(Homeworld ; Fences)

Shinnok appeared beside a green Topaz guard.

"Ah-choo!" Topaz sneezed.

Then she looked at Shinnok, whom the snot flew onto.

"Oh dear! I am so terribly sorry!" Topaz said.

Then Shinnok blasted her to ashes with his amulet.

"Miserable wretch!" He commented. Then he chanted an incantation, which cleansed him right away.

"Oh my goodness!" A random gem said, having seen the kill.

Shinnok blasted him next.

"This is what I get for helping my ally. He's still got a lot to learn." He commented, walking to the rocky plains, near the construction site of the eastern side.

(Trial Tower)

"All rise for the luminous Yellow Diamond!" Yellow Pearl said, doing a pose.

".. and the lustrous Blue Diamond." Blue Pearl said. Though her attention was on Steven. She couldn't bear to hide the fact that he was Pink Diamond, but she knew it would cost her her life if she spilled the beans out in the open like that.

Then a beam shot to two spots, revealing Blue Diamond, and Yellow Diamond. They were standing close together, Blue Diamond was resting towards Yellow Diamond's shoulders, both of them had their eyes closed. Then they opened their eyes, and saw the zircons, and Steven in the center of the room.

The two diamonds separated, with Blue Diamond looking around her surroundings.

"Where is the accused?" She asked.

"Is THAT Rose Quartz?! Look at this hideous form she's taken! Forget the trial, we should shatter her just for looking like that!" Yellow Diamond declared.

"No. I want to hear her make her case. I want to know what she thinks we're going to do to her. Because I want to do something worse." Blue Diamond said, frowning at Steven.

Steven gulped, knowing he was likely in for it, being intimidated by Blue Diamond.

"Steven, you can't tell them who you really are! You mustn't!" Orange Diamond said in his mind.

"Wha?" He said, looking left and right.

"Fine. Let's just get on with it, shall we?" Yellow Diamond said, summoning her throne chair and then sitting down.

Blue Diamond did the same, looking down at the three gems.

The pearls got in their stations, ready to record the court in front of them, using their digital screens for drawing, and inputting text.

"My Diamond. My brilliant, opulent, radiant, glimmering-" Green Zircon ranted on.

"My Diamond will suffice, or we'll never get through this." Yellow Diamond said.

"Of course, my diamond. [Clears throat] Rose Quartz committed a crime, so unprecedented that one can't help but wonder 'why? Exhibit A." Green Zircon said.

She snapped her fingers, and then the platform summoned Lars, who was sitting back, afraid.

"Steven?! What's going on?! Where are we?!" Lars said, before a restraining bubble appeared on his head, muffling the sounds of his voice. "(Barely audible) Who are those huge, giant ladies?!"

"As we can see from this specimen, humans are loud, absolutely hideous creatures that serve no purpose whatsoever. What sort of Gem would turn on her own kind for this? I'll tell you what kind : [Points at Steven] a that kind." Green Zircon said.

"Just let him go! He's got nothing to do with this!" Steven defended.

"There it is! The passion, the fury, that caused the diabolical Rose Quartz to.. shatter her own diamond!" Green Zircon said, doing a dramatic pose.

There was a moment of silence.

"But I know what you're thinking, this thing doesn't look like a Rose Quartz! And for that, I'd like to call an eye witness!" Green Zircon said, kneeling next to Steven.

Then a pillar rose from the platform, once at a certain height, a light flashed at a gem, revealing to be Eyeball Ruby, who didn't seem too happy to see Steven.

"Oh, Eyeball!" Steven said, relieved to see she was still alive.

"Do not address me, war criminal!" Eyeball growled.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Steven said, backing down.

"I heard it straight from her! She said (Mockingly) 'I'm the mighty Rose Quartz! I've got her shield and everything!' And then she threw me.. into space!" Eyeball said with absolute hate in her voice.

"I tried to help you! I healed your gem!" Steven defended.

"And who else has the ability to heal gems, other than the villainous Rose Quartz?!" Eyeball asked, glaring down at him.

"And there you have it. Rose Quartz did it and that's Rose Quartz. I rest my case." Green Zircon said.

"(To self) Oh, she's good." Blue Zircon said, afraid and worried.

Yellow Pearl closed her records, and Blue Pearl drew a cross over Steven's illustrated face on her digital pad.

"Well, I'm convinced! Time to execute!" Yellow Diamond said.

"Not yet. The defense still has to speak." Blue Diamond said.

"Right! (Nervously) Well uh, before I start my very... uh, thought-out defense, I'd like to remind the court that Rose Quartz did turn herself in." Blue Zircon said.

"The court remembers, and the court does not care." Yellow Diamond said coldly.

"Uh, of course! [Picks up panel] Uh, in-innocent! Uh, the word innocent can mean, oh- many different things." Blue Zircon said.

"I did it!" Steven said, stepping forward.

"Wha-what, what! Stop!" Blue Zircon said.

"No. I want to hear what she has to say." Blue Diamond said, raising her hand, which levitated the floor beneath Steven.

"(Still muffled) Get us out of here, Steven!" Steven said.

Steven shielded his eyes from the bright light.

Yellow Diamond remained sitting on her chair, as Blue Diamond glared down at him.

"State your name for the record, please." Yellow Pearl said.

"I, um... I'm Rose Quartz. [Reveals gemstone by lifting shirt] And.. I'm guilty." Steven said, looking away sadly.

"Wait, no! Don't say that!" Blue Zircon said.

"Everything you guys said I did, I did. And I did it by myself. And I'm sorry. I'll accept any punishment you want to give me. [Points to Lars] Just let him go! And leave the earth alone." Steven pleaded.

"Ha! Sounds like a solid confession to me!" Yellow Diamond said.

"...How? [Leans toward Steven] How did you do it?" Blue Diamond asked.

"Huh?" Steven asked.

"How did you shatter Pink Diamond?" Blue Diamond asked.

"Um.. well.. I did it on earth, in front of Pink Diamond's palanquin. I was probably like 'stop!,' and she was all like 'no!' so we fought, I think." Steven hesitated, unable to come up with a proper story in time. And Blue Diamond's looming face was making him more nervous by the second.

Blue Zircon was banging her head on the elevated pillar Steven was standing on.

"And she probably did some cool moves. I probably did some cool moves too, some jump kicks and stuff." Steven continued.

Yellow Pearl had a weirded out and confused expression on her face, looking at Steven as he made up his story. Blue Pearl was drawing an illustration of Steven doing a jump-kick.

"But I was most likely deeply conflicted about deciding to shatter her. Definitely crying. I probably had to use the Breaking Point to do it." Steven finished.

"(Sorrowfully) IT WAS A SWORD!" Blue Diamond shouted, covering her eyes and crying. Her emotions got he best of her and her power emitted a dark blue wave of tearful energy.

Everyone in the room formed tears in their eyes.

"You.. shattered her.. with a sword." Blue Diamond cried, covering her face with her hands.

Yellow Diamond got up, walked up to her to comfort her fellow diamond.

"That's quite enough testimony from you! We shall take a brief recess!" Yellow Diamond declared.

(Ruined Temple ; Outside)

Jarek was running away, wearing his sunshades, and his battle vest which was orange.

He was reloading his Praetorian's Foil, when he suddenly bumped into Shinnok at a forked alleyway.

Shinnok growled and aimed his amulet at him.

"Where is Steven?!" Shinnok said.

"He's in that trial tower up there! Wait, why are you here?" Jarek asked.

"I came to rescue you! (Annoyedly) Do you have any idea how many gems I had to incinerate?" Shinnok asked.

"How many?" Jarek asked.

"(Simply) 2." Shinnok said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! That's baby hands work compared to how many I've defeated already!" Jarek said, weirded out.

"Enough! We better go and find him." Shinnok said, running forward.

"Why do you even care anyway? Just stop and tell me that much first." Jarek said, stopping him in his tracks.

"Because you're my friend, and I won't leave you to die. You didn't leave me." Shinnok said.

"?" Jarek tilted his head.

"Go, boy." Shinnok said.

Jarek ran forward.

(Trial Tower)

"What are you saying in there?! 'Maybe' this, 'probably' that! Oh, what do you mean 'probably?!" Blue Zircon asked.

"Look I just... I don't actually know how it happened, okay?" Steven said.

"You don't know?!" Blue Zircon said.

"I... " Steven started, but was lifted by his shirt collar.

"Don't tumble my rocks! Both our gems are on the line! Did you do this or not?!" Blue Zircon asked, frowning.

"It was me, alright! [Gets released] Rose Quartz did it, and I've got her gem, so.. I'm the one who's got to pay for this!" Steven said.

"You don't know how it happened... " Blue Zircon said.

Steven shook his head.

"I get it. [Brings up digital screen panel] There's a reason they want you to explain how you did it." Blue Zircon said, coming to her realization.

"Huh?" Steven said, confused.

"It's because it doesn't make sense!" Blue Zircon concluded.

"Steven, tell her! What are you waiting for?! This can save your life!" Steven thought.

"No! You mustn't! They'll destroy us all!" Orange Diamond warned.

"Oh.." Steven said.

"Oh?" Blue Zircon said.

(Trial Room)

"Rose Quartz is flawed, I grant you. A shallow strata-Gem who turned against her gem kind out of a misguided attachment to a planet and creatures like these. [Brings Lars in via teleportation]" Blue Zircon said.

"(Still muffled) What?! Huh?!" Lars said, looking around him.

"It's indisputable, that a diamond overseeing earth, Pink was Rose's enemy. Rose had everything to gain by shattering her. But event though she may have wanted to shatter Pink Diamond, could she? Blue Diamond, for the purpose of this argument, may I present your palanquin?" Blue Zircon asked, no longer nervous.

"Is this necessary?" Yellow Diamond asked.

"Isn't it? Please, proceed." Blue Diamond said, granting Blue Zircon's request.

She waved her hand, which made her blue palanquin appear in the room through a beam of light.

"Now, as the records show, Pink Diamond was shattered just outside a palanquin much like this. [Steps onto the palanquin] Witnesses say Pink had just stepped out and had only taken a few forward when Rose attacked her from the front!" Blue Zircon said.

"Oh!" Blue Diamond said sadly, turning away.

"But the question no one seems to be asking is : why?" Blue Zircon said.

"I've been asking that question." Blue Diamond said.

"A-a-a-and right you are to ask, my diamond! B-because at that time that Pink was shattered, Rose Quartz had been a recognized threat for several hundred years. There were no Rose Quartz soldiers in her entourage and none in her guard. So how did a Rose Quartz, with no business being anywhere near Pink Diamond, get so close in the first place? Where were Pink Diamond's attendants? Her agates? Her sapphires? And where was her pearl?" Blue Zircon asked.

Yellow Diamond banged her fist on her chair.

"They were with her of course! They saw the whole thing!" She retorted.

"But none of them saw Rose Quartz approach? Wouldn't her sapphires have seen Rose Quartz coming? Wouldn't her Agates have tried to fight her off?" Blue Zircon asked.

"That is strange!" Steven commented.

"She must have slipped past them!" Yellow Diamond said.

"Even if she did, wouldn't her pearl have cried out in alarm 'Watch out my diamond!" No! Whoever did this was already close to Pink Diamond. Someone her guards would allow to get near her, someone she would listen to when asked to stop her palanquin and step outside, and someone with authority to cover it up afterwards! Someone with supreme authority... someone... like one of you!" Blue Zircon said, pointing at Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond.

Blue Diamond gasped in shock.

Yellow Diamond made her signature angry face at her, the same one she gave Peridot when she called her a clod.

"Uh, disregard that last statement! I might have gotten carried away!" Blue Zircon said.

"Move!" Steven said, pushing her out of the way.

Yellow Diamond fired a blast of her yellow energy at her.

"Defending a rebel? Isn't that treason?" Green Zircon asked, smiling deviously before giving her a kick to the face.

Steven pushed Green Zircon, making her fall back on the floor.

"Steven!' Lars said.

"Yellow, stop this! Why are you doing this?!" Blue Diamond said, getting up off of her throne chair.

"We don't need to listen to this nonsense!" Yellow Diamond said, her attention focused on Blue Diamond.

Steven ran to Lars, and popped his restraining bubble.

"This is our chance! We got to go!" He said.

"Where?!" Lars said.

"[Points at palanquin] There!" Steven said before running over to it, with Lars following.

"Let's shatter Rose Quartz and be done with it!" Yellow Diamond said to Blue Diamond.

Can't you restrain yourself?! First with Orange, now with Rose?!" Blue Diamond said.

"Don't throw Orange in my face, Blue! You know I did what I had to for her own good! This is all pointless!" Yellow Diamond said.

"No, it's not!" Blue Diamond said.

"Hurry up and drive this thing, those giant crazy chicks aren't going to be distracted forever!" Lars warned.

Steven placed his hand on the panel, causing the door to close, and the palanquin to extend spider-like legs that held it in standing position.

He tried to control it, by going left and right, and then jumped up.

...

(CRASH!)

Blue Diamond's palanquin bursted out of the roof of the trial tower.

"Whoa.. where are we?" Lars said, shocked to see the outside.

".. Homeworld." Steven said.

Blue Diamond's palanquin started falling to the seemingly endless pit, where there were bridges and gem-mobiles going about on them.

Then a diamond shaped opening bursted out from the wall of the trial tower.

"You think you can get away, Rose? You stood your ground on that little speck called Earth, but you're on our world now." Yellow Diamond said sternly.

"Oh no!" Lars said, freaking out because of the fall.

"Hold on!" Steven said, summoning his bubble, which protected him and Lars.

(A few seconds later)

(CRASH!)

Steven and Lars coughed, the bubble having been popped and some of the debris broken and collapsed around them.

"Ugh... my head." Lars said, clutching his head.

(MEANWHILE...)

Jarek ran to the site where the palanquin was seen falling.

"Shinnok, come on! They need our help!" Jarek said.

Shinnok teleported to him.

"Just give me a minute to catch my breath!" He said, panting.

The two stopped running and stopped to rest for a minute.

"He's gonna die if we don't get to him!... And it's gonna be my fault!" Jarek panicked.

"It won't be your fault, he won't even die. And if he does, I can always revive him." Shinnok said.

"(Revenant reverb) Your darkness will make his gem perish! Is that what you want?!" Jarek said.

"It worked for you, didn't it?" Shinnok asked.

"I can't hear Orange Diamond anymore. I like to think you did something to me when you brought me back to life." Jarek said.

"My magic is flawless, for whatever reason she's not talking to you must be because of something you two went through? Perhaps maybe a disagreement?" Shinnok said.

"I can't remember anymore. My memories of her and I are fading fast. All I can remember is my past, when I was an ace." Jarek said.

"You mean when you saved me from my execution?" Shinnok said.

"Yeah... " Jarek said, nodding while looking away, with a perplexed expression.

(Original Timeline - 7/27/2016 ; Nether)

"Because of your crime of invading the Earth, and for evading my summons, you are to be executed by beheadment." King Rosenthal said, slamming his wooden staff on the ground twice.

Shinnok was wearing shackles on his forearms, and his ankles. He continued trying to break free from them.

A large man, wearing a black sack over his head held a very large axe, about the size of a guillotine.

Then the doors broke open, with lasers firing at the Pigman guards, earning death rattles from them.

Then the Wither Skeleton Knight ran to the invaders, one of them being Jarek.

She jumped up and swung her sword downward towards him.

Jarek aimed at her face with his Golden Gun, and fired.

[GUNSHOT!]

He dodged and she fell beside him.

"Damn, I'm good." Jarek commented.

"KILL THEM!" King Rosenthal declared, summoning forth a herd of withering humans.

Then Rex jumped up, and threw down a nova bomb at the herde, deleting each warrior from existence.

"Now that's just unf-" King Rosenthal said.

[GUNSHOT!]

He fell to the floor.

The executioner wasted no time, and raised his axe to slam down on Shinnok's neck.

Then Jarek threw a chain at the executioner's leg and yanked back, making him fall.

The axe fell the opposite way from him.

Jarek then aimed at his head, and fired.

[GUNSHOT!]

His body exploded, slightly hurting Shinnok.

"IiGH!" Shinnok said, being pushed forward.

Jarek ran to him, and undid the chains shackling his limbs.

"Your goddess is gonna have to pay me in full for this!" Jarek said.

"GET OFF ME!" Shinnok said, shoving him once free.

"Oi! We're on the same side! This is a rescue mission!" Jarek said.

"(Digital reverb) Jarek, we have no time! We have to get out of here before reinforcements arrive!" Ghost said, flying to him.

"You.. are a warrior of the light?" Shinnok said, annoyed.

"Yes, and I received a quest from a Ranvinian weapons dealer, saying that a goddess wants you to be freed." Jarek said.

"Cetrion... I can lead the way out. The realms will be mine!" Shinnok said.

"Yes yes, come on!" Jarek said, running away, with Shinnok following.

(NOW)

"Where did you put that Golden Gun?" Shinnok asked, patting his outfit.

"I have no ammo for it, it's in my phone." Jarek said.

"We might need it. Check how much ammo you have left in it." Shinnok said.

"About three bullets. That's all I have left in the chamber." Jarek said.

"We'll need them. Let's continue looking for Steven." Shinnok said, running forward.

Jarek followed him, shaking his head.

To be continued...