~O~

Part Seven: Horror

"White's gone."

Yellow blinked, unable to fathom what Blue had just said. The oldest Diamond hadn't moved from her place in almost a day, and now she was gone?

"What?" she snapped, "What do you mean, she's gone?"

Blue shook her head frantically. She ran her fingers through her hair. "I-I don't know!" she cried, "I went to her lab and she isn't there!"

Yellow snarled softly and started to make her way down the corridors. Blue followed behind her and the two hurried to find the missing Diamond. They arrived at the laboratory and found it empty, save for a Gray Star Sapphire.

"Sapphire," Yellow addressed her, "Where is White?"

"She has gone to Earth, your Clarity," the Star Sapphire explained, sadly. "She is...unwell."

"Unwell?" Blue said, warily.

Star Sapphire looked concerned, clasping her hands together. "My Diamond has departed. I spoke to her in an effort to offer comfort, but she would not acknowledge my words. She said, 'I'm going to fix it'."

Earlier

White had been standing in the corner with her back to the Star Sapphire. She smoothed her hands slowly down her hair and took a deep inhale.

"My Diamond, I know you feel suffering for what had happened," Star Sapphire said, carefully. "If you wish, I can consult the Jades in an effort to..."

White turned, her eyes wide and her face still soaked with tears. The look could buckle legions of gems to their knees. Star Sapphire withered a little when White glanced down at her, that far-gone stare chilling everything in the room.

"It's all right, Sapphire," White said, her voice tight. "We're going to fix it." A soft, shaken laugh that occasionally strained. "Oh yes, we're going to. FIX. IT."

Star Sapphire listened painfully to the strangled hiss of her words, recoiling as White strolled passed her and out of the chamber.

"She's on Earth. She intends to finish the war," Star Sapphire told the two Diamonds. "I see suffering and death, beyond anything we've witnessed before. My Diamond is choked by her rage, but she is also in pain. I cannot help her if she refuses my service."

Yellow shut her eyes, groaning softly. "What do we do, Blue?"

"I don't know, Yellow. We cannot leave Homeworld."

They didn't know what else could be done.

O

"It'll work!"

"Bismuth, this is madness! We don't even have Rose with us! What if we fail?"

"We won't!"

Garnet couldn't hear the discussion that night. She had been positioned carefully among the rocks of the Kindergarten, beside a peridot. She had been warning them earlier about this, but Bismuth was determined. She wanted to have it over.

"Look, we've got Garnet on our side!" Bismuth said, with a smile. She gestured to the fusion. "I got faith in all of us!"

"How is Rose?" Garnet asked.

Bismuth sighed, shaking her head. "Not well. She's with the Renegade Pearl. You know, the real tough one. They're talking, so that's good."

Garnet looked troubled. "She won't talk about it. And I can't see how it happened."

Bismuth furrowed her brow. She had no answer this time.

There were two amethyst's watching the end of the Kindergarten. They whispered cautiously to one another, unsettled by the eerie silence.

"We should go back." the first one suggested.

The other watched the distance cautiously. "No. They need us here. Just in case she shows." she reminded her, "Just hold steady."

"Do you really want to be here alone in case she shows up?"

"It's our duty. We knew what we signed up for."

"It's White Diamond! We don't stand a chance against her."

"No one said anything about fighting. We're just here to watch for her."

Something suddenly changed in the air; it was an unsettling wash of fear that immediately brought the two gems on guard. They tensed, their spears producing in their hands. Warily, they watched the distance before hearing the menacing sounds of heels approaching.

CLACK, CLACK, CLACK…

The two watched with wide eyes as White Diamond rounded the corner, body radiating with fire. She stood there, not looking at them at first. The two gems held their breath, horrified by the sight of her. They had known she would show, given Garnet's vision, but they had not been prepared for it.

Finally, White slowly looked in their direction and they seized at the wide-eyed, almost blank look on her face. It was like staring at a lifeless doll.

Then, a grin stretched across her face. So sudden. So eerie and so very frightening. The two amethyst's were frozen, unable to move as she slowly walked up to them. In that moment, they forgot what they were supposed to do.

Garnet looked up sharply at the sounds of screams. "She's here!"

Several gems scattered as White rounded the corner, armed with her long, dangerous scythe. The blade glinted ominously in the light of the moon. Two amethyst's fused and raised their trident-like weapon, unleashing blasts of energy at the Diamond.

White's cloak hummed with electricity and she began to spin on her heels, deflecting each shot with expert precision. The fusion continued to fire in a desperate attempt to wound her before White Diamond swung her scythe through her form.

The others watched in horrified silence as the amethyst's face suddenly went slack in pain. She looked down at her body as it began to flicker with light, crackling as if she were a television gone static. Garnet could only stare in muted shock as the gem began to crumble apart like glass.

White Diamond looked up at the sight of fused gems crouched on top of the Kindergarten. Several of them were armed with whips. They jumped down to surround her and their weapons cracked through the air, wrapping around White's wrists several times. Another whip wrapped tightly around her throat and the wide-eyed Diamond grunted lowly.

Garnet watched with amazement as the Diamond struggled to move forward, held back by a multitude of gem fusions. Bismuth smirked with pride. She elbowed Garnet once.

"See? Nothing to worry about!" she assured her. "We have her now!"

White continued to struggle for a few moments, her features twisted with effort. Then, she looked straight at Bismuth, all that struggle vanishing immediately from her face. What came next was an almost bored flat look that startled all of them there.

White jerked her left arm and the force sent the fusion holding her flying through the air. The others watched in horror as White swung her arm with a wicked grin, sending the fusion smashing into the other that held her down. It toppled them viciously to the ground.

But it didn't stop there; White continued to throw the fusion around; she was tossed into walls before finally thrown flat to the ground with enough force to crack the earth below. Smoke shot up and the other gems were shielding their eyes from it.

The gem thrown into the ground laid there in a daze, shaken and unable to move. A black heel pressed into her and she groaned in pain. White leered down at her before grinning, raising her heel and bringing it down on the gem.

Her form was dispelled, but as soon as the smoke cleared, they saw that wasn't the case; glittering shards littered beneath White Diamond's heel. She calmly regarded the sight, shaking her head and not acknowledging the scream from one of the rebellion.

Garnet and Bismuth looked horrified by the sight.

"We need to warn Rose!" Garnet shuddered, "We need to go!"

Bismuth looked up as several more gems fused together; a combination of jaspers wielding an enormous axe. The fusion looked down at them, speaking loudly.

"Go! We'll hold her off for as long as we can!" she said.

Bismuth shook her head. "No way! She'll shatter you!"

"Don't worry about us. You need to go, now!" the jasper fusion told her,"We'll hold her back while you get to Rose. This is our purpose. What we're made for. We're ready. We're ready to die if it means protecting this planet from the likes of White Diamond."

White smiled now, delight ringing out of her stoic voice. "Silly creature. When I'm finished with you. You're going to wish that's all I did."

The jasper fusion gave a fierce roar, charging with her axe. White's scythe appeared in her hand once more and collided with the axe; she was forced back several paces, her heels dragging in the dirt. The other gems watched the sight with a mixture of awe and unease, but realized that she was right; they had to warn Rose that White Diamond was here.

They turned and ran, leaving White and the jasper fusion alone.

O

The jasper fusion swung her axe with a loud, powerful call of battle; it was strong, carrying through the great canyon of the Alpha Kindergarten. White caught the attack with her scythe. They struggled for dominance, swinging both weapons back and forth.

White's smiles were far too empty during the entire fight; she seemed almost content, as if in a dream-like trance. It was strange, eerie and a little disquieting, but the jasper fusion would not give up her fight just yet.

With a fierce grunt, she was inched back against the wall from White's strength; the blade of her scythe drew closer and closer to her eye. The jasper fusion grunted with all her strength, her secondary pair of arms catching White's scythe handle.

The Diamond blinked, watching as the axe from the first pair of arms raised up. She recoiled from the swing and was forced back several paces. When the jasper fusion swung her axe up, White's scythe caught the attack and the weapon was sent flying from her hands.

It spun end-over-end through the air before embedding itself into the ground.

The jasper fusion lunged at White before she could recover; slamming the Diamond into her midsection and knocking her to the ground. She raised one of her fists and brought it down, but White calmly turned her head to one side to avoid the punch.

Another punch struck White directly in the mouth. She hadn't moved from the blow this time; grinning, she took punch after punch before seizing one of the many arms.

The jasper fusion attempted to grapple with her, but White rolled, kicking out her leg in the fusion's midsection, knocking her viciously back several yards away. Behind her waited Bismuth at the top of the canyon.

"Hey!" the gem yelled, "We're going to Rose. But we'll be back for you, I promise!"

Garnet shook her head as Bismuth started to depart. "Bismuth, what I saw - "

"It's like Rose says, Garnet," Bismuth assured her, "Fate can be changed. We know it. You said yourself that we win the war! And we can win…with the Breaking Point."

Garnet recalled Bismuth discussing it in private with her before. She had developed a weapon sure to win the war against Homeworld. All she had to do was pitch the idea to Rose and it would all be over. She had the utmost confidence in it.

"Alright…" Garnet said, smiling.

Below them, the jasper fusion tensed, watching as White slowly rose to her feet. "She's not fast…" she said, softly, "A Diamond may be big, but on this battlefield, we're made for war."

Eyes widening, the jasper fusion gave a shocked gasp when White surging through the canyon at top speeds; she was coming right toward her with wide, manic eyes. Despite her sheer size, White was faster than the fusion belived.

"Stars, no…!" she gasped out.

White dove forward, scythe appearing in her hands once again. She swung the blade, mere seconds as the jasper fusion produced her axe. The weapons colliding knocked her flat onto her back with White crouched over her. Sprays of fire flew from her weapon, scorching the ground around them.

"How much worse do you want this to get?" she asked, pushing her blade harder, bringing it inches from the jasper's face once more. Her voice rang out with near delight. "When I bring ruin to this Rebellion, all you will know is suffering. Just as she did."

The fusion drove her elbow into White's back, struggling to dislodge her. They grappled for dominance for several moments and the jasper managed to get White's head in a fierce lock in her arm. She kicked out her legs, slamming the Diamond into the ground.

The jasper fusion grinned triumphantly down at her. "Hah! See if you can get your head out of this one!"

White grunted, one hand digging deep grooves into the dirt. The other grabbed at the arm around her neck. She clenched her teeth, opened her mouth and let out a scream that nearly shook the very air and canyon around them.

The powerful, banshee-like wail carried for miles, crippling gems from Homeworld and Rebels alike; they buckled to the ground, holding their ears in agony. The sound practically cut through their forms, drawing the worst possible pain imaginable.

The jasper fusion winced, her secondary arms holding her ears.

When White finished screaming, the fusion scowled down at her. "What was that?" she hissed, with an unsettled smile. "Calling for help? It won't work! Homeworld is done and so are you!"

No response from White.

The jasper fusion scoffed. "At a loss for words all of a sudden, diamond?" she sneered.

White's body began to vibrate and it took a moment to realize she was laughing. Gradual building, sinister laughter echoed from her. The jasper fusion looked down, confused by the sound and apprehensive.

White grinned, cackling long and loud; the noise was so foreign on her that the jasper fusion didn't know what to make of it. She had never heard a Diamond laugh that way before. The blaze from White's fire began to burn brighter. Hotter. Hotter than anything the jasper had endured.

"Come, fusion; join me in the flames…" White suddenly whispered, with a giggle.

She began to crawl her way toward the fire, dragging the fusion with her. The jasper fusion looked up with dread, struggling to pull White back from the blaze, but the Diamond was stronger; she had been toying with her the entire time.

"No, stop!" she shouted.

"Why?" White laughed, gleeful. She continued to crawl. "Don't you want to feel as I do? Don't you want to see what I see?"

The fire engulfed them both; White was unharmed by it, but the jasper fusion began to sweat and feel the effects of it. She gritted her teeth, groaning out in pain.

"Always…" White murmured, with a sound of sadness, "It's always the same…"

The fusion released White and jumped from the fire, stumbling several times in the dirt. She had been singed almost completely; her uniform was burned and her hair scorched. She staggered back, watching as White slowly rose from the blaze, her eyes glowing. It gave her a frightening appearance, like that of a primordial being.

The jasper fusion staggered back as White stepped out of the fire, retrieving her scythe. The fusion looked down, horrified to see her hand beginning to crystallize from being exposed to the flames. She cried out, clawing uselessly at it as White loomed over her.

"Wh-What is this?" the fusion shrieked. "What's happening to me?"

White smiled down at her. "Don't worry. I will deliver you soon enough. But I must ask one question before I do…"

The fusion shuddered in agony, looking up at her with confusion.

"Was all your suffering worth it?" White asked, with a smile. "Was it everything you'd wanted? Was SHE everything you wanted?"

"Please…" the fusion begged, realizing that this was a worse fate than she believed White to be capable of; it hurt so much, "Have mercy!"

White calmly placed one of her heels into the fusion's chest and raised her scythe high; the act silhouetted her against the flames and moon. Her next word was simple, but carried all the weight of her grief and wrath that could crumble whole armies.

"No."

With that final word, she brought her scythe down.

O

Throngs of Rebel gems pushed their way through the battlefield, armed with their weapons. Homeworld gems had begun retreating from them, rushing back for their ships and the nearby warp pad. The Rebels stopped their charge to cheer.

"Homeworld is backing down!" an amethyst shouted, thrusting her spear high, "Soon, after five thousand years, we will know victory!"

The gems at her side looked beyond her and their eyes widened in horror. The amethyst frowned, glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened as well. Over the vast horizon, an enormous black mass had begun to grow.

And grow.

Taking shape.

The gems watched, frozen in shock as it took the form of what looked like White Diamond; long fingers reached for them and they screamed, staggering back from it.

"It's not real! IT'S NOT REAL!" the amethyst shrieked to the others, "It's just an illusion!"

The frightened gems recoiled as the hand passed through them harmlessly. They laughed, strangled sounds of nervousness as they watched the shadowy illusion of White Diamond continue to surge through them. The gems remained unharmed and laughed again.

"You can't scare us with cheap tricks, Diamond!" the amethyst shouted through the roar of the illusion, "We will not fall!"

No sooner had she said that, the black smoke cleared and the real White Diamond burst from it, scythe raised high; that same mad grin was there on her face and she hissed with triumphant glee. The Rebel gems screamed as the scythe swung down.

All that remained from her attack were broken shards. White looked up at one remaining gem. The moment she did, the Rebel gem turned and fled. White grinned widely, raised her scythe and twisted it far behind her. Then, she heaved it as hard as she could with a fierce shout, sending the weapon spinning in the direction of the fleeing gem. She didn't get far as the scythe cleaved through her form, dispelling her into shimmering dust.

White worked to form a bubble around the shards of gems. Collecting them, she smiled and ran a single, long nail down the length of the bubble.

O

It had begun to rain again.

White hadn't been certain how long she'd wandered deep into the storm as she made her way back to the warp. She wasn't sure how far she'd gone. All around her were mountains and she couldn't see beyond the falling snow in front of her. She dragged her scythe behind her.

Whispers through her mind.

Shaken, distorted images before her.

She stopped, dropped to her knees and didn't hear the sound of Blue's voice in the distance. The other Diamond quickly hurried to her side, panting. Her pearl was with her as she knelt down before White, cupping her cheeks.

Blue hissed with pain, jerking back at the scalding heat from White's form. The older Diamond stared straight ahead, eyes wide and pupils narrowed to near pinpricks. It didn't take too long before Yellow appeared through the warp. She sighed with relief.

"White!" she exclaimed.

She was drenched head to toe from the rain, her gaze blank and devoid of emotion. But something else was there. Something distant and almost frightening.

"Where did you go?" Yellow demanded. "We've lost a Diamond today already! We couldn't bear losing another!"

The Diamond's features still remained blank and emotionless. When she spoke at last, it was almost too quiet to be heard.

"Use the song." she whispered.

Yellow looked relieved to see her finally talking again. "Very well." she said, evenly. "Come along, Blue. We'll announce the evacuation for the rest of our forces. Let's get this over with."

Blue looked at White hesitantly and helped her stand. The Diamonds made their way back to Homeworld and issued the evacuation.

Gems began pouring through the warp, rushing to their ships when they received the command from the Diamonds. It was chaos; pushing, screaming and struggling between them all. It took mere seconds as the gems departed before the weapon was unleashed.

On the beach, Rose had her bubble surrounding her comrades as the roar of the song pierced the air. She grunted with effort as Pearl, Garnet and Bismuth held onto her. She looked up, wincing with effort before her features smoothed out in anguish.

A nephrite was kneeling on the beach, staggering back in shock and pain. The force of the sound seemed to whip her hair wildly around her face, but as she turned, Rose remembered Pearl pulling her from the broken Homeworld vessel.

Stars...

Walking seemed to cause the nephrite great pain and effort, but she staggered toward the bubbled gems anyway, moaning and reaching for them. Her form flickered and green fluid poured from her mouth. They couldn't hear the sound from inside, but only watch helplessly as the gem clawed at the bubble, her mouth forming desperate pleas for mercy.

Tears filled Rose's eyes and she whispered out "I'm sorry". The nephrite continued to beat uselessly on the bubble before the sound around her began to take its toll; her arm began to rot into a thin, black appendage and her mouth formed a row of sharp, dangerous teeth. Green fluid poured from her eyes, nose and mouth in a gruesome display.

She collapsed into the sand and despite the gems inside the bubble being incapable of hearing anything, they could only watch as the nephrite began a horrible transformation; long, snakelike body, jagged fangs and multiple legs sprouting from her sides.

The creature screamed out before scuttling away.

"This was Homeworld's plan..." Rose moaned, shaking her head in rebuke.

Once the sound had stopped and Rose willed the bubble away, a chorus of distant animal snarls and screams pierced the night air.

O

White was laying on the marble floor of her chambers, eyes wide and flushed red from constant weeping. The underside of her eyes were sunken. Her robes circled her in a sea of white and black and her long-nailed fingers twitched every so often.

"My Diamond…" the voice from a pearl filled the air.

White didn't move. She continued to lay there, watching the wall. The pearl didn't know quite what she should do; the older Diamond had been there in that same spot since they'd left to do her command. To corrupt the Rebellion and leave Earth to its own devices.

"I'm…" the pearl looked cautious, unsure if she should approach. "I'm here with news from Yellow Diamond. She sends her report of the corruption. It's successful, just as you said it would be."

No response. White continued to lay there.

The pearl took a step forward. "Um, Yellow Diamond wants you to meet with her in the trial hall." she attempted, fidgeting with her hands. "I-I was told to inform you that there are Rebels who have been retrieved since then."

Still, no response.

A new sound filled the air now; a scraping noise. White dragged a single, long fingernail in front of her, still staring at the wall with a blank, almost lifeless expression.

Scrape…scrape…scrape…

The pearl winced somewhat, still very uneasy about being there in the dark chamber. The sound continued and though she felt a malicious change in the air, she kept walking toward her.

"Yellow Diamond also said that - "

She didn't get to finish as White abruptly slashed at her with those frightening nails, snarling loud and fierce. The act had the pearl fleeing from the chamber with a frightened squeal, right out the door she'd come from. It closed, leaving the room in darkness; all but the dim lights of White's machines and console screens lit the hall.

"White, can you read me a story?"

White blinked rapidly.

In her field of vision, little pink shoes passed by and Pink's face appeared in view. White's eyes widened slowly. She wasn't there. She was gone. Did her mind project the illusion as a result of her grief? She didn't even know.

Pink smiled brightly. "I'm here. Can you read me a story?"

Meanwhile, the little pearl had returned to Yellow Diamond, who looked disappointed by her report. Not necessarily because White had lashed out - she was more surprised by that than anything else - but that White refused to join her at the trial.

She had suspected something was wrong with White after it had all happened; but now, she had a greater reason to believe it given the disturbing rumors whispered among her court.

Even the eldest of them could suffer, it seemed. She was not completely emotionless.

O

A few days went by and White still hadn't left her tower.

Yellow had been working at her best to tend to the military forces of Homeworld and perform Blue's duties as well; she had been mourning the loss of Pink Diamond more often than she should. Yellow failed to see why either one of them did such a thing.

Wasn't it better to move passed it? Wasn't it for the best that they didn't think about what happened? Yellow herself found that when she thought about Pink's demise, it only served to cause her pain. Pain she didn't need or want to feel. So she pushed passed it with all her being.

Surely White, the most logical of them all, could see that.

She made her way to White's tower and could hear the sounds of glass shattering. Startled, Yellow advanced quicker and found several glass shard littering the floor. Blinking, she raised her foot and noticed that it had been one of White's glass windows, painted in the visage of herself.

"White?" Yellow called, loudly. "White, where are you?"

The tower was so dark, not at all vibrant as it had been in the past. Only a few dimly lit lights lined the wall. Yellow walked into the main chamber and found White tossing a few things to the floor; glass sculptures, consoles and anything else she could get her hands on.

"White!" Yellow groaned, slouching her shoulders. "What are you doing?"

White froze, looking up at her with a wide, delighted grin. It looked almost frightening on her features. "Yellow! Yellow, I have news!" she said, "I was visited by Pink!"

Yellow looked concerned now. "…What?"

"I have…much work to do, yes…" White glanced around the mess she'd made and laughed a little. "Oh yes, much work to be done. Not just for Homeworld. But for myself." She looked up at Yellow, who suddenly looked uncomfortable by that smile. "Oh Yellow, always yelling to cover the silence. But I do no such things."

Yellow blinked, then reached out one hand to her. She swallowed thickly, trying not to think about it. "All right, White; could you do me just one simple favor? Could you just…" She gestured to White's great throne. "Take a seat. Just sit down for a moment."

White stared blankly at her for a second. Then, she giggled and raised two hands to her face. "Oh Yellow, I had this wonderful notion. It had never occurred to me!" she said, turning toward her many monitors and screens. "I can watch Homeworld. I can see everything from this place and know what I need to know."

"What are you talking about?" Yellow asked, now uncomfortable by the change in the air between them.

White's features changed so rapidly. She exhaled softly, her shoulders relaxing. "I won't be going to your trials," she said, evenly, "Have them if you must. Do what you need if it satisfies you. I have thoughts to keep."

Yellow didn't know what else to say as White took a seat in her throne without another word.