The temple, the place they called home for so many years yet after the arrival of Spinel...it was no longer home. Too many memories. Steven and Garnet looked amongst the wreckage. Everything was either shattered to unrecognizable crumbs of its former self of burnt to ash. They stood next to each other, his hand in her hand. His thumb rubbed at the ring on her finger. Something was safer knowing it was over and they still had each other. However it was not without cost. Their home, it was gone. The additions they had built onto it were scattered on the beach below, glass and wood and stone scattered like flowers to the wind. His bedroom and game system, that was gone. Everything. Yet he knew unlike all the other times, there was no fixing this.

Garnet was still, not a movement from her outside of the angry gritting of her teeth. It was only the two of them, three if you counted Garnet as two since she was a fusion. However she did not mourn the loss of the home as heavily as Steven did. It was his human half which yearned for its revival but she mourned the loss of those they lost. All of Little Homeworld was gone, Beach City had been evacuated and the occupants of the two had at least managed to evacuate safely. All the gems had been taken back to homeworld by the Diamonds at the behest of Steven's request. The residents of Beach City however, had lost everything. Their homes, belongings, their town but at least they had each other.

Steven and Garnet's loss was greater however. Their home likely could be rebuilt, and belongings replaced for the most part; some items were irreplaceable. However the hardest and most costly losses were that of Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, Pearl and Amethyst and Connie. They were the last of their order of defenders and felt like they failed.

Steven had done the one thing he had never wished to do, shattered a gem. Spinel had regained her memories and so did the others but when Spinel turned on them again, it brought her weapon she didn't think she would have needed. It corrupted gems that only the joint powers of the Diamonds united could remedy. This was what Pink Diamond had saved as a last resort to get her own colony. She never thought she would have to use it either. No one expected it and before they knew it, Garnet and Steven both had to run as they were somehow safe from the liquid they all ended up covered in. Steven likely was resistant to it as he was half diamond. Garnet was not safe if she unfused. Ruby and Sapphire were both infected and one day it would claim them, unless they found out about the side effects soon. However they remained oblivious as she was fused when she was hit by the liquid.

"Garnet...we need to go. We can't stay here. Not while we have answers to find. "

He began pulling her away, Garnet reluctantly budging from her spot. She was in inner turmoil. Her friends, ones she fought side by side of years had fallen; by her and Steven's hands no less. However they thought the Diamond's good fix it. A shattered gem could be fixed, a corrupted shattered gem could not be fixed, it was never an issue before until now.

"Steven...we can't leave them in a place like this...I can't..We shouldn't."

Tears brimmed his eyes as he bit his lip. Looking back he could see the reflective shards of them all; and Connie's glasses. It hurt to leave but they couldn't take them, it was too risky.

"I know! But we have to. Connie's mom took her away but you heard the diamonds. We can't touch their gems. It'll risk our safety. We need to go."

Luckily Greg had left his van behind for them, knowing they would need it. Walking down the staircase and across the sand, they continued to look at the wreckage. Steven was furious. He had shattered Spinel but gave the shards to the diamonds in a bubble. He told them that if they can fix her, do it and make sure she pays for everything she did. They had been shocked by those claims but they understood. While Steven was usually calm and peaceful, he had to shatter his family and lost his better half because of Spinel. They would oblige if they managed to take the time to fix things. Right now, they needed to make their gems a place to be at homeworld.

Once in the van, Steven drove off. Leaving this place behind was painful and it hurt them both. While he was driving, he tried not to focus on the buring and charred wreckage behind them, even as the buildings faded in the distance.

He didn't know how long they had been driving, it was all a blur. They slept in the van, they occasionally stopped for gas when needed but they didn't stop any longer than needed. It wasn't until they felt it was good to rest for a little while in a city about fifteen hours away, give or take a day. Time just was a messy cohesive blob at this point, melding together that time seemed like an afterthought to their lives now.

Sitting next to each other in the back of the van, Steven looked up at the night sky from the open doors and spoke.

"It hurts Garnet. Not having them here. "

She nodded. She hadn't said a word since before they left. It was worrying Steven.

"Garnet, we should talk about this. What we are going to do next. We can't keep driving because i'm nearly out of money."

A growl came from Garnet as she stood from the back of the van. Speaking now, her voice was strained, much like it was when Pearl had lied to Ruby and Sapphire years ago.

"Ruby calm down. It's okay. It isn't his fault."

The second voice followed, though far more angrily.

"Kill Steven Universe."

They became a bright light before splitting and both Ruby and Sapphire fell to the ground. Sapphire was fine, standing up just like she hadn't been forcefully unfused from her other half. Ruby was a different case. Standing up with her back to them, she growled and snarled before turning to look at them both. Sapphire let out an exasperated and horrified gasp. Her heart was torn as Ruby was discolored and sprouting corrupted horns. They knew this was problematic, especially as she had leapt at Steven. He barely had enough time to bring up his shield to block her. Sapphire remained still, not knowing what to do. This couldn't have been happening.

Ruby had Steven pinned to the ground, the smaller gem barely being held back before a scream came from above them.

"I'm sorry!"

Ruby looked wide eyed before poofing and in several bits, her gem was shattered and stuck in Steven's hand painfully. Sapphire was holding a shard of ice in her hand and she was crying. She loved Ruby but she couldn't let Steven get hurt, however...she didn't know poofing her would cause her to shatter too.

Both looked to one another, fearfully and their wallowing misery had come crashing down. Sapphire collapsed atop the young boy, and his arms were around her. They lost another one and then, it was finally setting in just how ruined this was.