I cried making this. Please don't hate me. I'm sorry.
Steven P.O.V.
Lion came to a skidding halt on the shore of Beach City. I dismounted Lion and went up the stairs of my home but all of a sudden, "Steven!" I was engulfed by Pearl screeching words of worry and anger about my sudden disappearance. I could hear the faint familiar sound of a twinkling whoosh. Without warning the door to the beach house was slammed open. This silenced Pearl and we both look towards the figure. In the door stood a very dishevelled Garnet. Her perfectly shaped square of hair now had strands of hair sticking up from every angle. Her shades not even helping as they laid diagonally across her face. Her outfit had cuts and tears through the legs and arms.
I nervously smiled waving my hand slightly. "H-hey Garnet." I spoke timidly. She started walking to me. Pearl shuffled out of the way and Garnet kneeled down to my height. Resting her hand on my shoulder she spoke, "Don't ever do that again." She said pausing. "I'm glad you safe" she continued before pulling me into a hug.
Amethyst came up behind me and slung her arm around my shoulder. In between her munching of a doughnut she said "Hey Ste-man."
"You were meant to be searching for Steven why are you eating doughnuts?" Pearl squawked.
"Ah I was. I was looking around the town. Huh." Amethyst replied before munching on another doughnut.
"Guys." I said gaining there attention again. "I think I know some places we can look." I replied and once again started telling them my story. "… Then I warped back here with Lion and here were are." I stated. They all looked deep in thought but before one of them could reply the ground started to rumble. We turned towards the ocean to see a robot rise from the water.
A menacing laugh cut through the shaking air. Echoing from a speaker situated on the robot. "Crystal Gems you are about to be put to an end. So is your town and every little puny human you care for." Suddenly a screen appeared on the belly of the robot. The screen flickered and fizzled and then a person was shown on the screen. She was old and was wrapped in her long grey hair. She squinted her eyes and crinkled her nose.
Garnet gasped which caused us all to look at her. "Connie…" her voice said so quietly I almost didn't catch it. Almost. I looked to the screen. How was that old woman Connie? Wasn't Connie with Jasper? I knew Garnet was right though I mean she has future vision.
The voice spoke again "Recognize her Steven. You should after all you know her."
"Let her go Jasper" Garnet spoke jumping from the balcony to the beach below.
"It's too late for that now. I have already used energy transfusion. She'll be dead soon." A gasp was heard through the speaker then the sound of skin making contact against skin. "SHUT UP YOU FILTHY SLAVE." He/she cleared his/her thought and continued to speak. "I have come to level your city and that's the end of it" Jasper said cackling into the speaker.
The robotic arm started to move and everybody stood in fight mode with their weapons drawn. The arm rose and smashed the face of the mural that adorned the cliff of the city. As debris fell I bubbled Pearl, Amethyst and myself. Pieces started to fall and one head for Garnet. She looked up and froze and we all watched unable to move from the bubble protecting us from our own debris. A sudden roar was heard and suddenly a pink flash stood in her place just before it was crushed. As the last of the debris fell I released us from the bubble and we went to Garnet who was now sitting upon the beach.
"Why didn't you move?" Pearl hissed.
Garnet just stared into her hands. "I… I saw…" Her glasses did that glint they do every once in a while in the reflection of her shades I saw her gems and also in my vision I saw a tear make its way down her cheek. Suddenly a bright glow happened and two figures went flying in two different directions.
As they both sat up Pearl said, "You… Garnet…." With that Pearl gulped and closed her mouth.
On the left sat Ruby. Her face pain and her eyes dead, nothing no emotion and no hope. On the right side sat Sapphire. Tears streaming from her eye as silent sobs escaped her lips. She looked to me and managed to choke out some words. "We so sorry Steven."
My eyes flashed with emotion and I turned around. What I saw crushed me. Sticking out from underneath the rock that almost killed Garnet was four pink legs and a fuzzy pink tail. I fell to my knees and let out sobs as my shield dropped from my hand and dispersed into the air, once again taking shelter in my gem. One hit was all it took for Jasper to break us. I felt something behind me and looked up to see Lapis with a hand on my shoulder starring at what was left of my beloved friend. A guardian angel my mum left me. My mum I would never be able to see her again. More and more tears seemed to fall from my face. I was then embraced in a hug I looked up to see Lapis sitting there and holding me. I turned to her and let her hug me as I cried into her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Steven I couldn't get past the debris. If I hadn't…" She trailed off. "If I had just…" she trailed off again but this time I felt drops of fluid land upon my head. She too was crying.
As the battlefield lay quiet for a moment. It's like time stopped like it knew we needed to just remember Lion but it was cut off by the cocky voice of Jasper. "Well, well, well look who came. Better late than never. Did you have something more important to attend to or where you just too scared to face me?" You could feel his/her grin through the speaker.
Lapis's grip tightened for a second before her arms fell from the hug. She stood up and her head hung low which cast a shadow over her eyes. "I'm not afraid of you." She shouted to the robot.
"Well we will see how afraid you are when I crush you." Jasper hissed sending the robot arms down into the rest of the cliff compressing it to dust. I bubbled us all before any more rubble made impact with the team. As the last of the debris settled I released the bubble, dust and sand still kicked up from the impact. The shadow that should have been cast through the dust from the cliff was not present. That told me there was no more home. No more fun. No more gems to save. No more things left behind. No more.
I stood up and stumbled to the leg of the robot. I called upon my shield and flung it at the robots leg hoping to slice the limb in two but instead a door opened. I looked back and in the distance caught the eyes of Lapis. Her hand reached out for me begging me not to go but I looked away and proceeded into the limb of the robot. To end this battle once and for all.
As I got to the top the door opened reviling Jasper smashing the console trying to get something to work. I could hear a hitched breath and looked towards the noise to see Connie. Old and frail her eyes barely open. As I was just about to walk to her I was stopped by Jasper.
"Well look who's got the guts to face me. I have to admit I am surprised." He said with a smirk. "I didn't think you kind was smart enough to find the door." He said with that smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"That's the thing Jasper." I said pausing to summon my shield. "I am smart and I have guts." I said turning towards Jasper who was at this moment summoning his/her helmet. "That's how I know I'm going to beat you!" I said with determination.
Jasper shifted his/her position to one that was awaiting the imminent fight. I held my shield in front of my body, preparing myself for his/her oncoming attack. With that the room was silent with the exception of Connie's ragged breathing. As if some imaginary announcer had sounded the bell Jasper leaped forward, his/her head aiming for mine. I ducked and held my shield above me for protection from the rapid fire of punches he/she started to lay upon me. With all of my strength I managed to push him/her away from me using my shield as a force to hold him/her still as I did so. He/she skidded back, digging his/her hands into the floor to use as a break.
A grunt escaped Jaspers lips as he/she lifted himself/herself back up. I could see his/her hands. His/her fingers were black and charred and oozed blood from the pieces of metal that made contact with Jaspers hands some still lodged in his/her fingers. Jasper could no longer fight with his/her hands not that it would stop him/her. I felt a pang of sadness and regret wash over me as I just realised that I had done that to him/her.
"I-I'm so s-sorry. I can fix that." I said raising my hand to my tongue but a loud voice ripped through the air.
"NO! I will never except help from you. EVER." Jasper stated before charging for me. I managed to shield myself just in time before Jasper started laying punches and head butts onto me again. Sending me further into the floor until the metal split up the middle of the floor and Jasper and I fell through. He/she arranged himself/herself so his/her head would crush me into the ocean and into the ocean floor on impact. With a roar from Jasper I bubbled myself at the last second, managing to bubble some water as well. As Jasper impacted, head first, with the bubble he/she bounced off towards the shore to impact with the chunks of rock and sand… and somewhere among that, the dead body of my best friend. A tear rolled down my face just thinking about him. I looked up towards the robot to hear the creaking and grinding of metal as it started to fall into the ocean, towards me. I gulped and was sent under the water. The small amount of water in my bubble moving around and splashing me every now and then as I was hurdled towards the bottom of the ocean.
As my bubble made contact with the ocean floor the robot made contact with my bubble. I was between a rock and a hard place unsure how long my bubble could hold out for. I sat there for a few minutes taking in all the events that had transpired in the last hour. The loss of my home and any remanets of my mother left behind in the temple for me. My best friend crushed for trying to save Garnet who, now, was no longer. Split from the pressure, broken something that Garnet or Ruby and Sapphire never were. Pearl, who when I last saw her was standing there still the only thing moving where the tears leaving her eyes. Amethyst who once again when I last saw sat cross legged on the mixture of rubble and sand with her head hung low and her long tangled mess of hair covering her face. Lapis who I knew was sorry for everything. I knew she blamed herself for everything that happened but I knew it wasn't her fault. Connie who now looked in her late 80's with her skin sagged like the bumps in a blanket and her eyes almost closed, almost at her last breath, almost dead. Cracks started to form in the bubble and water started to slowly seep in. Not that it mattered we had lost, we had all lost. There was no second chance no second life. We weren't playing a video game. This was real and we had lost. As water consumed most of the bubble all that was uncovered by water was my head. It was the end and I knew it. I closed my eyes and waited for the end…. That didn't come. I opened my eyes in shock. The water glowed a bright, pale blue. My bubble was dislodged from the seafloor and the robot. The machine fell down to the bottom of the ocean with a bang as my bubble rose.
My bubble breached the surface of the water. I was a long way from land but my bubble was brought forward almost instantaneously. I stopped in front of Lapis she dropped me and I released my bubble. On the ground not far from me was Connie's body, collapsed. Her breathing was very faint as I saw the small almost invisible rise and fall of her chest. I looked behind me and see Pearl had finally started to get the gems to move out of the way of the destruction. I then decided to stand up only to be met with my mother's gem from the temple mural being throw towards me. Lapis jumped in front of me and was hit. She collapsed to the ground as the stone split into smaller parts some of the little chunks hitting me.
From the direction of where the stone was thrown from stood Jasper. His/her breathing was deep and his/her body crippled from the impact of stone. Among that stone I could still see the familiar pink of my best friend. Jasper looked to his feet to see where he lay and laughed. He moved the stone and picked Lion up by his mane. His body was mangled and covered in crimson apart from his legs and tail which still looked fine. Jasper grabbed the throat of my dead protector and started to crush what was left of Lions neck. Then a snap echoed throughout the beach. Jasper dropped Lion to the ground and smiled a wild psychotic grin. I look to my side to see Pearl, Amethyst, Ruby and Sapphire all horrified and unable to move. That's when I knew this was my fight. I am the only one who can stop him.
I took a step forward letting the images of what just happened play through my head again. "You shouldn't have done that." I said changing my stance. One again Jasper adorned his/her glimmering, orange helmet. He charged for me. I moved with Jasper missing my head but clipping my shoulder. A sicking pop was heard upon contact as Jaspers hit dislocated my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his sickening grin. I stumbled away from him and tripped landing on my arm.
"Ahhhhhh." I screamed out as my arm made contact with the hard ground. I looked up to see Jasper sauntering over. I scrambled up and called my shield which appeared on my good arm. Jasper stopped and looked at me.
"That's not going to help." He/she said before continuing forward. He began to charge towards me. I held up my shield towards him hoping it would lessen the damage. A blinding white beam engulfed the shore for seconds before evaporating. As the light faded from my eyes I saw Jasper on the ground on all fours. Grunts of pain could be heard from him/her.
"Was that..." I mumbled looking down to my shield. Did it do that? I thought unsure of the events that unfolded. I looked to see Lapis slowly sitting up and Connie's arm slowly moving. I looked down to Jasper. "It's over Jasper." I said stepping towards him.
"No... NO IT CAN'T BE." He/she said putting a hand to his/her forehead. "It won't be." Jasper said getting up to lunge forward. Pearl and Amethyst who had slowly been making there way over followed by Ruby and Sapphire lunged for Jaspers arms holding him back.
"Change Connie back now." I said stepping forward once again as Lapis landed behind me with Connie in her arms.
"No. I won't be told what to do by any of you." Jasper barked. I leaned forwards and grabbed his/her 'nose' and started to hit it, a small crack appearing on the gem.
"You think that will stop me. You're too weak. You care too much." He/she said with a low unnerving growl. I punched his/her 'nose' again. The crack grew nearly covering the whole distance of Jaspers gem.
"L-look h-how about this." He/she said the fear prominent in his/her voice. Something I sure no one had ever heard from him/her. "I'll reverse the energy transfusion and you heal me. Deal?" I nodded in satisfaction.
Lapis came forward and laid Connie before him/her. Still holding his/her arms Amethyst and Pearl walked forward allowing him/her enough reach to get a hold of Connie and reverse the energy transfusion. Connie started to fill out and turn back to normal. Her sagging skin now retracting, her colour coming back. Once the energy transfusion was complete the gems grabbed his/her arms tightly again. I then stepped forward and applied my healing spit to Jaspers gem.
I turned around to see Connie wobble up onto her legs. She was still shaking as she stood so I went to help her and so did Lapis. We grabbed her and helped her steady herself. When she was still she looked up and we were all suddenly flashing goofy grins. My mind had to set it right though. My choice had to be made. I stood back and both girls looked towards me with worried faces.
"Steven what's wrong?' Connie said. Her voice still trying to settle back to normal.
My head was low so I didn't have to meet there eyes as I said my piece. "You both like me. I had to think. You both fought for me. I can have you both doing that. I…" Tears slowly came to my eyes. "I have to choose." I stopped chocking down a sob. I didn't want to choose. I just wanted life to be easy. No hard choices. A life where everything was done for me. But no one could chose this for me I had to. Just like I had to fight the battle. With a deep breath I spoke. "I choose-" A sudden pain rushed through my body. I looked down to see the familiar white spear tip penetrating my gem, creating a huge crack before my eyes went black.