Bobby stood on the shining crystal platform, looking around at the remains on the world he had arrived on. It was once a beautiful gem planet, he had been told; a glimmering red metropolis known as Ravinia. That was years before, according to the Crystal Gems, and his current target wasn't the only reason it had fallen. There had been corruption, and deception, and then, when the gems had been at their weakest, he had arrived. A tall, powerful gem, apparently an Apatite, though he chose to call himself by another name: Saint Dane. He stepped in when Ravinia was vulnerable, and in a matter of years their society was crushed. Help had arrived too late, and all that had stood before him had fallen.
It had been four years since Bobby's adoptive parents had told him the story. Four years since he graduated high school, and they sat him down and told him he wasn't entirely human, that the Sapphire gem in his chest contained powers he couldn't begin to comprehend. He was rare, they told him; a human gem hybrid that seldom occurred. The only other hybrid they knew of was Steven—still a child, far too innocent for the task at hand. They needed someone older and more experienced to stop Saint Dane, and they had their own battles to fight back on Earth.
So there he was, standing in the rubble of Ravinia, still unsure of his abilities after all this time. What if he couldn't do it? What if this rebel gem was too strong? What if he lost, and then Saint Dane set his sights on Earth? Would the Crystal Gems be able to stop him if he made his way to his home?
From nearby, he heard a deep, low, laugh. Turning quickly, he spotted a gem standing a few feet away; either he had been standing there the whole time, or he was incredibly silent when he moved. The gem was tall and muscular, with long silver hair partially covering the bright blue stone embedded in his forehead. He carried himself with an air of superior confidence, and regarded Bobby with condescending amusement on his face.
"I expected more," the silver haired gem spoke in a low voice, nearly a growl. "Though I have to say, I've never seen a Sapphire with two eyes before. Are you a fusion, or just a freak of nature?"
Bobby glared at him. "You did this. You destroyed this planet."
"They destroyed themselves." The response was accompanied by a smirk. "I merely... pushed them down the path they were already on."
"You killed thousands of people."
The smirk faltered slightly, and a mild annoyance passed across the Apatite's features. "I put them out of their misery. You didn't see Ravinia back then—all backstabbing and dirty dealing. They were so easy to full when they didn't trust their own neighbors. The simplest suggestion spurred decades-long wars."
Frustration began to bubble in Bobby's head. This gem's attitude about what he had done was so... flippant. He didn't even care that gems had died, that a planet had been completely devastated. It was all just some game to him, moving the pieces just to see what happened. Bobby moved forward out of instinct, punching the silver-haired gem hard enough to knock him back several feet.
Saint Dane rose slowly to his feet, brushing the debris from his suit as the smirk returned to his lips. Then he charged forward, and the fight began in earnest. Bobby dodged quickly, throwing his own punches in retaliation only to have his target move easily out of the way. The two moved in a circle of blurred movement, dodging and striking, neither landing a solid blow against the other. It's like a dance, he thought. Like we're just dancing around each other. He stepped back slightly, and the rubble beneath his feet shifted, throwing off his balance and causing him to stumble. Spotting the opening in his opponent's defenses, Saint Dane smirked and swung directly at the smaller gem's chest.
Then, as the impact began to knock Bobby to the ground, the two were engulfed in a bright light. A strange haze passed over Bobby's mind, and it took a moment to realize what was happening. It had, after all, seemed like a sort of dance. A dance of fists and rage, but a dance nonetheless.
They were fusing.
A moment later he was no longer Bobby Pendragon. He stood on the darkened ground, holding one hand to his face to observe the black and grey swirls which had appeared on his skin. His hand pressed against the gem in his chest, now a deep, solid black, then rose hesitantly and brushed against the matching black stone in his forehead. The thoughts and emotions of Bobby Pendragon were still there, in part, but along with those were other, stronger emotions breaking to the surface. A powerful intellect, fueled by ambition and rage. This was his new identity—confidence and loyalty, strength and sorrow.
He was... Onyx.
Onyx walked through the dilapidated ruins of Ravinia. He looked at the buildings, at the cracked walls and pavement; he looked again at his hand, watching the swirling design as if it would provide an answer. "Why did this happen?" he murmured.
His head snapped up, a scowl spreading across his face. "This is your fault, boy. I wanted no part of this fusion."
He threw up his arms in frustration. "Don't look at me! I've never even fused before! If anyone's to blame here, it's you!"
"What did I do?" he demanded. "I was trying to fight, like a sensible enemy! You're the one that turned it into... this!" He gestured at his own form in evident disgust.
"Whatever," he scoffed. "Just... stop it. How do we turn it off?"
He sighed in irritation. "You really are an imbecile, aren't you?"
He spun around and began heading back in the direction of the platform. "Look, let's just head back to Earth, and maybe someone can help us figure this out."
He stopped abruptly. "Earth? I'm not going to that trash planet!"
"Well, what's your plan then?"
He was silent for a moment, crossing his arms and scowling at the ground. Then he sat down on a nearby rock, glaring down at his hands. "I still say this is all your fault."
He shrugged. "Hey, it takes two. What I'm trying to figure out is... why are we still fused?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, I've seen other gems fuse before. If they argue or fight with each other it just kinda falls apart. But here we are."
"It's definitely strange. Most fusions are built by a connection, an understanding and trust in the other. I certainly don't feel very connected to you."
"You got that right."
Onyx stood and walked in silence through the ruins. The next few hours were quiet, the personalities in his mind battling for dominance over the vessel, or fighting to pull free. But the fusion held, and on he walked. Hours passed, then days. Then weeks. And still, they were Onyx. They couldn't get out. Occasionally, he would speak, snapping back and forth with thin air before drifting back into silence. He walked aimlessly, but with purpose; he didn't know where he was going, but he knew exactly where he was going.
Eventually, he reached the remains of a tall structure. It towered over the other ruins, a shattered pile of cracked columns and unfinished arches. He stared for a moment at the dilapidated structure, then quickly stepped inside, following the hallways until he reached a large area. It appeared to be some sort of coliseum, covered in dust and debris. He gazed at the ruins, familiar yet unfamiliar.
"Where are we?" he asked.
He frowned deeply. "Ravinia wasn't a kind world. This was their entertainment. And it wasn't only their own gems that suffered."
He looked more closely at the ground, at the layers of dust covering the arena. It wasn't dust, he realized—it was a pale blue, with uneven jagged chunks throughout. "Are those... gems?"
He nodded. "You only heard of Ravinia's destruction. You never learned of their crimes. There is only one Apatite gem left in the entire universe, thanks to them."
A quiet dread passed over him, and he looked away from the carnage on the ground. "I didn't know that. I'm so sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be. I've long since stopped mourning them."
"Still... I wish there were something I could do to help."
He sighed quietly. "You're about three centuries too late for that. Thank you for the... sentiment. You seem nice, for a human."
A moment later he was engulfed in a gentle glowing light, and as it faded the two gems took a surprised step away from each other.
Bobby looked down at his hands—his hands again, human and normal—then back up at the gem he had intended to fight. Saint Dane regarded him with wide eyes, confusion evident on his features. As soon as their eyes met, the Apatite's expression grew guarded, and he turned sharply away, heading back toward the entrance to the arena.
"Go home, Sapphire," he muttered. "Tell them whatever you must. I won't bother your planet."
"Wait." Bobby followed quickly after him, still fuzzy after being fused for so long. "What... what just happened? How did we..."
Saint Dane stopped, not turning to face the other gem. "It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does!"
The silver-haired gem turned slightly, regarding the panicked man with an unreadable expression. "It's just fusion. It happens."
Bobby shook his head, looking away from the lightning blue eyes as he attempted to put words to the thoughts reeling through his mind. "I've never been able to fuse with anyone, then I meet you and suddenly... suddenly it's like I don't know what to do with myself anymore. Being Onyx was... it felt like I was complete, you know? And now I just feel... broken."
The Apatite shook his head, turning back around. "It's for the best if you forget about this. There isn't a being in existence that isn't broken."
"Just stop it!" Bobby reached out and grabbed the gem by the arm, turning him back around to face him. "Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about!"
Saint Dane glared down at him. "Stop acting like you do. You said yourself that you've never even fused before. Don't let this fluke taint the experience. Are all humans this stubborn? Most Sapphires aren't this idiotically stubborn."
Bobby glared back at the taller gem, all the anger from their first meeting swelling back to the surface. He had seen the Apatite's expression when they had separated; he was confused, and surprised, and frightened. If this had been a normal fusion, why had he been looking at him like that? Why was he in such a hurry to leave?
The silver-haired gem pulled free of his grip and turned back toward the exit. "Don't be reckless. Go back to Earth—forget this ever happened."
"... No." Bobby charged forward, tackling the gem from behind and knocking them both to the ground. Saint Dane turned quickly, throwing the smaller gem off of him with a sharp elbow to the chest. Bobby winced, feeling the thin crack in his gem across his entire body; he moved to sit up, but in one swift movement the larger gem had pinned him to the ground.
Fury and frustration was clear across Saint Dane's features. "Stop this. Now."
"Why?" Bobby demanded. "Why can't we talk about this? Onyx-"
"Onyx was a mistake." The fury had faded slightly, and in its place a dark expression had begun to pass over the Apatite's face. "I don't..." He frowned, looking away from his pinned enemy. "I... can't be that vulnerable again."
Bobby felt his anger quickly fading away as he stared up at the older gem. There was something in his expression, hidden carefully under layers of pride and incredibly hard to read. He thought back to Onyx, to the thoughts and emotions he had experienced when they had fused. There had been rage, and ambition, but beyond that there had been a strong sense of... sadness. Isolation, he realized. This was the last of the Apatite gems, still fueled by rage over the loss of his loved ones even after the revenge was finished. Left with nothing but the spoils of his own vengeance, the dilapidated buildings and reminders of his past.
Saint Dane stood, brushing the dust off of his suit and scowling, the momentary signs of weakness once again neatly concealed. Bobby rose slowly, wincing slightly at the pain from his gem; he had never cracked it before, and despite his certainty that it could be fixed, the pain was incredible. But he tried to shrug it off, instead facing the older gem with a determined gleam in his eyes. He reached out and gently grabbed one of the Apatite's hands, pulling him forward.
The silver-haired gem regarded him cautiously. "What exactly are you doing?"
"Trust me," Bobby responded. He twined their fingers together, placing his other hand on the taller gem's shoulder. Saint Dane allowed him to do so, placing his free hand on the younger gem's waist.
Slowly, they began to dance in a small circle. They began slowly, carefully—a gentle, awkward waltz that quickly increased in speed and confidence. Their feet moved in time, their bodies pressing closer together with every move. Hesitantly, Bobby rose up on his toes and pressed his lips against the taller gem's cheek. The two were engulfed in light, the haze of fusion passing over their minds for the second time.
Onyx stood quietly for a moment, staring up at the starlight through the broken remains of the arena. Then he looked down at his hands, running a finger along the intricate design, and smiled.
"...Thank you."