Author's note: Do not read this if you don't want Steven Universe Future to be spoiled for you. As a writer, I often enjoy analyzing what is going on in a character's head during pivotal scenes, such as the end fight of Fragments. This is my take on it. Enjoy!
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He thought he was ready, but as she towered over him with her signature sneer of disapproval, he felt like a kid again. The same scared kid who ran away from his home because he couldn't stand being around his family. He thought he was getting better. Control had been in his grasp, but he still couldn't even beat Jasper.
He held onto the destroyed tree stump and rubble as he struggled to catch his breath. She had headbutted him just like she did before, right after she destabilized Garnet on the beach in front of their home. Right before she kidnapped him.
But this wasn't like before. He wouldn't let it be.
"What are you holding back for?" Jasper growled at him. Her annoyance at his weakness was unbridled. "You think I can't take it? I'm not going to coddle you, Steven! Do you want to go home to your gems?"
Something deep stirred within Steven, something he never felt before. It gave him the strength to push himself up from the rubble and onto all fours.
"No," he managed to say. He didn't want to go back. They wouldn't understand. They were afraid of what he could do. They were holding him back. At home, it was nothing but silent, lonely misery.
And here with Jasper, it was something new. Lighter. Freer. And he liked it. After years of holding himself back so he could help others, it felt so good to just let it all go. So why was he holding back now?
"Are you afraid to be strong?!" Jasper accused him, lifting her head as anger boiled in her eyes. "Are you pathetic?"
Steven felt his body shake as the familiar sensation of his own rage began to overtake him. It was a rush of heat, burning through his patience and control as it urged him to fight back. To let go. To feel okay again.
"Are you weak?" Jasper sneered as she spat out the final word.
What little control he had in him snapped. He used to be weak. But now?
"I'm not!" he roared. His screams sent shock waves through the air and caused the dirt under his feet to push away from him. Jasper herself was forced back, but she remained standing. He opened his eyes and all he saw was Jasper and the look of disgust on her face. Her eyes filled his vision – he's seen that look too many times in his lifetime to let it go. To let her win.
Without another thought, Steven launched himself off the ground and flew toward her at a speed he didn't think possible. She met and blocked his blow, only to force him back a few feet. He tried again and lunged at her, but his fist met air. Her first met his face.
And she laughed. Laughed at all of his effort, at his pain, at his weakness.
"Is that all?"
He would show her.
He summoned three hexagonal barriers, stacked on top of each other and used all of his strength to push them forward. They slammed into the gem and pinned her against a tree. Seeing her there, unable to move, caused his heart to pound in delight.
He couldn't explain it, but in this moment, seeing all of his problems pinned down and immobile, it felt so good. His limbs shook and sweat beaded on his forehead, but he didn't feel any strain. If anything, he felt stronger. Powerful.
And he couldn't contain it. Laughter escaped his own lips; deep and foreboding, but he didn't care. It felt too good to let it all out. After years of lowering his fists and talking to those who hurt him, it felt so good to finally hit back.
Jasper knocked away his barrier. A manic enjoyment was on her face as well.
"That's more I like it!" she said, her voice confident.
Steven launched herself at her, faster than before, and unleashed punch after punch. She kept her guard up, egging him on as they flew through the forest.
"Show me what you can really do!" Jasper ordered, still unscathed as they soared over the forest.
Steven was smiling now as he laughed; each punch met her forearms, but he didn't care. All of this, it felt too good to care. Too good to stop. And this was just the beginning. He was still holding himself back. One quartz soldier couldn't stop him. He was stronger than she was. He was faster than she was.
She is just a quartz. And him? He is a diamond.
He stopped punching at the apex of his leap and kicked her back down to earth. Before he had time to think, four pink hexagonal panels formed and slammed into the grounded gem: one of each side. They pinned her limbs and she struggled in vain.
But Steven wasn't done. No – he was done. Done holding back.
He summoned countless panels in front of them. They filled the sky in front of him and bet at a harsh angle at the edges. For a moment, he marveled at how effortless all of this was.
So this is what it means to be a Diamond, he thought.
"You're right Jasper," he said sinisterly, unaware of the look of fear in the gem's face. All it took was a thought for spikes to form on the massive wall that pointed down at Jasper. "I have been holding back!"
He pushed the barrier down toward her with all the force he could muster. His body felt weightless as he saw it approach his former enemy. Felt his heart leap when she stopped struggling and her eyes widened as she accepted her fate.
And when her form poofed? Nothing felt better.
He landed on the ground next to where her form was, unable to kill the smile on his face. She had been right all along. He shouldn't fear this power. He should use it. It was too freeing not to. Nothing could stop him like this. Nothing could stand up to him. He never needed to be hurt again.
After all, nothing is stronger than a dia-
His eyes fell to a small orange gem shard near where Jasper stood. Then to another. And a third.
He stumbled back and fell to his knees as reality slammed its knee into his gut. Every ounce of strength he had left his body. His hand, now normal, reached out shakily as he picked up one of the iridescent pieces. He couldn't breathe; his throat tightened as his eyes burned and vision became to close in on him.
"What have I done?"
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Author's Note: That's it! I wanted to do a little analysis of what was going on in Steven's head during the final battle in Fragmented. It was INSANE to see Steven's Diamond form and see what he was really capable of.
I get it now. Corrupt!Steven is very real, but it will be different than anything we've seen before. Steven's powers change his physical form to match his mental state. He felt strong this episode, therefor he looked stronger. After this, Steven will no doubt think he is a monster. It will lead to wormy-boi and a "corruption" that the Steven Universe universe has never seen before – something raw and real and driven by self-hatred, desperation, isolation, and depression.
Personally, I can't wait.
Steven, I believe in you. Rebecca, your characters will always live on in our hearts.