***Author's Note: It's now or never. Tomorrow I'll publish the chapter—or well, a part of it that is key to the plot for me. I hope you guys show a lot of support from here on out, because things are about to get really good. Leave your stars, this is getting interesting.***
Steven looked up at the sky with a mix of worry and fear. He had told the girls about five hours ago that he felt something approaching, that they were already coming. At first, they didn't believe him, until Garnet, with a furrowed brow and trembling hands, looked into the future and confirmed what he had said. In that moment, panic took over everyone.
He ran as fast as he could toward city hall, where Mayor Dewey was calmly counting votes for the upcoming election. Steven arrived completely out of breath. "We have a problem, Mr. Mayor," he said, his voice shaking. He didn't care much for Dewey, but he knew it was necessary to warn him to keep the citizens out of danger.
"Oh, really? And what problem is that?" the mayor asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Steven hurriedly explained how an alien ship was set to arrive on Earth in a matter of hours, and how Beach City could be the landing zone.
The mayor went silent for a few seconds, then his face hardened into a serious expression. "I understand, Universe. If I notice anything unusual, I will announce it immediately. I'll also warn everyone in Beach City so they can be prepared. Thank you, Universe, and please, be careful," he said, looking at him with genuine concern.
"I will," Steven replied with a brief smile before sprinting back toward the house. The sky was beginning to turn a sickly, thick green. *Damn it,* he muttered, watching something massive approach from the clouds.
He ran toward his father's car wash. "Dad!" he screamed desperately.
"What's wrong, Stevo?" Greg asked, noticing the change in the atmosphere.
"They're coming," Steven said, his voice tense. "I need you to leave, now." He handed him his phone. "If anyone calls, say I'm on a mission, but keep it with you," he insisted.
Greg took the phone with worry. "Will you be okay, son?"
"Absolutely," Steven replied, forcing a smile meant to project confidence, even though his entire body was shaking.
"Alright," Greg said after a few seconds of silence. "Take care of yourself, son... and please, come back." His voice cracked as he started the van. Steven watched his father drive away down the road, the vehicle disappearing into the twilight lights.
*Two hours left,* he thought silently, his heart tightening.
He ran down to the beach. The Gems were there, anxious, surrounded by Rose's cannons. Amethyst was desperate. "How do we activate them?!" she screamed.
"Activate... uh, Rose activate... cannon activate..." she stammered over and over with no result.
"I know how!" Steven yelled, running toward the cannons. "Are they aimed yet?"
"Yes," Garnet replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the sky. The ship was getting closer and closer.
"Perfect," Steven said, taking a deep breath before adding with a tense smile, "If porkchops were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs!"
All three cannons began to glow simultaneously. With a deafening roar, the pink beams shot into the sky, fusing together and taking the shape of Rose. The three luminous figures merged and struck the ship directly.
"It didn't do anything," Garnet muttered, her jaw tight.
"Damn it!" Pearl exclaimed—a word so rare coming from her that nobody dared to point it out.
"Amethyst," Garnet barked. "Fuse with Pearl, now!"
"On it," both replied, completely focused. They moved rapidly, spinning in perfect synchronization until Opal emerged from the light. With her giant bow, she aimed at the sky and charged a pure energy arrow for an entire minute before releasing it. The arrow tore through the air, hurtling furiously toward the massive green hand descending upon the city.
The hand, which had remained motionless until then, moved. It raised its palm elegantly and, with a simple gesture, stopped the projectile cold.
"Damn it," Opal muttered.
Steven stepped up behind them. He took a deep breath, trying to control the fear squeezing his chest. He could feel his heart racing, but he couldn't fail. Exhausted, Pearl and Amethyst split from the fusion. They couldn't maintain it any longer under that immense pressure.
The air was heavy, the sky completely green, and the shadow of the hand loomed over all of Beach City.
The hand landed right in front of them, spinning into a position for someone to disembark, and that's exactly what happened. A bubble like the previous ones—the ones containing the flask-roaming robots with liquid inside—appeared; but looking closely, this one looked noticeably different. The sphere floated upward and vanished with a *poof*, revealing two visible figures.
"These are the ones," Peridot said, visible from up high. "These are the Gems." She glanced at Steven. "That one is new. Is it a pet of this planet?"
The girls tensed at the way she referred to their un-declared son.
"Leave this planet!" Garnet roared, but then she noticed the other figure standing beside Peridot and froze. She remembered her all too well from the war.
"These rotten Gems," said the one now known as Jasper. "Are these the traitors?" she asked, pulling another Gem from behind her. The one she dragged forward was Lapis, whose face was cast downward. She looked at everyone and noticed Steven, tensing up. *Her, yes, but the one in the back is just a human.*
"A stupid human," Jasper said. "Just blast them already, they don't deserve my time."
Peridot replied with annoyance, "Whatever," making it clear she would rather be anywhere else.
With a flick of her hand, she made a gesture, and the ship behind them rose, pointing a finger.
"Fire," Peridot said dryly.
"Not in my presence!" a voice echoed from behind the Gems.
Steven.
He leaped into the air and, with a swift motion, summoned his shield before landing.
A loud clang echoed across the entire beach.
"Huh?" Jasper turned around, completely confused by the sound, and what she saw left her frozen.
"You... you... *you!*"
Steven's shield revealed itself, its symbol clearly on display, which made Jasper explode with fury. "Rose Quartz! You dare stand before me and deceive me in such a pathetic form?!"
Steven took three steps back—not out of fear... well, maybe a little—but out of strategy.
Jasper growled with hatred. "Rose Quartz. The great leader of the rebel Gems. The traitor. The one who shattered..."
She clenched her fists.
"...my Diamond!"
The entire place fell dead silent. Even Peridot, who was about to argue, just shut her mouth. She knew when to stay quiet.
Garnet ground her teeth and, in a sudden burst of rage, charged forward.
"Get off our planet!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she lunged at Jasper.
Jasper only flashed a smile filled with suppressed fury. "Oh, come on. A pathetic fusion."
The two rushed at each other and, with a massive impact...
*Boom.*
A shockwave echoed across the beach as Jasper and Garnet began to brawl.
"Amethyst!" Pearl roared, spear in hand as she ran toward Peridot.
*I have to win for Steven, for Rose... no, for Steven,* Pearl repeated in her mind to keep from losing her sanity.
*I have to make up for my mistake, I have to win,* Amethyst thought as both of them lunged at Peridot.
Steven looked over at Jasper and quickly ran toward her.
"Rose," Jasper said, her voice heavy with years of pain and fury. "I will send you straight to the damn Diamond."
And she charged at Steven with all her might.
*Crap,* Steven thought to himself as he summoned his standard shield and dodged Jasper, who didn't look very happy.
Garnet screamed at him to get out of there, that he couldn't fight her, that she was too strong. She said it completely frantic, though without breaking eye contact with Jasper.
"Don't worry, Garnet," Steven murmured, swallowing some spit over a small wound as it healed. "Today, everything I learned from you guys is put to the test. And as far as I'm concerned, if one falls, we all fall."
Jasper stood up calmly from the ground, casually cracking her neck.
"You know, Rose? I never thought you'd grow this weak. That form... what is it? A mockery of the Diamonds? Or are you just mocking me?"
She cracked her hands, though nobody knows how, considering she shouldn't have joints.
Steven swallowed hard.
"Uh... would you believe me if I told you I'm not Rose?"
Jasper stared at him even harder.
"Don't hold anything back," Steven said, bracing himself.
He quickly raised his shield in front of him to block a strike from Jasper.
"Steven!" Garnet screamed, running toward Jasper, whose back was turned and didn't notice Garnet had a weapon in hand.
"Don't come near, Garnet!" Steven shouted, but it was already too late.
Jasper delivered a direct blow to his stomach at brutal speed and, with a swift motion of her hand, drove her weapon through Garnet's abdomen.
Garnet fell forward, locking eyes with Steven one last time, and with the distinct sound of a Gem being poofed, two gemstones hit the ground with a dull thud that made the others realize exactly what had just happened.
"Garnet!" Pearl screamed in horror.
"No!" Amethyst cried out, on the verge of tears for her teammate.
Jasper looked at Steven with a ruthless smile and, in a chilling tone, said that if Rose honestly thought sending her pet would be enough to beat her, it was pathetic.
"Now, I'll enjoy delivering you to the Diamonds."
She rushed toward Steven, who was still in shock. *This shouldn't be happening,* he whispered to himself in terror, but he managed to react just in time to dodge an attack.
"You want a fight? You've got one, damn it!" Steven yelled as he charged at Jasper, who was smiling with bloodlust.
*To the side,* he told himself as he ducked a punch from Jasper.
*Down,* he whispered in panic, noticing how her movements were getting faster and faster.
*I can't keep this up,* Steven thought. *I can't put up a bubble; she has tactical intelligence, and I won't be able to heal. Not like with Sugilite. I have to figure out what to do. I can't fuse; the girls are under too much pressure, I don't think the fusion would be stable.*
*Crap, what do I do?*
Jasper caught the split second Steven got distracted—enough to take full advantage of it. With a heavy swing of her fist, she struck him squarely in the stomach, making him spit up blood from the impact. He had never felt a hit that hard, not even from Sugilite.
"Is this... the power of the perfect Gem?" Steven managed to choke out as his vision blurred, losing consciousness with a limp tilt of his head.
Jasper looked at her hand in confusion, noticing a red liquid staining it, though she brushed it off.
"Pathetic," she muttered, grabbing Steven by the shirt, noticing he didn't poof like a Gem.
She walked slowly toward Peridot, who was having trouble with the other Gems. With a few swift strikes, Jasper knocked out Pearl and Amethyst.
*(Why did she knock them out so fast? Because they were focused on Peridot. Plot armor? Maybe, but a drawn-out battle leading to the exact same outcome didn't make sense to me).*
Jasper threw Steven toward Lapis Lazuli, who caught him in a panic, noticing he was completely covered in blood.
"Take him," Jasper said coldly. "If you don't carry him, I'll cut your hand off." And with that, she headed toward the bridge.
"Steven..." Lapis murmured sorrowfully, a tear slipping from her eyes.
Peridot held the rest of them, including the two poofed gemstones.
"What are you waiting for?" she snapped sarcastically. "A motivational speech? If you don't come with us, Homeworld will rain down on you. Bring them along or I'll shatter them right here."
Lapis remained silent and carried whoever she could.
*I'm not doing this for you guys... I'm doing it for him,* she thought, looking with frustration at the state of her friend—the one who had helped her when she needed it most. Without him, she would still be trapped in the mirror. *And how do I repay him? With betrayal,* she told herself as traitorous tears fell.
Meanwhile, Peridot stayed glued to her screen, completely oblivious to the internal conflict happening right in front of her eyes.
And just like that, the Crystal Gems were captured along with Steven. What will happen in the next chapter? Not even I know, my people. If you want to leave suggestions, that would be perfect, and I'll see how I can add them, just like in previous chapters where I based things on ideas from the community on Wattpad and Webnovel ;)
**End of Chapter 31**