Steven Universe: Dark Shadow

by Shadow0907

The shadow of Homeworld is great, but there are greater shadows biding their time to consume them. Known as Darkworld, they seek to conquer through secrecy and lies. The Mysterious Red Gem is only one part of a terrifying cycle, and the Crystal Gems will find themselves thrown into a greater war, and Steven must come to terms with their merciless tactics.

2. Chapter 2: The Flame and the Mirror

I'm here with some more of Steven Universe: Dark Shadow. Remember, I only own my OC's, and my OC's only.

Chapter 2: The Orange Flame and the Unknown Mirror

Hiding Spot (Near Beach City)

9:00 AM

Cinnabar stood in a forest clearing that overlooked the city. "I don't know about the Master's idea of spying on Earth when we should be dealing with the Cluster, but his words are law. And besides, I was able to gather some information on the humans that lived in this particular area." he stated.

"Like what information? I doubt a pencil pusher like you could stop researching things for ten straight seconds." a shadowed figure stated from a hologram, his voice having a slight form of static to it from the communicator.

"Ebon, the only reason I chose this place in particular was because it was close to where those energies were spotted. Although I haven't seen the gem responsible, it must have been one of great power in Homeworld. The highest officials like Cobalt or that Prime Topaz nutcase couldn't be it because their diamonds care less about Earth since they believed those Crystal Gems were annihilated. Though judging from the numbers, those must have been the only ones left. A shame. I was hoping to collect some for research. Those 'Corrupted Gems' I saw might pique my interest since Rose Quartz is gone, and I'm curious why that human chooses to associate himself with those gems." Cinnabar monologued.

"Fine. But I would assume a high, but not too high official." the figure stated.

Cinnabar then pulled out a picture of Steven. "And this 'Steven' might house some, if not all of my answers." he stated.

"Why? He seems irrelevant." the figure asked. The sky then turned green to signify the appearance of a massive warship shaped like a hand.

Cinnabar yawned at the sight of it. "Boring. Darkworld has much better tech than those pathetic Homeworlders since that Rebellion. And even our own wonder why we haven't opened fire on them yet." he stated as his drone flew next to him.

"DRON-5. Follow me. Activate your cloaking system, and don't act unless I order you to." Cinnabar commanded, to which the drone would respond by activating its cloaking system.

"And to answer your question, Ebon, if a mere human could associate themselves with a Gem, then they have to be special."

"Just don't expect him to get any points from me until he does something crazy within my eyesight." the figure stated as it disconnected. Cinnabar put the communicator he had in one of his pockets.

"Let's go." Cinnabar ordered as he headed towards an area where a light cannon fired, barely scratching the warship.

Beach

9:20 AM

Cinnabar hid near the Crystal Gems' temple at a safe distance, where he could witness the encounter. A gem that appeared to be a fusion was firing arrows at the warship, while not even denting it.

'Ancient world amateurs.' Cinnabar thought to himself. The human referred to as 'Steven' then appeared, to the shock of the Crystal Gems.

'Now this could get interesting.' Cinnabar thought. Suddenly, a massive blast of fire headed for the Crystal Gems, guided by an unknown source. Steven would activate his shield, which was able to halt the blast of fire. The energy produced by that shield would knock Steven unconscious.

The figure that produced the blast was in the center of it, and it was an orange gem with an orange knight helmet, an orange, oval-like gemstone on his back, armored gauntlets and boots, and orange armor that could withstand the heat produced by him.

"This is what you chose, Rose? To implant yourself in some… human!" the gem stated as the rest of the Crystal Gems ran to Steven.

"Unforgivable… YOU PARASITE! PINK WAS ENOUGH, BUT THIS!? YOU WON'T EVEN GET THE MERCY OF A SHATTERING!" the gem shouted as he produced two metal whips.

The Amethyst would produce her own whip, and fight the unknown gem. The gem was able to pull Amethyst to him, before amassing concentrated fire energy on his fist which he used to punch the Amethyst, poofing her upon impact with the earth.

The unknown Gem advanced. "Why do you defend her? You should know how low she would go, and how low she drove my master to go for the sole purpose of ending her and those that would anger him!" he asked the other two Gems.

"Why are you even working for Homeworld?" the pearl asked.

"We are working 'with' Homeworld, not 'for'. And you should know our reasons. Tell me, does the name 'Pink Diamond' ring any bells?"

The pearl fired a blast of energy in response. The blast would be stopped by a single, blazing shield with an unknown insignia on it.

"Sad. Homeworld's punishments would be a mercy compared to what Lord Red would do to you, and to Rose. Especially to Rose!" the unknown Gem stated as he used his whips to launch an attack on the two Crystal Gems. The ship would land soon after.

The orange Gem would use his whips in combination with fire attacks to lure Pearl and Garnet towards each other, before wrapping them together and cutting them in two, poofing them. The unknown Gem walked to Steven, before returning his whips and summoning an orange trident.

"Rose… you chose to make humans like this one suffer under your whim? Then if the human you used can't survive without you, I'll make it quick for him. But definitely not for you." the unknown Gem stated as he reached out to the gem inside Steven with his free hand.

"Sunstone! We need her in one piece, you know!" a voice stated from an orange Gem with white hair from close to the ship.

"Please, Jasper. You hate her, too." Sunstone defended.

"At least let Homeworld give her one trial before you go psycho on her!"

"You should be saying that to my boss, not me. But what do I know, I'm just a lowly traitor that fought for what he believed was right, then again, you Homeworlders never knew what the right things were. Homeworld is omnicidal sans themselves, Darkworld only keeps those with uses, and Lord Red is part of the group in between."

"Don't make me strand you here on this lifeless husk."

"If you're so insistent on that, I will have to comply. Know that once Rose is out of the picture, our alliance is null." Sunstone stated as he returned his trident inside his Gem, carried the poofed Gems in one hand, and Steven in the other hand. Sunstone would then walk towards the ship, where Jasper and two other Gems were waiting, one green and one blue.

Sunstone gave the poofed Gems to Jasper. "You will put these in separate cells that are far away from each other. Especially the fusion." he advised.

"Hmph." the Jasper walked away, and the green Gem followed her with "Jasper, this was supposed to be about…" as she followed, out of sound, out of mind in Sunstone's eyes. Only the blue Gem was left.

The Gem was about to follow, but Sunstone grabbed her by the neck with his free hand and forced her to a wall. "You think this is funny, Lazuli? 'There aren't any threats on Earth', you said, 'The Crystal Gems are weak', you said! WELL, LOOK AT THIS!" he stated as he held Steven in front of her.

"That isn't Rose Quartz!" the Lazuli defended.

"Well, then, why don't we rip out that gemstone and check! Oh, wait, we can't! Why? Because Homeworld wants to see her suffer their weak forms of torture! Now, I'm going to keep this vessel in another cell. And since you went and withheld information from all of us, you're going to another cell! THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T MESS WITH ME!"

Sunstone amplified the energy in his fist, causing the Lazuli to feel greater pain. Then, he threw her in another cell before finding a cell that was far away from the other Crystal Gems.

"Let's see how long you last, you scum." Sunstone stated as he threw Steven into the cell.

Cinnabar retreated back to his ship, before both ships went into orbit of Earth. Cinnabar would dock on the ship, and exit.

"Homeworld's ships are spacious, I'll give them tha-aaaat!" Cinnabar stated as he walked, before being intercepted by Sunstone.

"Explain yourself, Darkworlder." Sunstone ordered.

"What, can't you greet people nicely?" Cinnabar countered.

Sunstone responded by throwing Cinnabar down.

"You know… Darkworld only took an interest in Earth based on Gem energies that came from a Homeworlder." Cinnabar explained as he stood up.

"Oh? So, do you know which Gem?"

"It may have been a Gem from the higher positions on Homeworld's hierarchy."

Sunstone pondered this before deciding what to say.

"That Lazuli that came from Earth! I knew there was something off when my informant told me about that incident, and now Rose Quartz comes into the picture once again!"

"Are you sure that's even Rose Quartz?"

"If I'm wrong, then I'm Red Diamond's Pearl! ARRRGH!" Sunstone shouted before punching a wall.

"... how about I make you a deal?"

Sunstone narrowed his eyes. "What kind of deal?"

"If I know Homeworld, then they'll want to give Rose Quartz a trial that isn't run by your Diamond's kangaroo court." Sunstone stated as a cloaked figure continued to watch, its cobalt blue eyes surveying the encounter while remaining unnoticed.

"My Diamond can get chaotic sometimes…"

"So, how about I stop this ship from leaving Earth's orbit while you go and report back to your master about the Crystal Gems? We both hate Homeworld, after all."

"And why should I trust you? You're not exactly a good Gem morally."

"Please. This deal is mutually beneficial and my master grows stronger every day while Homeworld continues to rot. You would do best not to antagonize us and the sentient life forms that have proven their use to us. So, deal… or no deal?" Cinnabar stated as he held out his hand.

"... fine. I don't trust Darkworld, but I don't play with fire. Metaphorically, of course." Sunstone stated as he shook Cinnabar's hand.

"Good. Now, get back to your little ship docked here, and we'll never speak of this again."

Sunstone sighed. "Only because of Homeworld." he said as he walked toward his ship while Cinnabar walked in another direction. The cloaked figure would walk in a different direction.

Cell

Lapis sat in a cell, before hearing footsteps. "I told you, I don't-" she began before turning around and noticing the cloaked figure. Said figure would disable the barrier separating the two.

"Who…" Lapis began while moving back.

"Defective. You and your friends will fall in time." the unknown Gem stated as he produced an ice mirror.

"That voice… and that power! You're-" Lapis began before being stabbed with an ice blade.

"It matters not who I am today. Fear me when Earth's extermination comes." the cloaked Gem spoke, before poofing Lapis. He would then place her into an ice mirror before going in another direction.

Engine Room

Cinnabar opened the door, walked toward a Homeworld engine, and placed an explosive on it. He would then proceed to walk towards his own ship. He noticed the fusion Gem and Jasper fighting, but ignored them in favor of halting the advances of Homeworld. Due to this, he didn't notice the cloaked figure appear behind Jasper and seal her into an ice mirror. The figure would then exit the area while the Garnet was left in shock before a fist came out of another mirror and was able to halt the Garnet.

He would return to his ship and notice that Sunstone's fighter had already left the area, and take off until he was far enough from the ship, allowing him to detonate his explosives without problem. The ship would then crash down to Earth soon after.

One Minute Earlier

The peridot sat in the cockpit of the ship, preparing to take off for Homeworld. Suddenly, she felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"What is it this time, Jas-" the peridot stated as she turned around and was thrown into one of the escape pods by an unseen force. This force would then hit the eject button on the pod, sending it down to Earth. The figure then felt a great tremor in the ship, and saw it growing closer to Earth. It braced for impact.

Beach

9:40 AM

Steven was sealed inside a bubble in a room with Pearl and Amethyst, and was covered in rubble. There was banging coming from part of the rubble, which would lead to Garnet being revealed from the outside world. Steven then removed his bubble shield.

?

The cloaked Gem would appear using his mirrors, before summoning two mirrors. One contained Jasper, and the other contained Lapis. He would then merge these two Gems together, creating a fusion Gem. Malachite would take form once this process was completed.

Malachite opened their eyes. "What- you!" the Lapis in the fusion began.

"That's not the side I want to see. Jasper!"

"WHAT!? I COME TO EARTH ONCE AND I GET THIS HIDEOUS FORM ATTACHED TO ME! UNFUSE ME AT ONCE!" the Jasper in the fusion screamed.

"Look, we can make an alliance. You hate Rose Quartz. So do I. She ruined what was once a vast empire, the strongest in Gemkind, to be replaced by filthy Darkworlders and their technologies. I believe that with your fusion, Jasper… or should I call you 'Malachite'?"

"Defer to me as Jasper. I hate being some fusion."

"Fine. As I was saying, Jasper, we share a common enemy, you and I. The only obstacle to your revenge is the Lazuli that I fused you with. In time, we can suppress her."

Lapis' response to that was to take control of the fusion before attacking the unknown Gem with water. This attack would be frozen by the unknown Gem, and the ice would move to restrain the fusion.

"My point exactly. We need to control and suppress her, for the clash of the titans requires no distractions."

"And once we're done…"

"Rose Quartz will receive her sentence. I like it when my servants start my words for me."

"Your servants? Sounds like Blue Diamond's right hand to me."

The cloaked Gem chuckled. "In time, dear Jasper. In time."

?

Sunstone bowed down in front of an unknown figure, and had just gave off the information about Rose Quartz. A fist slammed down onto the throne it's owner, a colossal Gem with a red diamond at his chest, was on.

"That scum isn't gone!?" a furious voice asked.

"Correct, my Diamond. I suggest we don't overreact about this, though." Sunstone stated.

"Grrrr… leave for Earth at once! If necessary, call in as many forces as you need to bring Rose Quartz to me, in one piece so she'll feel the pain she caused to us all!" the voice ordered.

"As you command, my Diamond." Sunstone stated as he left the room. Red Diamond then stood up from his throne and screamed, using his anger to create even more heat to inhabit the already consumed planet. Sunstone knew this was coming, so he left the planet soon after he left his Diamond's throne.

Earth

10:00 AM

Cinnabar activated a diamond communicator that was colored black. The master would show up on the communicator.

"My Lord. Homeworld and Red Diamond have caught wind of the Crystal Gems." Cinnabar stated.

"Is that so? I knew we couldn't keep it from them for long." the voice responded.

"How should we respond to this?"

"Continue your spying. Until we can prepare to finish what Pink Diamond started, keep searching for the Cluster and find out if we can handle it."

"Do you think I'll need help with that?"

"I'll send Cyrus if it means helping with diplomacy with those Crystal Gems, and Emerald in case you need some combat support."

"Good."

"Go. Complete your assignment. For our ambitions."

"As you command, my Lord." Cinnabar stated as the voice on the other end disconnected.

So, here's some new Gem villians for the Crystal Gems to face. I'll introduce a lot more Gems to antagonize the Crystal Gems at some point, including the Prime Topaz mentioned by Cinnabar. This, in addition to general lore changes, are part of the formula for the Darkworld saga. Cinnabar will be more of a scout, rarely seeing the Crystal Gems unless they get to his location after he does.

As for Gems like the unknown Gem, they work at the behest of Homeworld, but follow their own goals for rebuilding the Gem Empire to become a worthy rival to Darkworld. I'll start with Sunstone and the unknown Gem, and work my way up from there. Until then, farewell.