said, happily. "I understand that you're scared, yet you have no reason to be. Remain calm, I am not here to cause you harm." More Gems tried to escape, some even trying to smash the windows. "This will all go much quicker and easier for everyone if you did not resist. You have nothing to fear. If anything, you should be excited. The fact that you will be able to join me and my cause, while also being freed from your constraints should come as a relief. So, please do not panic. Do not attempt to escape. All you need to do now is wait. Wait...for your freedom." The doors below opened, revealing an entire crowd of infected Gems. The healthy Gems screamed in terror, attempting to break through the windows with all their might, some even desperately trying to claw through the walls. The infected flooded into the room, digging their fingers and claws into the gemstones of the panicked crowd. All the gems that had glistened with life and color became perverted by the dark branches that spread throughout their being. Some of the infected leapt onto the backs of Gems who attempted to run from them, pinning them to the floor as their life was stripped away. Some fell the the ground, hoping to wrestle their way out of their demise. Others tried to crawl out the doors through the many legs and writhing bodies. Then there were some who attempted to hide on the stairs. None of their plans succeeded. They were all restrained by their assailants, having to feel a dark energy invade the stones that they had cherished for their entire lives. The infected had no reason to be patient or gentle. All they needed was to complete the objective they'd been given. Some Gems were knocked unconscious before their freedom began. Those were the lucky ones. Coughs and gags filled the room, and the walls and floor became painted with black fluids. Gems were knocked to the ground by other Gems who began to convulse and choke on their own essence. The colors that were contained within the room were washed out by darkness and greys. This horrific event went on for only about a minute, before all the screams and coughs were silenced. All the movements and resistance ceased. A hand that had tried futilly to escape slid down the wall, trailing dark sludge along its path. Everything was still. It was a success. Black Diamond grinned at her victory, and at such beautiful horror. Her smile could hold the very souls that she had just taken.

17

"So," Steven began, "Sapphire, where was the last place you saw Black Diamond?"

"I can't really be sure." Sapphire said. "With her hive mind and whatnot, it's hard to even know whether or not it's really her."

"Right. But, what would make sense? If her plan is to free all Gems, then wouldn't it make sense if she were on the planet with the most of them?"

"So, what? You suggest we go to Homeworld?" Lapis said, increasingly nervous.

"What other options do we have?"

"Hold on. Got something." The yellow screen in front of Sapphire displayed a little, blue dot that was slowly approaching a larger, orange dot that was centered on the screen. "It looks like some sort of ship or pod. The system recognizes it." Out the window, the group could vaguely see a bright blue dot moving slowly towards the right edge of their view.
"Should we shoot at it?" Amethyst asked.

"Best not. I can try and communicate with it, though." Sapphire replied. They flew a bit closer to it, establishing a better connection. "Hello?" Static for a few moments, and then a reply from a booming, authoritative voice.

"Hello. If you get any closer to my pod, I will be forced to open fire." The voice said. Sapphire quickly stopped the ship. The pod got closer. "Crew report."

"Crew report?" Steven asked. There was silence. The pod then rushed towards them. The hatch opened once it was close enough. It was very large, and what exited was just as big. Yellow Diamond, with a wide-eyed look of an emotional mixture consisting of anger, fear, shock, and joy, grabbed the entire Roaming Eye in her hands.

"That voice! I recognize that voice! Come out of there!" Yellow Diamond demanded. Steven held a look of determination on his own face, tired of cowering from these goliaths when one was wreaking irreparable havoc. He formed a bubble around himself, and exited the Eye. The air rushed out and swept him into the space surrounding the miniscule mode of transportation. Yellow's eyes followed the tiny, pink speck as it floated off whimsically. She let go of the Eye, and instead grabbed the bubbled boy. "I have spent too long without doing this, and I now know that I should have killed you the moment you entered my sight. As soon as you returned with that wretched diamond in your hands."

"Go ahead. Won't help your cause much." Steven retorted.

"No? Losing a small, weak..." She saw the veins covering his body. "...infected little rodent will not be beneficial for me in the slightest?"

"No, it won't. Because I hate her as much as you do. And I am beyond willing to do whatever it takes to ensure she doesn't come back."

"That implies shattering her. How pathetically foolish. No Diamond can be shattered by a simple human! No Diamond has been shattered by another Diamond!"

"But a Diamond was shattered by a Rose Quartz." Steven said, lifting up his shirt. Though it only looked like a shiny, black dot on his gut, Yellow Diamond knew what he was saying.

"She is not like Pink. Pink was new. She was...young. And dimwitted! She didn't quite know what it was she had wanted! Black Diamond is as old as I am, and has exactly what she wants in mind. She knows exactly how to achieve it. And I cannot allow you to interfere with my plans!"

"What have you done to stop her for the past week?! What sort of Gems have you lost?!"

"Everything! My troops, my ship, my Pearl, and even the Diamond I had considered my friend! I have been living in excruciating pain for nearly a full day! I have lost EVERYTHING!"

"So have I!" There was silence, and murky black tears welled up in Steven's eyes. He held them back, wanting to stay strong in the face of this Diamond. "I've lost my best friends. I don't know where my dad is. I've even lost myself! Do you know how much pain I'm in right now just by standing?!" Yellow Diamond turned her head, thinking about the wounds that still remain fresh in her back.

"Yes." She said somberly. For Steven, he began hoping she would make the right decision. That he would truly have a chance at ending this all. Yellow Diamond, however, did not have such a clear head. Her mind was a buzz with conflicting thoughts and feelings, some trying to rationalize the situation and think of a logical conclusion, while playing tug-of-war with the others that wanted to connect with the person who she thought had betrayed her. Thinking, Yellow Diamond let go of Steven. The Eye hovered around her right side, ready to pick up Steven in case of any outcome. "She's on Homeworld." Yellow said. A smirk tugged at Steven's mouth. "She infiltrated Blue Diamond's palace. I saw she had some sort of...machine."

"An energy core?" Sapphire asked over the comms system. Yellow was about to order her to keep quiet, but then settled down and nodded. "What could she need that for?"

"Maybe to blow up Homeworld?" Amethyst asked.

"Well, that wouldn't make sense." Connie thought aloud. "If her goal is to free all Gems, then simply destroying them all would kind of be counter-progressive, wouldn't it?"

"Agreed. But, unless she's making a facility that needs a power source, there's no other reason she would need it." Sapphire said.

"And why so many ships?" Yellow added. "She stole two of mine, and it's safe to assume that she might grab Blue's as well."

"To transport her Gems." Steven said.

"Perhaps. But, that raises even more questions."

"I don't think we need to answer those. If we stop her before she gets any use out of them, then it won't really matter, right?"

"Hm." Yellow said in an affirmative tone.

"Wait." Sapphire interjected. Yellow was growing annoyed and impatient. "That pod came from Blue Diamond's ship, yes?"

"Of course." Yellow replied.

"Well, if Black Diamond does take Blue Diamond's ship as well, wouldn't she be able to track your pod?" Yellow hadn't thought of that. A sense of dread swallowed her, but this was washed away by a sense of hate.

"Then we'd better move quick." Steven was pulled back inside the Roaming Eye. Yellow moved back to her pod, and got back in. She shot off towards Homeworld, the Eye following.

18

As her Gems entered Blue Diamond's ship, Black Diamond herself carried Blue Diamond's limp, useless body with her. Almost complete. Black Diamond thought, gleeful. The energy core was loaded into one of the missile ports, awaiting to be launched. Briskly walking to the control room, Black Diamond sat in the chair that allowed her full command of the ship they had boarded. Her other Gems entered Yellow's ship, and the rest were awaiting in the third back by White Diamond. All three ships simultaneously lifted off, and began to head towards Homeworld's giant, luminous star. A star that had provided such guidance and hope to the mindless drones inhabiting her planet, and one that will provide freedom and improvement for the new generation of Gems. Though faint and foggy, she could still feel Steven's being. She knew where he was, and she knew how he felt in that moment, both emotionally and physically. What she didn't know was what he was thinking. What he was planning. She kept true to her promise of releasing his father. Though, she wasn't sure how a human would fare in the society of Homeworld. She smirked at this. As concerned as she was about losing Yellow yet again, even though she was just within her grasp, she did not falter in her confident scheming. She set down Blue Diamond's body next to her.

"Hopefully," Black Diamond said, "she'll take the bait." She smiled.

19

Yellow Diamond soon saw the giant, looming figure of Homeworld. A world that had once seemed so welcoming. So powerful. A world that had fallen to its knees before a maniacal and chaotic ruler. She couldn't allow this to go on. She couldn't allow her beautiful world to succumb to the disgusting forces of her enemy. She saw glints and flashes in the atmosphere, writing them off as simply being Gem ships and cruisers. Yet, two stood out in particular. A yellow one and a blue one. Both seemed to be ascending and exiting the atmosphere, before making their way towards...their star? Confused, Yellow relayed this information to the other group. She told them to head towards Blue's ship with her. However, the Eye that had followed her began to slow. Sapphire, whose entire chest had turned an ash grey, began to tremble. Trying desperately to control her body, she pressed forward. Her steering was not the best, but she worked through it. After a minute, the two little pebbles reached the massive boulder of Blue Diamond's ship. It didn't take long for it to fire upon them.

"Defensive protocols. They only target the enemy's locations. If we can get to one of the blind spots, such as the edge closest to the thrusters or the wrist, I may be able to get in there. Steven, you will serve as a distraction to get Black Diamond out of there. The rest of you, get the remaining Gems off of the ship." Yellow directed. They did as they were told, narrowly evading the dotted lines of blue light that followed in their direction. The Roaming Eye made it to the wrist segment, seeing an opening for incoming ships. They carefully exited the Eye inside the bay, hurriedly running into the ship. Connie kept her sword readied, as did Steven with his shield and Amethyst with her whip.

***

Yellow made it to the edge by the thrusters, analysing a map of the ship's layout. If she could attack the control room, she may be able to deter Black Diamond enough to open an airlock and send her out into the open. Suddenly, a wall of blue dots rose in front of her, all rushing towards her at top speed. She went around to the thrusters, keeping her distance as they were in use. Unsure of what to do, considering the pod had no weapons, she tore out useless sections of the interior, and threw them out after opening the hatch. It didn't help much, but it did knock a few of them off course.

***

As the group made it further into the ship, they decided to split up. Steven and Connie would try and find Black Diamond, while the rest would clear a path through any hordes of infected Gems they may encounter. That may soon turned into a will, as they opened a door to a large loading area filled with infected Gems. It took them a moment to notice, but once they did, the army of evil before them all ran at the intruders. In a quick but useful movement, Steven and Connie fused. Though they felt a large amount of aching, tingling pain, Stevonnie noticed that the pain was drastically suppressed. The group all worked to attack the Gems, managing to poof them in moments with the efforts of Rose's sword, Amethyst's whip, and Lapis's speed. Sapphire tagged along, unsure of what to do. She winced, and the darkness on her body spread across the rest of her torso, bleeding over into her other shoulder.

***

Having run out of sections to destroy, Yellow had no other ways of stalling the attack of the fleet behind her. She located the approximate placement of the control room, however, and swirled around the ship in search for a good spot. She found one, and sped in towards it. A few pods from behind her circled back around in front of her, forming a shield around that area. She flew back up, frustrated. She then saw the lines of projectiles and beams being shot at her, curious as to how the pods have avoided such things. She then thought about if they were targeting her pod, or her. Willing to risk it, she opened the hatch and jumped out. The fleet of infected rushed past her, and the beams that had targeted her pod split between the two of them. So, both was the answer. Holding on to her loosely-formed plan, she grabbed the sides of one of the infected pods, which narrowly dodged the beams and projectiles that had proved to be one of the bigger obstacles for her. Perfect. She once again located the spot, and launched herself towards it. Though not quite as fast as she'd hoped, she made it there within seconds. She easily made it through the shield of pods that tried to pummel and hit her to defend their leader, and punched the spot as hard as she could. Bouncing off of one of the pods after being jolted backwards, she tore away at the outer layers of the ship.

***

After making it through the room with only a handful of infected left to spare, the group ran down the halls. As enigmatic as it was, it wasn't very hard to find their way after seeing the exterior of the ship. Banking on the layout of Yellow Diamond's larger ship, Stevonnie and co made their way through the halls towards the center of the ship. Sapphire was a good four feet behind the rest of the group, though, unable to push through the pain very easily. She stopped, and watched as the rest of her group ran forwards without her. Unsure of how much she'd be able to help them now, Sapphire fell to her knees. She thought about all the possible consequences that could arise from the situation and from any of the decisions she could make then. For the first time in ages, she had to think see the future by herself. She was a ticking time bomb. Each second that whisks by takes a piece of her in its stride. She can't help. Not anymore. Not without endangering the rest of the group. Endangering Connie and Steven. With a surge of doubt probing the surface of her thoughts, she quickly ran in the opposite direction.

***

It took so long, and she barely even made it more than 5 inches. The pods kept swooping down like hungry birds slowly stripping away their prey's life, sometimes hitting her back on the pre-existing wounds. Frustrated and impatient, she grabbed one of the pods as it swooped down, and began hammering against the weakened portion of the ship's exterior. Much more progress. As she was just about to break through, however, a wave of electrical energy spiked up within her, which proved inaffective. The urge to poof and regenerate was beyond overwhelming, as was the magnitude of her suffering. Her brain was caught in a net of absolute torment. Still, she powered through. She shoved the pod through the ship, and it fell to the floor within, rolling off out of sight. She climbed through, falling several feet before hitting the ground. Had her body not been tingling and numbed, she was confident this would cause tremendous amounts of agonizing pain. She was in the circuitry and engine layer of the ship, meaning she could easily sabotage the operating system. The problem was that she knew nothing about the layout of the equipment or what connected to what. She had to army crawl her way through, trying to find some sort of information to help her figure it out. She tried to listen to the things going on within the ship. She didn't want to drop into a crowd of infected by accident. Readying her fist once she heard silence, she punched through the layer beneath her and burst a hole all the way through. Below, she saw a few colorless bodies scanning the area. She looked around the room. This wasn't the control room, like she'd anticipated, but it was close. It seems Steven and the rest of the group still hadn't arrived. She would have to wait for Black Diamond to be off the ship. In the meantime, she searched through the rest of the maintenance layer, ensuring safety.

***

Stevonnie and the other two ran through the curving, enormous halls that filled the ship, heading towards the center. Every now and then, they would come across a few infected, which was not much of a problem to deal with. As they were reaching the hallway to the control room, they stopped. Stevonnie noticed that the area was too quiet. And clean. The longer they stood in silence, the more they noticed just how different the room felt from the rest of the ship. Like the walls were made of eyes. They scanned the room. Empty. They moved forward, cautiously. They opened the door to the hallway, yet there was only one figure that stood at the end, guarding a door just as tall as her. Instinctively, Stevonnie readied their weapon, ready to lure Black Diamond off the ship. Yet, as they looked at the shape of the figure, they saw it wasn't Black Diamond. She wore a helmet. And had large, pointed shoulder pads. She stared at them with soulless eyes. They held no emotion. No thought. Nothing other than the pure intentions of harm. Infection. A faint voice in the back of Stevonnie's head reminded them that Black Diamond and her Gems do not harm. They shook their head, trying to get those thoughts out of there. They were not their thoughts. The figure began to slowly walk towards them. As Stevonnie saw it, there were three possibilities: 1. This is a hallucination meant to keep them from success. 2. This is a shape-shifted, infected Gem. It's easy to guess what the third possibility is. Regardless, though being taken aback a bit, Stevonnie charged onwards, ready to combat the blackened Gem. They got no more than a few feet forwards before they were tackled to the ground from behind. They tried to look back, and saw that Amethyst and Lapis were being restrained. It was a trap! They knew it! Stevonnie struggled, but felt as though several different Gems of varying size were piled on top of them.

"Stop fighting." Their assailants said in unison. The infected Yellow Diamond shifted back into a taller, skinnier Gem that Stevonnie hadn't seen before. They looked back again, seeing the infected Gems restraining the other two clearly searching for their gemstones. Lapis cried out in pain, while Amethyst fought back, freeing herself from her captor. The skinnier Gem then pounced on top of her, knocking her to the ground. Lapis dropped to the ground, appearing weak. Stevonnie then saw many jagged, black branches begin to spread across her body from her back at an alarming rate. Some of these branches then faded to varying shades of grey. They couldn't bear to watch this. They heard a loud "thud" from a few feet ahead, like the clap of thunder from a cloud straight above. Before they could see the source of it, they heard the sound of a good, hefty punch and the weight that was on top of them was suddenly gone. They jolted back up to their feet, readying their sword and charging at the Gems attacking Amethyst. The infected poofed as soon as they reached them, however. After the surprise of this development wore off, their attention was redirected at Lapis, who lay convulsing on the floor beside them, now a fountain of black ooze. Despair welled up inside Stevonnie, and was shocked to see Yellow Diamond stomp the poor Lapis, poofing her. Amethyst quickly bubbled her, sending her back home. Stevonnie lingered there, rolling the events over in their head.

"I understand that she meant a lot to you both, but we can't waste any more time. Had we left her as she was, she would become a liability. We cannot allow that. Understood?" Yellow Diamond said. It took a moment before both Stevonnie and Amethyst nodded. With this event, an entirely new level of anger and hatred built up within Stevonnie. They quickly rushed towards the door to the control room, prepared to tear Black Diamond to shreds. "No, stop!" Yellow called. It was no use. The door to the control room quickly opened, and Stevonnie was met face-to-face with that devilish Cheshire grin.

"Hello." Black Diamond said, softly. Stevonnie was quickly grabbed off their feet, lifted high above the ground, prisoner to Black Diamond's jagged fingers. Yellow Diamond's fist rushed through the air towards Black Diamond's smug face, yet it was stopped with equal force by Black Diamond's hand, and her fingers stabbed into Yellow Diamond's fist. Black Diamond's smile faded back into her idle expression, and Yellow Diamond yelped in pain, attempting to pull her hand away from her piercing clutches. It worked, and Yellow tore her hand away with tremendous agony. Stevonnie struggled to escape, wriggling like a worm in the mouth of a bird. They couldn't reach their sword. They needed it! Black Diamond seemed to jolt her head to the side, as if she'd heard someone call her name from behind her. She turned to Stevonnie, her smile returning, and her eyes wide. "Oh, I see." Stevonnie then realized what was going on. Their thoughts were not private anymore. Black Diamond saw the shining, pink weapon as Stevonnie's side, sliding it out from her grip. It was like a toothpick in her fingers. "Pathetic weapon. And you planned to use this on me?" She flicked it off across the hall. Amethyst began to bolt for it, while Yellow kicked Black's legs in an effort to trip her. Solid as rock. Black didn't even flinch at Yellow's efforts to attack. Black Diamond looked at Stevonnie again. "Now, then. What exactly was your plan, again?" Don't think about it! Stevonnie thought. Black Diamond's smile grew wider. "Trying to do that will only bring up the memories and thoughts you mean to suppress, little Quartz."

"You're lying!" Stevonnie accused. Black Diamond's smile lost some of its joy, yet not its confidence. Rose's sword flew at them, hitting the ceiling next to Black Diamond's head. She slowly looked towards the one who tried to attack her, seeing Amethyst slowly back away. Black Diamond gave her a look that said 'Seriously? That's the best you can do?' Yellow Diamond saw an infected Gem that shifted into Black Diamond sit down in the control chair, operating the holograms. The thing that truly got her attention was the one button that they pressed, and how it was followed by a powerful boom that shook the very molecules of the ship. Black Diamond immediately lost all engagement in the situation, an idle look overcoming her, with a confident smirk resting on her face. A section of the wall to their left lifted up. She dropped Stevonnie, walking into a door that folded upwards out of the wall. Inside looked to be a large, spacious drone ship. Black Diamond got in, while Stevonnie jumped back onto her, grabbing her dress. Black Diamond flicked her off as if they were an insect. The door closed before they got a second chance, and another boom shouted out through the ship. Stevonnie unfused, the two of them tumbling to the ground.

"She's...escaping." Yellow Diamond said through gasps and quick breaths.

"Yeah, but to where?" Amethyst said, clearly shaken. "What's her plan?" Amethyst saw Steven and Connie, running over when she saw Steven curled up on the ground.

"Sh...she wants to...t-to...!" Steven gasped in pain, pressuring up his breath as though he were trying to suppress crying. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping to stop this horrible sensation.

"I know. I know how it feels. But you have to power through it, Steven! We can't do this without you!" Connie encouraged.

"The long-haired human is correct." Yellow Diamond said, out of breath. "You are the only one who is able to be infected, yet still retain some level of sentience. Without you, it would be much more difficult for us to make any sort of progress."

"W-Wi...ithout me...y-you'd be s-safer...'cause she c-can read my th-thoughts!" Steven said through a mouth full of torture. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Fair point." Yellow Diamond said. This came as a surprise to Steven. He opened his eyes, looking up at Connie, who had stopped comforting him. "This could jeopardize the entire operation, in fact. You run a terrifying and unavoidable risk." Yellow Diamond walked over in front of him, raising her foot. "Thus, I see it fit that we should kill you." Steven screamed in fear as Yellow Diamond brought her foot down. He was slapped in the face, which proved to have an amplified amount of tingling.

"Steven!" Connie shouted. He opened his eyes again, seeing Connie once more attempting to make him feel better.

"What happened?" Yellow Diamond asked from across the room.

"I don't know, I think he hallucinated again!" Connie leaned in. "Can you hear me? And see me?" Steven nodded frantically. He tried to power through the pain, yet Black Diamond's energy kept him pinned down. Yellow Diamond grunted, and stood up. She walked into the control room, the infected Gems frozen in place. After pushing the Black Diamond imposter out of the control chair, Yellow Diamond replaced her and looked over the monitors. What she saw stabbed uncontrollable dread into her heart.

"We need to get off of this ship right now." She said.

"Why?" Amethyst asked.

"We are only thousands of miles from Homeworld's star, and I now know what the energy core was meant to do." Amethyst still remained confused, yet Connie got it fairly quickly.

"How? Where do we go?" She asked.

"Not sure. The escape pods were used up by those infected Gems as I attempted to get in. However..." Yellow looked at the wall to their right, seeing a similar panel to the one Black Diamond had activated only minutes ago. "Everybody move." She activated it, revealing another drone ship. Everyone climbed in, and Yellow piloted the craft. She shot off, away from the ship, attempting to track down Black Diamond's little drone.

"Hold on a sec!" Amethyst shouted.

"We can't! We're out of time!" Yellow Diamond declared.

"But Sapphire's gone!" Connie and Amethyst looked around the drone. Yellow Diamond merely rolled her eyes.

"Are you suggesting we go back to get her? WE CANNOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME! WE ARE AT THE END OF IT!" Yellow Diamond thought of Blue Diamond's body. How tragic it was to see someone she had bonded with stripped of everything that made her what she was. Who she was. But she betrayed us! Yellow Diamond thought, her logic and emotions battling. She sided with her logic, yet that also went astray fairly quickly. If we save Homeworld, but leave Blue to die, then that means that only two Diamonds would be left. Can the Gems of Homeworld handle another lost Diamond? Yellow thought this over and over. If not hers, then everyone else's emotions would overcome them. Another lost Diamond, especially one as well-regarded as her could drive Homeworld into complete anarchy! She sat in silence, finally finding Black Diamond's location. It seemed she was heading towards one of Homeworld's moons, J-Quartus. Yellow picked up speed, rushing at the moon as though she were a missle meant to destroy it. She gradually slowed down once they were close enough. The moon itself was as big as the planet Mars, but remained to be a mixture of greys, cyans, and greens. They landed, and the other three were let out, Steven being carried by Amethyst. "I'm going to go back and rescue as many Gems as I can. Black Diamond shouldn't be too far from here. I'm afraid you'll have to fight her without me." Before anyone could say anything else, Yellow closed the door and lifted up from the ground, shooting back towards Blue Diamond's ship. Steven's determination slowly began to rise, yet an uncomfortable feeling nested in his torso. A nauseous feeling of worry and fear. A warning, perhaps. He saw Connie and Amethyst. He knew they couldn't be able to stand up to Black Diamond and live. Then, he asked himself: Can I? He had to. And he knew that. With newfound determination, he fought back the pain of Black Diamond's infection, slowly standing up with shaking legs. His eyes had begun to turn grey, yet his pupils remained unchanged for the time being. Amethyst walked on top of a hill as Connie helped Steven stand up, and she located Black Diamond's landing site. It was on top of another, distant hill that had a perfect view of Homeworld's star. Amethyst motioned for the other two to follow, and she picked Steven up as they reached the top of the hill, giving him a piggyback ride as they ran towards Black Diamond.

***

Though she knew how much she was putting at risk here, Yellow Diamond proceeded onwards, determined to hold on to some part of Homeworld's legacy. Her drone ship sidled up right beside one of the ship's entrances where the others had first entered. She started running through the halls, trying to remember Sapphire's name and appearance. She searched for quite a while before finally seeing a trail of black sludge that lead from a certain point in the hall towards the front of the ship. It went on until it hit one of the knuckle sections, where she saw Sapphire sitting off to the side of the hall, limp. As much as she wanted to leave her behind, Yellow knew that none of the others would appreciate that action much at all. She rushed over, picking her up. She wasn't frozen like the others. It seems that she may have put herself in a state of sleep. Smart Gem. Always thinking ahead. Yellow then began running towards the drone ship to get Blue Diamond's body. She flew back over to one of the doors in the hall, entering it hurriedly and practically running into the control room. She frantically searched for Blue Diamond's body, hoping to find something.

***

Black Diamond stood like a lighthouse atop the hill, her drone ship beside her. She stared at the star, waiting patiently for her plan to be completed. A whip suddenly lashed at her back. She flinched in surprise, though not in pain. Quickly, she turned around to see who had attacked her. Another whipping hit her in the chest. Amethyst was at the front, while Steven stayed on his knees next to Connie, who held her sword defensively next to him. She rolled her eyes, a frown on her face. She slammed the ground in front of them, causing them to fall backwards a bit.

"Fight all you want. You're too late." Black Diamond said confidently.

"I don't think so, BD!" Amethyst shouted, jumping up at Black Diamond in an effort to attack her. She was knocked away when Black Diamond backhanded her in midair. Now it was Connie's turn. She lunged at Black Diamond's leg and stabbing it with the sword. Black Diamond finally reacted to the pain, that being a minor twitch of her left eye. She lifted her foot up, bringing it down like a gavel, sending deafening shockwaves through the ground. Connie fell off balance, and Black Diamond kicked her away. Now it was Steven's turn. Full of rage, he ran at her with full speed. It hurt immensely, but he didn't care. He jumped onto her leg as well, forming his shield to protect from any other attacks, and grabbed the hilt of the sword. He tried to let himself drop and slice the sword through her leg, yet it remained immovable. Black Diamond smirked in amusement, but Connie jumped up and grabbed Steven's feet, trying to pull him down along with the sword. This made the weapon budge a small bit, perhaps only 3 inches. This was enough to bubble up Black Diamond's anger, and she punched the two of them into the ground before pulling out the sword with ease. A small fountain of black liquid slowly slithered down the wound, and she walked back to her viewpoint. Though he was weak and on the verge of passing out, Steven saw this bleeding, and hope began to brew. We can hurt her. He thought. He looked at her gemstone on her head, a dark plan shaping in his brain. He got up with muscles made of paper, his head numb to the touch yet aching within.

"Hey!" Steven shouted as loud as he could. Black Diamond looked at him, annoyed.

"I'll give you this, Steven Quartz." Black Diamond said. "You certainly don't know when to give up."

"I know when to give up. Once the fight is over." Black Diamond smiled, looking back at the gigantic, looming star.

"Then consider it over."

***

She finally found it in the far corner of the room. She was sitting with her back to the rest of the room, her hands over her eyes. Cute. Yellow thought, sarcastically. She took a quick glance at the monitors once again as she threw Blue Diamond's body over her shoulder, and panicked when she saw a countdown. Had it been at 30 seconds or even 25, she'd likely remain calm. It was at 10. She rushed through the door and into the drone ship, throwing the bodies in the back. She got in, herself, and instantly closed the door. She started the systems up as fast as she could flying ahead at full thrust, and was shocked when she lost the light from the star behind her and Blue Diamond's ship was taken away. She realized she wasn't moving, and looked at the monitors displaying her surroundings. The star had been replaced by absence. All that remained was a large, dark circle. A black hole. She briefly saw Blue Diamond's ship as a small speck in the face of the black hole, before disappearing forever. She tried to speed up, putting in all the energy the little drone ship had available. Still, it didn't go forward at all. Beads of sweat formed across Yellow's brow. She had to make it! She looked at Homeworld, pondering how things would be affected with only one Diamond left. Whether the others succeeded or failed, if Yellow were to be sucked into the abyss that was trying desperately to consume her, only one Diamond would be left standing. As she looked at Homeworld, she became more and more paranoid. The planet was moving. The black hole was so big that it was able to pull Homeworld in even from its distance! This was her plan all along, wasn't it? Yellow thought. All the Gems will be freed. Only she will be left to rule over the mindless bodies that remain. Her perfect species. She couldn't allow that. She'd risked too much. Lost too much! She tried steering the ship to the side and snaking through the gravitational deathlock. No such luck. Turning it to the side seemed to only suck her in more. Ready to scream in rage and frustration, Yellow banged her head on the console. She decided to attempt light-speed travel, yet she still stayed in place. A stupid decision in hindsight. Yellow Diamond thought, hitting her forehead with her palm. She looked around for the warp drive in the scramble of holographic information, but was shocked to see no such thing. Drones don't have warps. They're meant for battle. It was then that Yellow Diamond screamed.

***

The star's comforting light was doused instantaneously. Black Diamond looked on in wonderment and awe, pure ecstasy coursing through her being. She laughed as loud as she could, her eyes wide and manic. She cackled at her triumph, and it was a cackle that could make even the blood of the dead run cold. Steven saw this and filled with fear. More of a mixture between fear and despair, perhaps even with a bit of shock as well. He'd never seen a black hole that large. In fact, the only other black hole he'd seen was the one he refused to remember in detail. He saw the stars that surrounded it. Perfect chaos that had glittered beautifully was now bending to its will, and they all stretched and distorted as they trembled beneath the might of the voracious, cosmic beast. Amethyst rushed up the hill, clearly wounded. Steven looked at her with wide eyes.

"It's so...beautiful." Black Diamond said. Much to his surprise, Steven saw that she was actually crying. "The way it pulls in everything that surrounds it, with nothing being able to escape it! It's a miraculous experience! The most mesmerizing prison in the entire universe." Connie slowly picked up the sword, careful to be outside of Black Diamond's view. Steven saw her do this, and then felt a wave of regret blanket him. Black Diamond stomped the ground yet again, throwing everyone but Connie off their feet. In an effort to help her out, Steven covered his eyes. Connie saw this, smiling courageously. She motioned Amethyst to go over to her, and Steven then got another idea. He saw that Blue Diamond's ship was pulled into the black hole, and he knew that Yellow had returned there to save remaining Gems. He turned away from Black Diamond and the others, side-stepping his way towards Black Diamond's drone ship. Connie was launched into the air by Amethyst, and she stabbed the sword deep into Black Diamond's upper back. Black Diamond yelped in sudden pain, trying to squash Connie like a pesky insect. Steven hopped into the drone. It was very large, and when he activated it, he only saw many glowing, blue holograms that may as well have been hieroglyphs. Amethyst saw this, and jumped in after him. Though, she wasn't there to help him. Instead, she pulled him out of there quickly and without much coordination. Connie climbed around on Black Diamond's neck, stabbing the sword into multiple different spots. Black Diamond's fingers hovered around her entire neck, poking the spots both in front of and behind the ones affected, before simply letting them all down simultaneously. Connie jumped to avoid them, and kicked Black Diamond in the face. This didn't do anything, much to her disappointment, other than give away her exact location. Black Diamond's fingers then trapped her using both their tips and their sides, squeezing the air out of her. Black Diamond scowled at her in annoyance, before dropping her. She fell several stories towards the ground, before Steven jumped up, hugged her tightly, and bubbled them both as they crashed to the ground. Once the bubble was released, Black Diamond again brought her foot down, and the two jumped out of the way narrowly. "Enough!" Black Diamond declared. "I am fed up with you piteous creatures and your inability to surrender, even when the battle is lost!" Black Diamond dug her fingers into the ground, and black, glassy vines and spikes sprouted up. Connie and Steven worked together, Steven shielding them for her as she attacked them with Rose's sword. Amethyst tried to dodge them, yet they kept following her. She whipped the vine with both her whips, trying to damage it somehow. Nothing. She was so preoccupied with the vine in front of her, that she failed to notice a spike shoot up from behind her, perfectly angled to stab through her torso. Pain overcame all other senses, and the vine in front of her stabbed her through the mouth. Steven gasped at the sight as he hid behind his shield. Connie refused to look. She couldn't let any other emotions derail her train of thought. Amethyst tried as hard as she could to work through the pain, trying even harder as Black Diamond approached her. As the Diamond loomed over the poor Gem, Amethyst poofed. Black Diamond began to reach down for her gemstone, yet was interrupted when Steven threw his shield at her hand, knocking it out of the way. Connie, too, jumped back onto her and stabbed her arm. Black Diamond tried to clamp her other hand down on top of her, yet Connie pulled the sword out and pierced the other palm as well. Steven bolted over to Amethyst's defenseless gem, pocketing it, and Black Diamond yelled in a mixture of rage and pain. She tried to grab Connie yet again, but when Connie ran around her arms and shoulders, she settled on grabbing Rose's sword. It wasn't hard to follow, being a bright pink blade of metal, and Black Diamond grabbed it easily as the blade stuck out. She shook Connie off of it, and Steven caught her in midair yet again. Black Diamond looked the sword over, thinking of the amount of pain and damage it inflicted with such ease, and broke it in two. The now useless pieces plummeted to the ground, and Black Diamond stomped them to ensure the job was done. Both Steven and Connie looked on in shock. Steven looked back up at Black Diamond, who returned his gaze with cold, emotionless eyes. That was it. Steven didn't even care how much pain he was going through in that moment, nor the amount of pain he was about to experience, but he sprinted towards her for the last time, gripping her dress in an attempt to climb upwards. Black Diamond, now bored of his efforts picked him up and held him still in her palm, bringing him up to her face. "Steven Quartz, I ha--" Steven hocked a loogie straight into her right eye. Black Diamond closed her eyes painfully for a moment, turning her head away from him. Connie gasped. Black Diamond then looked back at him, nothing but anger filling out her facial expressions.

"A lot more where that came from." Steven said menacingly. One of Black Diamonds fingers was aimed directly into Steven's gem, and it poked the surface of it gently at first. In time, however, it began to press it into his gut. Steven began to grimace at the odd yet agonizing feeling, and bubbled himself, pushing the finger away. "You really think you can kill me? You think you can win this and come out on top?" Steven grew spikes on the bubble, and the spikes barely began to stab into Black Diamond's palm. "You don't deserve it, you maniac!" Steven shouted. Connie was unsure that was even him up there; she'd never heard him speak like this before. Black Diamond didn't care who said it, other than to silence them. For good. Her fingers rushed into his bubble, straining Steven's concentration. Black Diamond then used her energy to cause a sensation of pain throughout his body. A pain he couldn't even comprehend. As Black Diamond began to smile at her victory yet again, a finger tapped her shoulder from behind. She turned her head, and was met with a powerful, yellow fist. Black Diamond fell over in response, dropping Steven. Yellow Diamond had combined the force of the black hole, her light speed engine, and her regular thrusters to circle back around through the gravitational pull, and had crashed only a few feet away. Her drone ship was ruined at that point, but she didn't much care. All she cared about was this.

"That," she said, "was for my ships." She stomped Black Diamond's back while she was down, and turned her over onto it. "That was for my troops." Black Diamond tried to use her fingers to attack, yet Yellow grabbed a few of them readying them for an attack. Stabbing them into the Diamond's chest. "That was for my Pearls!" Black Diamond cried out in agony, which came as a joyous call in Yellow Diamond's ears. "And this!" Yellow grabbed Black Diamond's neck. "Is for my friend!" Yellow Diamond stabbed the other fingers just below Black Diamond's throat.

"You're...too late." Black Diamond said through pain. "Once I escape...again...I will have an entire planet full of my Gems!"

"Then we cannot allow you to escape, then, can we?" Yellow Diamond stared at Black Diamond's gemstone, aiming the tip of her helmet towards it. Black Diamond didn't need to read her mind to see what she was about to do. "Don't worry." Yellow said. "This will free you." Yellow slammed her helmet hard and fast into Black Diamond's gemstone, causing it to crack across its surface. Black Diamond screamed in agony, and with one last look of sorrow towards Steven, exploded into a cloud of smoke and dust. Both Steven and Yellow Diamond bubbled the gem immediately. A calmness hung in the air. Connie took a moment to assess the situation, truly taking it in. She smiled widely and looked at Steven, rushing over to hug him victoriously. Steven, although recognizing the sensation of relief that had been lost for so long, knew that it wasn't over yet. He looked at the black hole, and the way that Homeworld was slowly gaining speed as it was pulled towards it. Yellow Diamond saw this and stood up, leaving the bubbled diamond on the ground. "Leave it there. We'll come back for it."

"What do you mean?! WE JUST BEAT HER! BLACK DIAMOND IS FINALLY GONE!" Connie cheered.

"She might be gone," Steven said, "but she was right. If we don't do something about the black hole, the only Gems left will be us, and the infected ones." Connie's triumphant attitude began to fade, but determination soon took its place. Yellow Diamond walked over to the other drone ship, Steven hopping in the back seat next to Sapphire's limp, greyed body. Connie followed, hesitating to pick up what remained of Rose's sword. Yellow Diamond lifted off, flying hurriedly towards Homeworld. It was a gigantic planet, a little bit larger than the Sun, and it was soon to be torn to shreds by an abstract force resting only thousands of miles away, the distance between them slowly shrinking. Yellow Diamond kept flying until she saw the large, luminous figure of White Diamond poking out above all other structures on the planet, on the nighttime side of Homeworld. After about a minute, they finally reached a place where they could talk to her. White Diamond saw this, slightly relieved.

"Finally! Yellow, what is going on?" White asked.

"Black Diamond imploded our sun! The entire planet will soon be obliterated before we can even comprehend it being obliterated!" Yellow responded, opening the door. White tried to stay calm and think of a way around this.

"If a black hole gains too much energy, it will eventually shrink down until it disappears completely, correct?"

"In a sense, but that could take months! Years, even! Homeworld's demise may only take minutes."

"Affirmative. Hm." White Diamond looked around Homeworld, how all the spires and vehicles glittered and shone in response to the glittering stars that shone upon them. Before, they had brought comfort and peace. Now, they brought warning. "How far is the nearest solar system?"

"I'd venture approximately 1 light-year."

"It will have to do. Yellow, the palaces on the other side of the planet can act as massive propulsion machines for interstellar travel in case of emergency."

"What?" Connie asked.

"They can fly us to a new star." Yellow clarified, impatient.

"I am able to active Pink's old palace, but you are in charge of the other two. Understood?" White Diamond explained.

"Yes, Supreme Diamond." Yellow said. "The solar system is 49 degrees to the western side of Homeworld." White Diamond nodded, looking off towards the west horizon. Yellow closed the door, quickly flying towards Blue Diamond's palace to the east. It took about 2 minutes before they saw it. "You two, on either side of the palace on those platforms are three switches. Flip in this order: middle, left, right, left, middle, right, left. I will be in the tower to confirm this." Steven had already forgotten the order, but Connie was on top of it.

"Middle, left, right, left, middle, right, left. Got it!" She confirmed. Yellow nodded, dropping them off in the central area to access the platforms, before hovering up to the top of the tower. Connie and Steven immediately split up, sprinting towards the panels. Yellow had to smash open the lookout window to enter safely, seeing the button on the back of the elevator shaft. She moved over to it, and Connie's side lit up as soon as she got there. Good work. she thought. Steven's side was taking a bit longer though. He saw the switches, carefully trying to remember the order they went in. Middle...left...right...middle? Wrong! Steven panicked, and Connie's side was reset. Connie did it again, and ran towards Steven to help him out. Unsure if she'd make it there in time, she shouted the combination to him as soon as she saw him around the side of the palace. Steven repeated after her, and both lights lit up. Yellow hit the button the second that light came on, and an entire side of the palace fell off, revealing hundreds of powerful jets and thrusters, all activating at the same time once they were revealed. Yellow jumped back into the drone, and the three saw the sky begin to move past them faster and faster. The planet was rotating. Yellow dove down to the ground, opening the door for the other two.

"We need to get to the other one to stabilize it! Go! Go! Go!" Yellow ordered. They jumped in, Yellow not even waiting for them to be in the seat before taking off again. The planet's surface rushed below them, like a film reel of all the colors the eye can perceive. The colors slowly began to fade into many different yellows and hazels, perhaps even some amber. Yellow Diamond's palace was wide and polygonal, a three-dimensional mozaic of dozens of shades, all relating to the same color. Some glowed with electric light, striking the eye and staninyout amongst the strain of the bright color. "This one is more difficult. It's 9 buttons. Think of the horizontal axis as a, b, and c, and the vertical one being 1, 2, and 3. The order for the one on the left-hand side," Yellow pointed to the left side of the palace, showing a control tower, "is a3, b2, c1, b3. The other is a2, b1, c2, c1. Got it?" Connie thought it over, nodding. She turned to Steven.

"Do you wanna take the left one? It sounya little easier." Steven nodded as well. Yellow swerved around, dropping him off on the left side. He stepped in, and the other two flew off towards the other end. He looked at the panel, more confident this time. He got the combination on the first try, sighing in relief. It was then he noticed that it didn't hurt to breathe anymore. Before, a sharp pain stabbed his chest when he breathed to slowly or to deeply. Yet, that pain was gone. He looked himself over, seeing that the black veins had begun to fade. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he was confident that it was good. It wasn't long before the thrusters on this palace revealed themselves as well, and a shift in the world's rotation was weak, yet noticable. Yellow's drone ship appeared yet again from behind the palace, heading towards him at top speed. Yellow grabbed him as she flew by, tossing him into the back seat. He didn't hear Connie's greeting, yet he did hear something peculiar. He couldn't make out the words at that moment, but he recognized the voice. He got up wearily, seeing the astounding sight of Connie and Sapphire talking. Sapphire was still a faded blue, and she was obviously weaker than usual, but she was back! She was getting cured! Steven took out Amethyst's gem, placing it on the floor. He waited patiently, and she reformed after a few moments. As soon as she did, she lunged at Steven, ready to attack. She took a moment to see that it was him and that the fight had stopped.

"Oh. Sorry." Amethyst said, guiltily. She quickly looked around, her whips deployed.

"She's gone, Amethyst." Steven said. She looked at him in disbelief.

"What? Yeah right."

"It's true!" Connie cheered, heading towards the other two with Sapphire following.

"Saph!" Amethyst said happily, rushing in to hug her. Sapphire grunted in surprise, yet returned the embrace. Amethyst, Connie, and Sapphire celebrated their victory, but Steven looked up at Blue Diamond, who blinked lazily. She looked towards him, putting on a friendly smile.

"It's good to see you again." Blue said kindly.

"Don't listen to her." Yellow said from the front. "Trust me, I've learned that lesson the hard way." She glared at Blue Diamond, and they finally arrived back at White's location. White glanced at them, quickly going back to concentrating on movement. The planet hadn't budged from its position, and White was clearly working hard.

"I've alerted...the inhabitants here...of the situation." She said, sounding as though she was lifting an overbearing amount weight. "They're thinking of a way around this."

"I have Blue Diamond here." Yellow said.

"And?"

"And she is a traitor." White looked at them again, more surprised and confused.

"Explain." She said.

"Oh, I'm sure she can explain that to you." Yellow looked back at Blue smugly. Blue sank into her seat. "I'll be dropping her off at the Correctional Reparations building, when you two wish to talk."

"What about us?" Connie asked.

"Humans, yes?" White asked.

"Affirmative." Yellow replied.

"There is...a human that was found by patrol...detained in the...northern station. Interrogation...will start...soon." Steven's eyes lit up. "As well as...two rebellious Gems...set for execution...a Peridot and...a...Ruby, I believe it was."

"Cancel the execution!" Sapphire shouted.

"You do not order us, traitor!" Yellow declared. She looked back at White. "Cancel the execution."

"Very well." White Diamond said. "They are to be brought here momentarily."

"Good. Then we'll be able to have these rebels..." Yellow thought for a moment. She had every single reason she could have to hate them. To execute them. To punish them for thinking they can be above the Authority. Yet, she knew in the back of her head that she would end up like Blue. So driven by anger and hatred that she would no longer think logically. She frowned. "...returned to Earth."

"What!?" Blue Diamond yelled.

"Blue, be silent." White responded.

"No! No longer will I sit here in silence! You, Yellow, have be--"

"BLUE! SILENCE!" White shouted, shaking every atom for dozens of miles onwards. Blue cowered, covering her mouth. The sky once again began to move. "Think about your decision, Yellow. Is this truly the right one to make?" Again, Yellow was reminded of how this goal to destroy the Crystal Gems had consumed her. She didn't want them to be her main priority. Her sense of power returned to her mind after so long. She had better things to do than waste any more her time on these pitiful weaklings.

"Yes. I'll have a transport ship take them back to Earth once they reunite. If we even have any left." Yellow replied. She descended, dropping Everyone but Blue Diamond off in front of White Diamond. The last they saw of either of them, they flew off towards the northwest part of the world.

The four of them waited there for almost ten minutes, before Greg and the other two were dropped off as well. It took him a moment, but Greg then saw Steven a few feet away. The two ran towards each other, hugging tightly.

"Shtoo-ball!" Greg cheered. "You're alive! And, I think you're actually looking a bit better!" Greg barely saw the veins that had plagued Steven's natural skin color, and when he lifted his shirt up, Steven saw that his gemstone had gone from black to a slightly dark pink.

"Why is that happening?" Steven asked, genuinely confused.

"The crack!" Connie said, walking up to the two of them. "Yellow Diamond cracked Black Diamond's gem! If I'm right, that could mean that the...energies or whatever was just flooded back out!" Connie and Greg hugged as well, and Steven smirked when he saw Sapphire and Ruby reunite. They didn't speak, but their looks told countless stories. They simply held each other in a tight embrace, looks of relief, sorrow, joy, and many other emotions on their faces. They began to glow, and soon they became a blob of white light, and Garnet returned, her arms wrapped around herself. She smiled. Peridot sat with her back to the group, seemingly ashamed. Steven walked over to her, careful to not frighten her. He sat down next to her. She stared at the ground. He wasn't sure what was going through her head at that moment. He placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but she gently pushed it off, looking off to the side. She needed space, and Steven saw that. He got up, walking back over to the rest of the group. Garnet came up from behind him, surprising him with a strong hug.

"We did it!" Garnet said, shaking Steven around as they hugged.

"Where's Lapis?" Peridot's asked bluntly, before craning her head around to face the others. Everyone stared.

"Temple. In a...well, in a bubble." Amethyst said. Peridot's nodded. Amethyst turned to the others. "She was being infected. Of this whole cure situation is going on, do you think it'll work when she's in a bubble?"

"I guess we'll find out." Garnet replied.

The transport ship arrived after another 5 minutes, and everyone was exhausted. As everyone climbed in and lifted up out of Homeworld's atmosphere, Steven thought. If everyone who was infected got cured from Black Diamond's gem being cracked, that means that they're probably meeting up with their friends and family. If that's even a thing on Homeworld. The thought of a reunion between Gems that were lost for thousands upon thousands of years warmed his heart. Then he remembered that there were many Gems on Blue Diamond's ship, as well. And he knew what happened to that. He also realized something. If Black Diamond's gem being cracked resulted in their energies being freed, did that also mean that her energy would be freed at some point? Steven began to panic, keeping a calm demeanor around the others so as not to worry them.

They reached Earth, returning to the area they had specified: Steven's house. The pilots rushed them all out. One of them stopped Steven as he exited.

"A message from Yellow Diamond." She said. "'I do not forgive you for your crimes, Steven Quartz Universe. Know that both you and Blue Diamond were the ones to cause this in the first place. If ever we cross paths again, you and/or your group of Crystal I, I will not hesitate in ensuring your destruction is fittingly excruciating.' That is all." Steven, shocked, slowly walked out of the ship. Everyone saw it off as it warped into the sky, and Connie gave Steven one last hug.

"Thanks for...not letting me die?" Connie said, chuckling. Steven gave a "hmph" laugh at that. Connie placed something in his hand, and he looked at it. It was Black Diamond's bubble. Panic rising to the surface again, Connie patted him on the back. "Put it somewhere safe. Somewhere nobody will be able to find it." Steven nodded, calming down more. Connie returned the nod, smiling genuinely, before walking over to Greg, asking him to drive her home.

"Steven!" Garnet called. Steven hid the bubbled monster as he turned around. What he saw nearly made him drop it again. Pearl stood on the porch, waving at him. Steven welled up, rushing over to Garnet, giving her the bubble, before running up the stairs to meet her. Pearl and Steven hugged tightly, both of them shedding tears of joy and relief.

"It's so good to see you again! It was so dark and cold!" Pearl said, nearly yelling through her curtain of emotions. Garnet and Amethyst walked up onto the porch as well, and decided to join the embrace, forming a group hug. Peridot looked on, happiness scraping the back of her head. She still felt a little off. Shaken by the events of the past few days. She rubbed her bicep nervously, before walking upstairs to join them.

20

Blue Diamond stood in front of one of White Diamond's projections, which sat in a throne that seemed to be nearly the size of her ballroom.

"The events that transpired over the past week have been devastating for Gemkind. We have been forced to relocate our planet and will be living in darkness for years. Many damages have been made, and many ships have been lost. All as a result of Black Diamond being summoned upon and used by you, Blue Diamond." White Diamond said. Blue Diamond bowed her head, while Yellow smiled confidently. "As punishment for your transactions, and your insulting attempts to take power over the rest of the Authority, I am subjecting you to constant supervision by Yellow Diamond and myself until we reach our new star." Blue Diamond was about to protest, yet White held her hand up to silence her. "All in favor of this punishment say 'I.'"

"I." Yellow Diamond said, raising her hand.

"I, too, support this, which means that your vote is overruled, Blue. My decision is final." White Diamond nodded, giving them the incentive to leave.

"Perhaps I'll be able to help you with your problems, Blue. That's all I've ever wanted to do." Yellow said as they walked down the hall.

"I don't need your help. I want my power back."

"I can't even begin to imagine how that feels."

21

Garnet went into the Temple while Pearl conversed with the rest of the group, telling them about what it was like to be "freed."

"It was horrifying!" Pearl said. "I'd never felt anything like it, and I don't ever want to again! It was so odd to feel as though an entirely different entity was stealing your body from you. And then to be kept out by some sort of barrier? I couldn't stand it!"

"I barely even noticed it at first." Added Peridot. "I just thought it was from waking up or something. I'll tell you what, though: sleeping feels really weird." Garnet returned from the Temple, Lapis following her reluctantly. She seemed to still be in shock. She was greeted warmly by everyone in the room, though she preferred not to be hugged. Steven took the bubbled diamond from Garnet, carrying it cautiously up to Lapis. She took one look at it, and shivered with fear.

"I was thinking we could throw it into the ocean. Like, far away from land at the bottom." He said.

"Why not keep it in the Temple?" Garnet asked.

"Well, what if another Gem breaks in there in search of it? Last I checked, we don't have any other ones in there." Garnet looked down, still bitter over that whole ordeal. "But, what Gem would think to look in the ocean?" Lapis saw his point, nodding slowly.

"Okay." She said silently. The two of them walked out onto the beach. Steven remembered his plan from earlier, still dead set on it. He had to be quick about this. He set the bubbled gem in the sand before him, raised his fist, and Lapis stopped him. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Hold on, just trust me on this." He said. Lapis held her grip. He sighed. "Black Diamond's gem is releasing the energies of the Gems she freed, right?" Lapis nodded. "Well, if their energies can get out, I'm willing to bet that hers can, too. If I fix the crack, she'll be trapped in there forever." Lapis thought this over, loosening her grip. Out of trust and curiosity, she let go. He licked his palm and slammed the bubble, causing it to pop. He smacked his saliva-covered hand onto the exposed gemstone, and it corrected its crack. Just as he could start to feel it come alive again, Steven bubbled it, his heart slowing. He gave the bubbled diamond to Lapis, who formed a water sphere around it, and sent it far out to sea before she sank it to the bottom. Out of sight. Out of existence. Trapped in an endless, dark, inescapable prison. As the waves rolled along the beach, so did the feeling of hope and relief. It was over. It was all over. Steven fell to his knees, mesmerized by the sea laid out before him, blanketing a force he would never want to encounter again. For the first time in what seemed to be weeks, Steven smiled in pure joy. Lapis saw this, and an expression of positivity tugged the strings if her mouth as well. Steven sat there, and began to laugh. He hadn't felt truly happy in so long, it was like an entirely new experience for him. Lapis began to chuckle as well. Greg pulled up on the beach and returned from his drive. He got out of the van, and saw Steven's change in attitude. He wrapped his arm around Steven's head, giving him noogie while chuckling.

"What's so funny, huh?" Greg asked playfully. Lapis watched in amusement as the two wrestled on the beach. She flew back over to the house, her wings feeling newer than before, and decided to join the conversation in the living room. All of them had different stories to tell. Different perspectives. Different experiences. Different reactions. But talking about all the crazy, terrifying things that had happened to them, knowing that the others had gone through pretty much the same thing, came as a comfort to them all. They finally felt safe once again.

"It was such a strange experience, reforming after all that! It happened only about an hour ago, and it was almost like the floodgates had opened or something!" Pearl said, accentuating her statement with a hearty laugh. "It felt weird, too. To be able to see and move and...feel again. But I must say, when I saw the damages in the roof and to the door, the first thought I had was 'what did Amethyst do this time?' I suppose it was just instinct." She laughed, and a few others giggled. Amethyst looked at her angrily. Pearl saw this response, her laughter dying down to an embarrassed chuckling. Amethyst then smiled and hugged her tightly.

"It's good to have ya back, P." Amethyst said, playfully punching Pearl's shoulder. Steven walked in with his dad, and everyone greeted them enthusiastically. Steven smiled sincerely, before rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Oh, goodness! I'm sure you're exhausted after such a long week!" Pearl said.

"More than a week." Garnet added.

"Really? How long?"

"Eh, little over 2 weeks." Amethyst said passively. Pearl became even more concerned.

"Really? Well, that doesn't help much at all. Feel free to go to sleep, Steven! We can move the conversation outside." Pearl said. Steven nodded, and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"I'll be hanging around for a bit, bud. Hope you don't mind." Greg said.

"Of course not!" Steven said as he brushed his teeth.

"Alrighty! Come and get me if there's anything wrong, okay?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Love you, kiddo. Sleep well." Steven spit out the mixture of toothpaste and saliva, returning the farewell. As he climbed into bed and felt the warm grip of his sheets, Steven felt truly at peace. He didn't care about anything in that moment, and he loved that feeling. The feeling of peace. As he let his thoughts run wild to tire his mind into slumber, Steven comfortably drifted into a sleep he'd craved for days. A sleep where he could dream again.

Epilogue

A day's typical haul. Fish, sand, and a few pieces of seaweed and kelp.

"Throw 'em in with the rest of 'em. We'll butcher 'em later." said one of the men. They unloaded the haul, sprawling it onto the deck. Seagulls squawked and called as they saw good amounts of food just waiting for consumption. They stared like vultures eyeing up their soon-to-be meal. Another one of them cast the net again, watching in slight amusement as it sank down to the bottom.

After about an hour, they finally decided to bring it back up. They did so with much, much greater ease than before. When they reeled it back in, they only had one thing in the net. None of them could accurately tell what it was, however.

"Ya think we should throw it back?" said one of the men, a bigger man. Another shook his head, saying that they could have found a new type of sea life. That could make them tons of money. The one who reeled it in grabbed it, noting that it seemed to defy gravity and float in his hands. It was bright, and pretty, yet he could tell there was something inside.

"Hey, guys!" said the man. The rest of them moved over to him. "There's something in there!" They all looked closely at it, having difficulty seeing through the brightly-colored shell and wet sand.

"What the heck is it?" one of the younger men asked.

"Hold on." The big guy said. He took it in his palm, it fitting like a pearl in a clam. He placed it on the deck, raised his boot, and stomped on the surface of the shell, making a loud "pop!" There, the men could see what it was.

"Goodness gracious! It's a diamond?!" the younger man exclaimed.

"Yep. Looks like a pretty rare one, too. Pretty sure it could sell for any price we demand." the big guy said, chuckling.

"Well, boys," said the one who found it. "Looks like it was a good find after all."

The End

**********

And that was Steven Universe: Black Hole, my first fanfiction story! Working on this has been so much fun and I sincerely appreciate the amount of support of gotten on this. This story started out as something that I just kept circling around in my head, whether it be at school or at home, sometimes even when trying to get to sleep! It blossomed into something much more and much cooler than I could've anticipated. Thank you so much for reading and staying with me through this story, I really really appreciate it!