A/N: Brethren! This marks the day the story passed 200,000 words! So, if you pass this chapter, then you've actually read quite a lot. Congratulations to all of us! To me for my ability to type and to you for being able to stick around and being ultimately patient.

A toast to all of us and our beloved fallen.

Chapter 35: Our Hopes In Fears

Lapis Lazuli is gone. The speed demon thought, his frown deepening. He stood up from his position. I need to intervene.

Amethyst stumbled across an electrical appliances store and saw the news. She and the other Crystal Gems were able to escape Onyx and Obsidian, but Lapis wasn't lucky enough. She had been broken down, hit by a skyscraper, then dug out, only to be viciously ripped apart. She didn't believe that actually happened on television.

The Crystal Gems had fled cowardly while Lapis stayed in the battlefield to die. Sugilite had become unstable, Lapis was torn to pieces, she didn't know what happened to Pearl... what's next? What else could Onyx do before she destroys the world?

"They're going to kill us..." she finally realized. "There's no escaping that."

The idea of dying made her brain wander off. Watching Lapis die like that made her rethink her life. That Gem was the strongest person she knew, Amethyst even feared she would kill her for starting the Bloodstone war, and Onyx still proved that she could destroy someone like her. It was a catalyst of misery. Amethyst racked her brain to think of a solution to this. She was supposed to be the leader, she was supposed to be the one in control of the situation. But the situation had spiraled straight into hell.

They were being hunted. By the most powerful being that had formerly been on their side, fighting against Homeworld. It looks like they don't care anymore. They're now the lone wolf, intending to strike so hard the Universe itself will tremble. They're going to destroy Earth and Homeworld. Amethyst's eyes widened, that meant Peridot too.

That nerd's precious sneer is going to be wiped off the Universe's face. Her mind had come to a conclusion. Her eyes stared dead into the news feed.

A chunk of the skyscraper was thrown at the chopper, and Amethyst watched the helicopter feed turn to static.

Kyanite saw her mother kill off Lapis Lazuli.

After the incident in the desert, called the Bloodstone war, she didn't think there was anyone scarier than that blue Gem. Lapis had flooded the desert in her turmoil, something Kyanite found horrifying. Calling water from hundreds of miles away to finish off a war in a split second was scary. She could've done it any time during it, and the weight of that power terrifies Kyanite to the core. The ocean Gem could end her if she wanted to.

Seeing her parent effortlessly and ferociously finish her off was... life-changing.

This was the Gem that raised her.

She didn't think that they were actually that powerful. She'd seen them fight. She participated battles against Homeworld with them. But this...

They were immensely powerful. Crazy powerful. How could that be the person who raised her? To have such a brutality instinct, killing off Lapis in a vile manner. She couldn't believe it. She knew they would do everything in their power to protect her, but to utterly destroy someone without a hint of remorse was something darker. It was something villainous. A trait of an evil murderer.

And to top it of, Lapis was Steven's caretaker. The cyan Gem couldn't imagine what he would think of this. Would he shun Kyanite off because she was practically Onyx and Obsidian's daughter? Or would he try to hunt them, only to inevitably get himself killed? She didn't know which one was worse. She hoped that Onyx wasn't planning on destroying the world, because nobody would survive that.

Kyanite thought it was psychotic. Her parents were simply evil. Kyanite had been struck with craziness after enduring transformation after transformation from corruption to uncorruption, and vice versa. But what did her parents endure? Only being trapped in a bubble, she supposed. Kyanite didn't know if she was better than her parents because of this... It was a hard comparison to make.

The cyan Gem rushed to the Crystal Temple, trying to work out how to use the Warp Pad. Because honestly, when it came down to it, she knew next to nothing about the recent times.

Pyrite hummed a tune from her favorite show, while walking down the hallway of the Revolution base. She and Howlite had done their jobs finishing off the drug cartel and helping arrest people, so they were free to do whatever they want for the rest of the day. If there were any important missions that suddenly came up, then she was sure they'd call her back.

Today, she wore an aviator's jacket over her humorous white shirt, which had a picture of a nuclear explosion on it. She wore skinny jeans with matching slip-on shoes. A pair of headphones were fitted around her neck, playing a completely different tune to her humming.

Across her, Howlite came into view and stormed the halls.

"Pyrite, I've been looking all over for you!" she chided, marching up to her in gladiator gear. "Where have you been? Didn't you hear the call?"

Pyrite blinked. "What do you mean?"

"We're ordered to fight the fusion!"

"There's a fusion?"

The silver Gem was about to say something, before she caught sight of Pyrite's clothing. "What are you wearing?"

"We were done with work so I wore my... after-work human attire." she innocently answered.

Howlite glared at her clothes. "It'll do. Come on. The fusion was here half an hour ago, Pearl had stalled it. Now it's fighting this Lapis Lazuli and just lifted a skyscraper a hundred miles east." Her tone was excited, but only because there was news of Pearl going up against this dark fusion. To her, Pearl had done a tribute of bravery, and was a hero to her eyes. But she can't show that through professional means.

"Is this like a chance to meet Pearl?" Pyrite guessed, her eyes half-closed. Steps echoed through the halls as they walked, one full of clanking metal and the other full of squeaky rubber.

"Yes, it is." Howlite replied sternly.

"You probably want to meet her."

"Yes. Absolutely." Howlite added, but had to hide her joy, "Only to talk about battle strategies. And our plan to beat that fusion. Serious stuff."

"Well, okay, I guess." Pyrite responded skeptically. She tilted her head back, cracking a smile. "You know, with a fusion that powerful, you and I would probably have to fuse."

"Fuse?" she grimaced at the idea. "I'd rather die than fuse with you again." Howlite mocked as she turned her head to the side. "We could probably find a way without that darn technique."

As Howlite suddenly picked up speed and hurried down the hall, Pyrite stared solemnly down the passage, fear swelling up inside her. She had a feeling she knew who this fusion was. She had a lot of fights in the war on Earth thousands of years ago. She served Yellow Diamond and fought for Gem dominance over the Universe. Once she fought against the Crystal Gems, she had the luck of being in a battle with two fusions, one of them she knew was impossibly strong. If this "fusion" is who she thinks it is, then they were in serious trouble.

Pyrite was right.

"I've fought Jet before." the golden Gem admitted, the name rolling off her tongue weirdly. She noticed the dark circles under Pearl's eyes.

Pearl unfolded her arms, checking Pyrite's clothing. She put it behind her head and came to a realization that Pyrite had experience. "During the Homeworld War?" she asked.

Pyrite could feel Howlite's glare deep in her skull. After all, she was casually talking to that silver gladiator's idol. "Is that five thousand years ago?"

Pearl looked troubled, staring down at the metal floor. She looked back up, her eyes tense with a small glint of hope. "You fought them five thousand years ago? And lived... Impressive." she remarked.

Howlite's mouth hung open bewilderly behind Pyrite. Pearl complimented her.

"I'm pretty powerful." Pyrite said eagerly. "Yellow Diamond requested me on the front lines—"

"I remember Garnet talking about you." Pearl recalled, "You use powerful blows against your opponents. The more it's charged, the more brutal it becomes..." She had a ghost of a smile on her face. "I'm kinda glad you're here now. I didn't know you still existed, but I think you'll work better on the front lines against him. You're repositioned to first encounter."

"First encounter?"

"You'll be the one leading physical charge against Jet. Or..." She scratched her head. "...to say it better, you're gonna be our first heavy hitter. Your physical abilities could prove against Jet. Since that's his weakness... How did he best you?"

"Some kind of energy ball." Pyrite answered. Pearl nodded, knowing of his hex bolts. Those were deadly. Only Jet had the capacity to use them.

Howlite was fuming with jealousy.

"Where am I on the plan?" she demanded. Inwardly, she cursed at her impoliteness to her hero. But then, it would be good to show to Pearl that she was serious about the mission.

"You? Uh..." Pearl's face twisted into confusion. "...You're... with the army, if the situation goes worse."

Howlite's frown this time was the pinnacle of sadness.

"She's good. I can vouch for her." Pyrite said in a hurry, patting Howlite on the shoulder. The silver Gem rolled off her comforting hand, not needing her pity. Pearl turned to Pyrite worriedly, before her eyes were set on Howlite, drinking up her ridiculous armor.

"What can you do?" Pearl asked.

"I, uh, can fly, charge up energy, and shoot it out." Howlite answered, intimidated by her stare.

"If Pyrite wants you, you can be with her." Pearl responded. "Your energy attacks won't do much against Jet. Unless... if it's actually Gem energy, then that would be vital against him."

"Yes, it's pure Gem energy."

Pearl's tired eyes glimmered with hope. "Then you're with Pyrite." She glanced at a clock before saying, "You two should go. Now. The place is—"

"East, two hundred and sixty miles away from here." Howlite remembered. She was about to fly for it, but she tugged Pyrite's arm. "Come on! Let's go!" she shouted eagerly.

"I can't fly."

Howlite glanced at Pearl, making sure she saw her team spirit. "I'll carry you."

"Okay," Pyrite shrugged.

The two went off, leaving Pearl to talk to the other Gems. She turned to Moonstone, who looked at her warily. He had that look like he could smell the fishiness out of Pearl. He stood straighter, different to his usual slouch, and stared Pearl down. She knew he was still a teensy bit shorter, but that glare of his really made her feel like a newly made Gem.

"Where's the Gem destabilizer?"

"I still have it."

"Why didn't you use it?"

Pearl was caught in a fumble with this. "Onyx and Obsidian are very difficult Gems. I know them—I mean, I used to know them. But—"

"Pearl, a Gem died." Moonstone responded gravely.

"Who?" Pearl inquired.

"It's that asshole we talked about. Turns out, wasn't much of an asshole after all." He told her.

"Lapis?" she guessed from the use of the word "asshole".

"Pearl, you're treading on a line of rage and hate now. It's a very fragile line." Moonstone replied, "You have to be careful with what you're dealing with. Lapis Lazuli isn't as bad or destructive as you say she is. She saved a building from falling, while her torso was mutilated. The end of her consciousness was with another building falling on her. Her body after that had been fed to the sharks."

Pearl's eye twitched at her teacher's sudden praise for Lapis. She walked away, tending to other Gems except Moonstone. She felt there was a barrier that surrounded him, that he was siding with Lapis. He was a traitor. She went over to Hematite and Jade, who were standing around and waiting for their orders.

"Hematite, Jade," she greeted angrily.

"What can we do?" Hematite asked.

The white knight turned to the ninja-like Gem. "Jade, you have the ability to turn invisible, right?"

"Camouflage," she told her, though her voice was slightly muffled by the mask over her nose and mouth.

"Take this." Pearl handed her a small syringe of glowing yellow liquid, which wasn't everything she had. She still kept some for safe keeping, in case Jade's journey went south. "This is a Gem destabilizer. Use it on Jet." She turned to the bulky piece of rock. "Hematite, you can be the next hit after Pyrite and Howlite are down. I don't think they could do this on their own. They'll stall, or better yet, they could win. Just be there in case anything happens."

Moonstone walked over to them. "Let me come with you." he told them, patting his now slouching back. "I could use a little exercise."

Pearl glared at the old Gem.

"Why do you have a mustache?" Hematite piped up suddenly, genuinely curious about it. "And a goatee too?"

"You haven't lived until you've grown facial hair that makes you look like a grandpa." He received confused stares from Hematite. "What I'm saying is, it makes me look like I'm old and experienced. Maybe sophisticated. I don't know."

Pearl couldn't help but have her lips tug into a smile. Moonstone may have protected Lapis in a way, but that Gem is dead. And he's still her teacher or mentor or surrogate parent. He still meant a lot to her. She couldn't stay mad at him for long. After all he'd done for her in the past, she should've acted better. She couldn't believe her anger against Lapis was that strong.

That kinda scared her for a moment.

"So, are we going now or...?" the small and lean ninja-Gem trailed off.

Her bulky partner answered her, "Yes. We best be off."

"You bastard." Howlite said through clenched teeth.

"What?" Pyrite asked, looking up at her.

"I want to drop you so hard." Howlite replied, her grip on Pyrite loosening. The golden Gem held her close, fearing her death at the bottom of the ocean. "But I can't. If I will, someone will notice. Pearl will notice. And I'm not going to look good."

"I have never seen you fangirl that hard before."

"Fangirl?" she repeated bewilderedly.

"Yeah, fangirl." Pyrite remarked, "If you had no sense of professionalism, I'd bet you'd be squealing in front of Pearl and touching her to make sure she wasn't a hologram." She sneered, "Dang it, I'm making references that you don't understand."

"Pyrite?"

"Yeah?"

"I know what a fangirl is. Screw you."

The pair of Gems landed on a building, getting a vantage point over the fusion. Pyrite shuddered at the sight, Jet didn't change a bit since she last saw him. Howlite was unimpressed, thinking he was overdoing it. The dark fusion was sitting over a skyscraper of rubble, admiring the view. The pair of Gems thought of how peaceful it was, and how he seemed so relaxed. Maybe if they sneaked up on him, they'd be able to get an effective hit in.

'I know you're there.'

Howlite jumped. Pyrite shrieked a bit.

Jet rose from his throne of wasted material, standing to a full height of six feet. He wasn't as tall as Amber, but he still gave off that uncomfortable aura. That menacing look of his intimidated people more. His abilities so far could cause nightmares to those in his way. To the strong, he'll give them death.

Jet hovered off the ground and made his way over to them, his cape billowing in the air. It streamed around like black wings, only it looked like silky fabric and had holes in them. Jet's iron mask hid a mystery that neither Gem would want to know. The rest of his body, well, was made up from their imagination. His Gems were actually found... nowhere actually. They were hidden well under a veil of illusions and darkness, so nobody really knew where his primal weakness was.

Howlite touched her wrist, because under her gauntlet was her Gem. Pyrite averted her eyes from Jet, the agony of battling him soon replayed in her mind. All the bruises, the explosions, the burns...

'I remember you...' Jet stated, setting his sights on the golden Gem. 'Yes, you were a lucky one.'

Howlite huffed, glancing at her partner in crime. "Well... you weren't lying. He remembers you." she whispered.

Pyrite gave her a serious glare, one that she had never given before. Howlite smirked, she had influenced the golden fellow with her glares. She's becoming serious.

'No need to whisper,' Jet told Howlite. 'We're all friends here. New and old.' he growled.

"Right, telepathy, telekinesis and hex bolts." Howlite repeated what Pearl warned them during their flight here. The former Crystal Gem had to squeeze in a lot of information in their quick schedules. "You can manipulate our minds."

'Pearl sent you two to die.'

Pyrite remained silent, her hands clenched into fists.

'I'm not going to fight you. That'd be too easy now, wouldn't it?' Jet paced around the air, his head kept to them. He knew their potential. One of them used physical attacks and the other used energy attacks. One was, as proven by Lapis, effective, while the other was mediocre. His ribs, arm and foot still ached from the dead Gem's actions. 'No no no... I think I have something better.'

In each of their perspectives, Pyrite saw Howlite's eyes flashing darkness, while Howlite watched Pyrite's eyes turn completely black; void of life and control. The two stared at each other warily, before glancing back at Jet, who completely vanished.

'Mind control.' His voice echoed in each other's heads, planting the seed of thought that the other was possessed.

"Howlite, you there?" Pyrite asked cautiously, taking a step back. This was not going as planned. She should've punched him in the face when she had the chance. Now they were put into this ordeal.

Howlite responded, but it was muted in Pyrite's senses. All she saw her do was aggressively opening and closing her mouth like a zombie.

The same was happening for Howlite, who wasn't able to hear Pyrite, so she said, "He's in your head, Pyrite. Fight it!"

"Ugh, Howlite... He's gotten to you." Pyrite replied, not hearing a thing.

"That's it, Pyrite. Back away." Howlite warned, "You can do this. You can fight the darkness."

Meanwhile, Jet was watching their drama. This is getting nowhere. They don't have the heart to open to a fight. Such compassion and understanding. He waved his hand around. Now, what about this?

Pyrite punched Howlite upside the head. The other snarled, but took her space.

No? Hmm. They have a better bond than I thought. They're reluctant to even hit each other when one clearly hit the other. I thought Howlite would have enough anger and jealousy to hit Pyrite back with no remorse, but... seems their friendship is much more stable than I thought.

Pyrite raised her hand to stop talking. Howlite followed the command. They both neared each other slowly and held out their hands, shaking on an agreement.

Jet took control for a bit, messing their peace up.

The flares in Howlite's eyes brimmed, cracks beginning to spread around her eyes. Pyrite felt the gladiator's grip on her hand tighten.

Howlite skillfully pulled Pyrite's arm, turning and swinging the golden Gem overhead. Pyrite screamed as she slammed against the roof, which instantly broke apart with the amount of force stored in her body. Howlite fell into the hole with her, both landing into a wooden table. It broke in half with their fall, while they were covered in white dust and bits of cement off the ceiling.

Pyrite rose from the table, her eyes staring at Howlite, who heaved herself up and cracked her neck. Pyrite gritted her teeth, she had been a little jumpy and trigger happy around Jet, and that fear instilled within her flared. Her paranoia of the fusion made her wild, tackling Howlite through the wall and covering them in more shavings of dry paint. Howlite coughed, her lungs felt a sharp pain. Pyrite lifted the silver Gem up, and slammed her against the ground.

"Dammit, Pyrite," Howlite muttered. "You hit like a train."

She flipped over, dodging a kick from the Gem. The wind slashed at her from how quick that was. Howlite threw her hand out and blasted Pyrite away with a beam of energy. Her body flew, crashing head-first against a wall and breaking several decorations off it.

"Sorry..." Howlite murmured softly, like she didn't want to get caught apologizing in this noisy mess. "...But you have to get him out of your head!"

Again, Pyrite didn't hear her. And Howlite realized she brought them into this full-fledged fight. She didn't want to be torn about by her only friend's hands.

"Sorry, Howlite. This is for your own good." And Pyrite brought back her fist before charging straight at her.

Howlite brought up her energy shield to defend against that attack. But it was charged, concentrated with force, so much so, that Pyrite barreled through it and caused a shock wave through the whole floor. Howlite was pushed back, smashing through walls again, flailing about as she destroyed private property. This wasn't looking good. The silver Gem could feel the metal on her armor vibrating wildly. Her body ached of physical pain.

"This much property damage is gonna be the end of us," Howlite joked, looking up at Pyrite looming over her. Her eyes were pitch black, soulless and evil. "Pyrite, only one of us will get to walk out of this by the end of the day. Jet has you completely controlled. And, well... I can't think of anything to help you. So... sorry about poofing you in advance. Hope you can understand, or at least mentally drain yourself so I can win."

Pyrite slammed the sole of her slip-on shoe into Howlite's face.

Blood spilled over. The silver Gem skidded back, crashing into a grandfather clock. Howlite moaned in pain. Her nose leaked like a faucet.

"Or, maybe you'll win this. And uh, Jet'll get bored of you. Good plan," Howlite struggled to scowl. "Not."

Pyrite stood over the Gem, planting a foot on her chest. "I hope you can forgive me, Howlite. But Jet has you, and I can't think of any other way. You'd think I'm dumb, but I really can't think. I just..." She felt her heart pang once her foot drove an inch into her chest, crushing her ribs. "...I... just..."

Howlite cried out in agony.

Pyrite stepped off, watching Howlite's face burst into pain. She could see tears running down her face. She... never cried. Not once. Pyrite didn't even think that would be possible. Sure she joked, but seeing her in a mess like this, suddenly made her realize what Jet had done. He'd been playing them. Even outright stating that he was using mind control. Pyrite cursed herself.

Pyrite crouched down in front of her, seeing eye-to-eye. "Howlite, can you hear me?"

"Clod damn, why didn't you finish the job, you fool?" Howlite asked, but she wasn't able to hear the other. Even Pyrite hadn't heard what Howlite said. She groaned angrily, her patience ran thin. "Poof me! It feels a thousand times worse living through this!"

"You're trying to say something." Pyrite's eyes widened in realization. "You've been trying to say something the entire time! But I can't hear you..."

The golden Gem placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, which Howlite roughly shook off.

"Oh, now you're being nice to me after throwing me the hell around!" she glared, the crushing pain her chest wasn't fading. She vented her frustration on her. "And I was about to kill you. And so close too. I'd still do it!"

Sigh... Jet hovered over the city. Those two are just inseparable. They're like Ruby and Sapphire, except different.

And their fusion... if Garnet could fuse with another Garnet... Damn. Well that can't happen anymore. Good for me.

He spun around, staring down at the four Gems that have arrived. Among the four was Pearl and he glowered in response to that fact. Immediately, he zoomed past everyone, only targeting Pearl, and shoved her against a brick wall. Which was a few miles out of the city's perimeter.

'You still come,' Jet studied her. 'Are you blind to what you're doing? Onyx and Obsidian could end you. And I... can do a whole lot worse.'

"You're going to destroy the world," she spat. "Not gonna sit on my bum while you do that."

'I destroyed Lapis Lazuli. Controlled both your minions to fight each other. And the idea of my existence resonates within the Crystal Gems now.' Jet replied, pulling her up. She squirmed, and he kept her face looking straight into the thin slits on the mask for his soulless eyes. 'What I do to you, or your team, I have in my control. Threats won't do much at this point. It's inevitable, you're going to die.'

"Sounds like a threat." Pearl placed her hands over his arm, trying to wriggle herself out.

For some reason, Jet's arm burned at her touch. He stared at his arm, which felt like it was disintegrating. After Lapis broke it, he didn't want another injury. He slammed her against the wall, knocking bricks out. The pain still evoked through her hands, so he tossed her aside, confused.

'What was that?'

"We all have weaknesses," Pearl huffed, getting on one knee. "All of us."

Jet flashed back to when Onyx got hit with the same burning thing.

'That... That Gem weapon...' he said through clenched teeth.

The fusion looked through her mind, and it was all a bunch of random numbers. It was all connected, because... it's actually a reading of the million numbers of pi.

"Can't find anything?" Pearl asked with a smirk.

Jet roared as he stabbed her through the shoulder and chest with his talons. And she poofed. He spun on his heels, ready to propel himself back to the city to confront the other Gems, before a whisper landed in his ear.

"It's a great trick, really."

Jet scowled and he pulled the person over to him with telekinesis. It was Pearl, still intact, not looking like she had poofed. There was no change in her clothing, and no sign of his stab marks, so she had utterly fooled him with that other Pearl.

"It's easy, using a hologram to hold our weaknesses. You actually thought it was me," she taunted. "Hah, the Crystal Gems shouldn't have to fear you. If it's this easy to trick you, then we could totally destr—"

Jet used one hand to grab her by her forehead and crush it with a resounding crunch.

She poofed. No Gem.

Frustrated, he grunted irritatedly, flying back to the city without a moment's hesitation.

He only spot two Gems there. But there were four. He took out Pearl, which just seemed to be a modified hologram, so that means there should be two. Unless one of them had fled or gone hiding or were checking up on Pyrite and Howlite. Those two idiots were still in his curse.

Jet hovered a good twenty feet in front of them. The two Gems decided to act.

"Alright," the rocky one stood broadly. "Stand down or I will take action."

The older Gem glanced at him, before setting his eyes on Jet.

'You first,' the fusion retorted, 'It's only fair.'

Jet flicked his fingers and a huge gust of wind threw everything back. Debris, vehicles, metal and rubbish flew at mach speeds, even Hematite, the bulky one, was flung like paper. Only Moonstone seemed unfazed by that.

'Hmph,' he said, focusing on the old man now. He pointed a finger at him. 'Bang.'

Moonstone didn't flinch. He stood his ground, all the while Jet's telekinetic influences weren't affecting him. Jet narrowed hiseyes under his helmet, floating over to Moonstone with his hand still outstretched. He doubled his efforts, concentration strong, but the geezer didn't move. The dark aura in his mind was pushing against the bearded man, when suddenly, once in his radius, Moonstone lifted a hand.

He brought it over Jet's chest, similarly to how he was doing to him.

The geezer responded, "Bang."

And with a light shove at the fusion's chest, like a soft palm tap, an explosion of physical force sent Jet's body flying uncontrollably, skidding against the gravel road like a rock skipping over water. A shock wave shook the whole city block. He felt as if a wild and violent force pushed him at an astounding magnitude.

Jet smacked into a car, his momentum being slowed. The car still veered immensely. It was away from its original spot by a few paces.

He was greatly surprised by what the old man accomplished. A single concentrated point of force that made his chest feel like exploding. He dropped out of the car.

His body flopped onto the ground, his hands clenched into fists as he grogilly got back up. He did not want to chew more than he can, after his battle with Lapis, he did not want to lose any of his limbs. His shoulder leaned forward, the other side hurt by the attack. He blew out a puff of air.

'Old man. Do I know you?' Jet asked from five blocks away.

Moonstone scratched his cheek, his moustache was raised one side of his face from irritation. "Yes," he said, "You do know me."

Jet glowered. After a moment of realization, he figured out his identity. 'The legendary Moonstone. I've heard stories of you. Never seen you in person. I don't know you personally.'

Moonstone's eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Good."

A hex bolt swirled in Jet's hand, an energy coming together and forming a dangerous mass. He threw it, and it curved at Moonstone, who didn't move. But when he did, it was quick, and it was once when the hex bolt steered close. There was no explosion. But he dodged it? So, why...

Jet narrowed his eyes in confusion. Something's not right.

The fusion stepped forward, throwing another hex bolt at Moonstone, and again, the old geezer did the same thing. He kept trekking forward, this time throwing the bolt at his feet. Moonstone stepped forward, spun, and slashed the curving hex bolt in half. Jet's pace hastened, and threw three swirling hex bolts at the Gem. Moonstone started speeding forward, hex bolts bursting the ground behind him. The two headed straight for each other, the ground or surrounding buildings blowing up as Moonstone remained unfazed. Jet gritted his teeth.

Moonstone got into a stance, striking him in the shoulder while he dodged his growing talons. Jet gasped as he felt bombs set off where Moonstone touched him, and then the old Gem slammed his forearm against his broken arm, and kicked him behind the knee. Explosions rattled through his body, power just swirling through his nervous systems and burning his mind. What the hell was this old man? There was so much force in his small dabs! Too much...

Moonstone tapped his back and Jet toppled over. A light kick to his stomach and he felt like he had a hole in it. A smack to the head and a bleeding migraine. Twirling his arm against his back, Jet's bones felt like dry wood. It can't bend, it snaps. Moonstone kicked his legs and they were in lava. They felt like explosions, all of Moonstone's attacks. Explosions of concentrated force that magically came about.

Then, Jet realized how he was able to do it.

The legend of Moonstone was that he was able to overcome any opponent. To strike back with all his enemies' wrongdoings. Jet remembered how much force he expelled against Moonstone, and one shove from him, his body felt like it was being pushed by a comet. He threw hex bolts at him, and each attack felt like nerve-striking explosions.

Moonstone was absorbing and redirecting his attacks.

'I know how you do it,' the fusion said. 'I know how you're besting me. I know how to beat you.'

Moonstone smacked the back of his head. Jet felt his own hex bolts disintegrating his head. The old man pulled his arm harshly and a crackling noise could be heard. Jet growled at the pain, his arm broke again. Moonstone's grip was still kept on his wrist.

"You remember how you destroyed that Lapis Lazuli's arm?" he inquired, eyes narrowing. Jet twisted his arm telekinetically, breaking it further, so much that bones started disconnecting from each other. Moonstone stared aghast at the fusion's self-destructive antics.

'Oh, I know.' Jet answered, vanishing from Moonstone's sight. 'I remember her vividly.'

Everything went dark around him, like lights flickering off in a hallway. Everything he felt was numb. He was blinded, deafened, and he couldn't feel the floor. Moonstone was floating in an abyss. He maneuvered his way around, but that didn't matter because he wasn't in reality anymore.

He continued to float in an existential crisis, his thoughts floating off into nothingness.

He was numbed.

He didn't know how much time passed, he had no sense of it. His balance, direction, nada. Moonstone, in all his age, hadn't encountered this. He felt younger. Naive and incompetent. He wasn't old in this state of sensory deprivation. He lost his sense of logic.

Then, a voice boomed. For a long while, he finally heard something.

'I know Lapis. I've seen her last dreams and the look on her face as she died. I saw her body mutilated and her Gemstone turned to ash.'

Everything came back to him. He remembered what was happening.

'You want to hear her screams?'

Jet gave a huff of excruciating pain, glad it was done.

Moonstone stood alone, looking down with his eyes devoid of life.

It was a quicker battle than he thought. Jet thought it was because of his impatience and his newest low. He'd almost lost to Lapis, Pearl (he thought she still had the upper hand, as she's still not around) and Moonstone. His tolerance for fighting lowered when he starts losing, then he decides to end the fight early. He clutched his dislocated arm and walked away.

The old Gem was left to contemplate horrid visions and echoes of the dead.

Jet brought his hand up and gathered Lapis' shards through his mind. His concentration wavered and so did the mental image. He dropped his hand to the side and started mending his bones together.

Ashes to ashes. He thought. Born from dust, die as dust.

His senses went haywire, and he spun around, grabbing something in the air. He could feel a presence right in front of him. From his telepathic investigations, this Gem was invisible.

'Ah ah ah,' Jet wagged a finger around, his other hand twisting the Gem's wrist. 'What made you think you could sneak up on me of all people?'

Jade crumpled quickly, a shade of green starting to form out of her pain. Jade's camouflage started to deteriorate, her invisible approach wasn't going so well. Jet threatened to open what was in her clenched hand. Slowly, her fingers start to uncurl themselves, and suddenly, Jade brought down her mask and puked acid over him.

It was basically corrosive Gem energy. It started to melt off Jet's physical form.

Damn it, another fool who exploited his weakness.

Jet stumbled back, wrapping himself in dark fire and removing the green acid spit off. Jade put her mask back on, tugging on her katana. Instead, ninja stars slipped into her fingers and she struck him with sharp, penetrating stars.

The fusion grunted deeply, whipping his arm out and smacking her into a building. Under his feet, he could feel the Earth shaking. Now what? Did that green Gem have some kind of connection to Earth, and if she dies, Earth dies? If so, he should kill her now, and make his job a lot easier.

The vibrating went up to his legs, shaking so much like an earthquake.

Then, a large body popped out of the ground, grabbing Jet into a bear hug. Hematite's molten body seared him, but it wasn't the central cause of his pain. His suffering came with Hematite's strong arms were like a vice, crushing his sides. Jet's head fell back in anguish, his spine ground into dust.

Before he could further react, Jet was plunged deep into the Earth's crust, with Hematite leading the way with his spine-crushing lock. The two dove deep under the underground, Hematite tunneling through miles of dirt in a minute till they reached magma. Jet's eyes widened in surprise, trying to get out of Hematite's grip as they plunged deeper into lava.

His skin burned.

The lava was slowly melting him. Soon, he'd be a mesh of himself.

Jet struggled against Hematite, the bulky Gem wasn't letting go. He was obviously fire-resistant, not showing a hint of any damage. He never wavered. A medieval knight's loyalty till death, he supposed. They wove through the thick liquid, yellow blinding their eyes. Jet tried to push, but the pressure and weight of lava crashed over him. He was sinking deeper and deeper, when he was supposed to be floating over lava due to his lower density. Hematite was pulling him into the light, relentlessly.

A hex bolt was forming out of his hand, and immediately exploded on the touch of lava. The shock wave opened up a bubble of air, which Jet flailed his arms in. He was getting tired. He felt a giant presence. Was it the core of this planet? No, it was something else. It felt like a Kindergarten, full of unborn Gems. Jet kept that at the back of his head as he tried to escape.

He shot hex bolt after hex bolt, draining away his energy, shooting everywhere to give him space. After a while, Hematite fell in a big, closing space of an air bubble, with Jet on the opposite end. The air bubble was closing on itself, thinning and growing taller. It wanted to escape to the surface. Jet floated over, his armor melted and his cape gone. Half of his mask was gone, and so was that part of his face.

Hematite looked up at the deformed state of the fusion, sneering.

"You're trapped here." he stated.

'Do... Do you not understand physics? This air bubble is sending us back up. Slowly, but surely.'

Hematite stood upon lava. "You're not going to survive very long."

'You're right,' Jet confirmed, his body was melting from the heat. Even after being submerged in lava and treated to hot air, it was still hot enough to slowly melt away every molecule of his body. Maybe even turn himself into lava, since it was just molten rock. But he wasn't going down alone. 'But, ya know... you're not going to survive any longer as well.'

Hematite sunk into the lava to flee, but Jet pulled him up with his telekinesis.

'I think I'm gonna start a collection.' Jet informed, his consciousness fading gradually as he spun Hematite around. 'A collection of Gems. Gonna hang that around my neck. Like decor. Sucks, I'll have to find all of Lapis' remains after this.'

Jet closed his fist.

Pyrite and Howlite rushed over the glowing hole in the road, their curse lifted off a moment ago. They immediately went over to the battlefield, already knowing that Jet didn't have any control over them and they were free not to fight each other.

Pyrite harshly grabbed Howlite by the shoulders, desperation etched on her face. "We have to fuse!"

Howlite was about to refute, when Pyrite exploded.

"I DON'T CARE! Jet will be here, and he's going to kill us and the whole world. Do you think I care about your stupid pride?" the golden Gem growled angrily. "Howlite, think, we are going to die. Everyone is going to die. This is our only chance—"

From their side, a man dressed in what looks like a dark blue leather suit, with golden gauntlets and boots, blurred his way next to the hole. There was an air of friction, a static feeling, bringing up the hairs on the back of their neck. His glowing white eyes inspected the hole, before glancing at the two Gems. He had no mouth, or well, his mask had no mouth.

The speed demon made a deep noise from his throat.

"Maybe-Maybe he could help us?" Howlite stammered.

"Get out... or stay and fight..." the speed demon told them, his eyes glaring bright.

Pyrite kept an icy stare at Howlite. She stared down into the hole. "There's no way we can beat him without fusing."

"But..."

"Pearl would want us to beat him. She put us on the front lines of defense because she either thinks we're their best hope or she wants to get rid of us quick. If we beat him, we'll prove either way that we're important." Pyrite's tone was serious. Howlite decided she didn't like this side of her. "Isn't that what you want? To look important in front of Pearl?"

Howlite gulped down her pride, sighing audibly. "Hypr would look important. Not us." she told her.

"Without us, Hypr wouldn't exist anyway." Pyrite argued.

CRASH! Jet skyrocketed out of the hole, his whole body messed up from the magma. He had a dark, grayish, stone hovering around him. He looked around, one eyes glancing face to face. His telepathy gave him their names. Emerald, Pyrite, Howlite. The latter two finally found that illusion, and the former one was new.

'I kinda wanted to have you Gems as some sort of trophy, but,' Jet jerked his thumb at the black gemstone. 'It doesn't look as colorful as I thought. Looks bland. Maybe you guys have brighter colors.'

Pyrite grabbed for Howlite's hand.

The speed demon glanced at the pair of Gems, then at the fusion. There was a feeling of misery he had upon realizing he had warned Lapis about this. And she had walked straight to her death. Crack, shatter, dust.

Howlite had been silent. She was scared. Not because she almost died, but because she saw her teacher standing a block away, not doing anything but standing, and looking like he had gone through some kind of trauma. Whatever happened to him had to be extreme. If Jet could put someone like Moonstone into that state, then she knew this fusion was a Gem of impossibilities.

Pyrite hadn't seen this side of Jet. He was vulnerable. Half of his body was just basically destroyed. It made her confident. Eager to fight someone, but with a fair footing. Maybe a fusion against fusion type of thing. She could probably stand up to him now, but she knew he could do a whole lot more than that. There was a risk she was going to take, and it was going to decide the end of the world or the end of Jet.

'Really? No one up for volunteer? No one wants to see their Gem ripped out of their bodies? No?' the telepath kept asking. He sighed, taking the harder route. His last warning for them to stand down was gone. 'Fine.'

He snatched the Hematite Gem out of the air and felt its energy coursing into him. It glowed red, energy going up Jet's arm, and he started to change. Their vision of him molded back into his original state, no harm done. Everything was back to square one.

He knew about absorption. In fact, Onyx's Gem was the reason Amber learned of it. Now Jet needed to power himself if he thought correct, because two of the Gems were thinking of a "Hyperion" fusion, while the speed demon had a blank mind.

Pyrite's confidence dwindled. He was back at full strength. There's no telling what he could do.

The idea of fusing seemed a lot more appealing to Howlite now.

Jet knew his regeneration was a lie. He's still hurt. All he received from Hematite was energy to keep him going. His real body was damaged from lava, concealed with illusion and mind games to keep them down. He was sure he'd gotten too overconfident and the fusion Pyrite and Howlite were thinking about would be too much for him. He felt like he made a mistake. That was not a good idea to plant in their minds to become despaired. That always led to desperate measures.

He knew if that happened, he'd be overwhelmed. No joke about it. They're getting close to beating him, they're even learning how to use his flaws. He'd be dead, he didn't think they'd become this much of a hazard. Unless... Yes. He had a backup plan.

The speed demon didn't want any dangerous competition on this world. And neither did he want Lapis' death to be in vain.

Pyrite and Howlite could feel the tension in their chests. They were about to explode. This feeling of static and dread was mixing badly. It was a concoction of stomach flips and shaky hands.

Jet laughed. He had this all figured out. He didn't care if they fused or not, they couldn't make that much of a difference.

The speed demon narrowed his eyes.

'Why don't you two fuse?' he demanded conceitedly. He got this. His arms were brought up in a "come at me" fashion. 'So that I can get a real challenge. Something to beat up and utterly demolish your hopes and dreams.'

Everyone's counting on us. Pyrite realized the weight on their shoulders. She didn't notice that she was holding her breath. Their hopes in us. We cannot lose, not when seven billion people have their lives at stake.

"Howlite," Pyrite ordered, "Come on. Let's give him what we wants."

Howlite flushed, her ears heating up. Pyrite wasted no time to feel shy or humiliated, and went on with the dance. They stood apart, slowly grooving into the middle, as they mirrored each other's poses. They were silly, and seemed comical, but their movements were swift and in sync.

The speed demon and the dark fusion watched incredulously, the latter one having his mouth shaped into a small "o".

They finally closed the gap between each other, and touched their fingers together. They glowed white, their separate Gems hovering in the center, then their bodies melted into each other and shaped itself into a nine foot tall woman. Her height towered Jet, but it didn't matter to him.

The new fusion regained color.

Her aviator jacket had rolled up to her elbows, the silver gauntlets fitted to their forearms. Over her white shirt, was battle armor that had faded color, but still shone and reflected. Her leggings were were still skinny, but not to worry as gladiator boots were nicely worn over them. It seemed from their clothing, that they had compromised with each other to have the gladiator armor and civvies on.

Her golden yellow hair wasn't like Pyrite's nor Howlite's. Spiky hair flowed backwards over her back, as two thick strands of hair curved over her eyes like bangs. Her eyes were gray, stormy and mysterious. Her skin was as pale as cream.

Her serious and silly demeanors were fused together, and on her lips read her personality. Cocky. Bold. Arrogant. With abilities like hers, the growing power of Pyrite's and growing energy of Howlite, combined they had become a warrior this universe had never seen before.

She gave a wide smirk at Jet. New confidence overrode in her with a new feel to her limits. She was feeling conceited for a reason. And that's because she knew she was going to beat the hell out of Jet. Pyrite's and Howlite's fear disappeared and became her urge to fight, a calling for battle!

Jet felt something different about the fusion, and he didn't like it.

"HAHAHAHAA! All right!" Hypr laughed, joyous she was back again. "You wanted me, you got me."

A/N: I like how people are still concerned over Garnet and Peridot. Well, uh... if you are and are still following this long story, thank you. It means a lot to me. You honestly got a lot of determination. You'll be *eventually* rewarded.

I might tear your favorite character to bits, but that's okay. Everyone has that situation at one point in their life. I mean, I'm still crying about the time Apollo got punched in the face by muggers. And that book still hasn't been released yet.

People freaked out about Lapis last chapter. Now, I'm sure I could've done a better job at preparing and building up tension to her... you know. Death. Seems out of the blue now. I've been mentally exhausted.

Now I've finally showed what Moonstone can do, gave a new fusion, and... actually, seems like that's it.

And yes, I know. Her name's Hypr, short for Hyperion. Why no E, you ask? Well, it looked cool back when this was first thought. So it stuck with me.

Anyway, I'll see you next chapter!

Breaking News: It's a play on the phrase "Our hopes and fears". Not really a phrase, more of a sentence. But "Our Hopes In Fears" actually means that we're putting hope into the Gems that have once been feared. They were part of the Rogue Nation once. They were once villains. So, that's why the title's like that.

Next Chapter's Title: "Nightmare Persona"