And now, after graduating from college after five years of study, it's time to get back to what's really important in life: An eight-armed volcano titaness beating down a trio of alien queens with ki powers!
The silence between the trio of blackened goliaths and White's triad of diamonds lasted for what felt like an eternity. One side looking for any possible openings while the other kept the same placid pose and not moving a muscle. The underlings of each side all kept to themselves for the moment, still refusing to disrupt them in any way.
No one was sure what exactly broke the standoff, but suddenly all three Obsidian ran forward. One held a quarter of hammers to smash Blue, the second charged forward with eight gauntlets to pummel Yellow. The last one readied two energy bows to turn White into a pincushion full of red-hot plasma arrows at point-blank.
But whatever energy White used to overshadow her compatriots did much more than drain their color. Yellow moved as fast as lightning to match all of her foe's punches. Blue leapt away to lead her opponent on a chase as her hammers hit nothing aside from air a few unlucky buildings. And White suddenly brought her hands together to unleash a salvo of gleaming energy blasts that met and detonated every single one of Obsidian's arrows resulting in a massive flash that blinded them both.
And with the battle ramping up with them, the Homeworld troops quickly got a new wind and proceeded to resume beating down the Crystal Gems. Pretty soon the rebels found their hiding place being overrun and had to resort to fleeing through the massive clusters of buildings that made up the giant mechanism of a planet while poofing the gems on their tails just to buy themselves time.
As desperate as the tactic was, it was still better than how Obsidian and her duplicates were faring against White Diamond and her bleached subordinates as the one-sided fight was now flipped on its head. The most powerful Crystal Gem of all was being tossed to and fro around White's palace like footballs while barely making a dent in their foes. In fact, the only dents they were making was the numerous craters and piles of rubble being made from being slammed into the ground again and again.
The only saving grace that Obsidian had at this point was the ability to make more of herself. The three fighting now were not the same that started as all of them had been poofed at least once by their opponents.
Yellow managed to get one into a chokehold and then pump her full of lightning, the properties of her energy remaining unchanged even with her signature color gone and zapped her into oblivion. Blue blindsided another with a blob of her own power that left her vulnerable long enough to get a spear strike through her head right through Pearl's gem. And White was fighting her fourth copy of Obsidian with the prior ones having been impaled, broken in half or put full of holes with piercing lasers.
The real damage being done, however, was to Obsidian's psyche. Bismuth was perfectly clear when she said that having so much power could warp the mind as one very bad trip during Rose's time and the Grand Canyon itself could attest to. The mission, at first, was simply to bypass whatever obstacle the Diamonds inevitably threw up long enough to present Pink to White before making themselves scarce.
What they never accounted on was White herself stepping up to fight and being more than capable of sending the eight-armed titaness falling time and again. Her acidic tongue running again and again during the brawl made matters worse as comments alternated between sickly sweet advice…
"Goodness dear, are you sure you wouldn't consider surrendering? I swear your shattering will be less painful!"
…To biting sarcasm…
"I won't hazard to guess who your strategist is, but they must be brilliant. A direct assault on my fortress, yes? Could you please share your incredible insight with some of my generals before I annihilate you?"
…To cold-blooded threats.
"While your laying in your squalor, consider one thing: Just what will happen to your planet when your gone? That oversized stain on the western quadrant has been taking up space for far too long. Perhaps I'll let you listen as it explodes into stardust. Along with all of the precious organics you cherish so much…"
Add all of this with the physical pain and the humiliation of being beaten down again and again by the same narcissist responsible for this mess made their temper boil over. All three Obsidians suddenly sprinted back together again before the gems on their foreheads glowed. Each copy suddenly spawned another one to bring the total number of clones to six.
White was about to monologue about how pointless it was until all of them rushed straight at her with weapons drawn. Moving so fast that their bodies became dark blurs, the half-dozen fighters all ganged up on their much taller adversary. Suddenly the diamond's visage was overtaken by black and orange before punches and slashes rained down on her body. While Yellow and Blue quickly ran over and started prying many of the clones away, it did finally shut White up before she turned to the two preparing to fight her before a colossal blast of power poofed them both.
The other two diamonds, however, were not faring so well in a two-on-one fight and soon Obsidian was gaining the upper hand. That advantage changed, however, when White returned the favor from the surprise attack. One clone found herself getting a luminous knee to the face and being lasered down before she landed back on the ground while the other was pinned down by Blue and then blasted through the head.
Before the last two Obsidians could be ganged up on, however, their foreheads glowed again and this time three clones came out of each one. Now eight angry fighters began wailing on the three as the chaos ramped up. Meanwhile, further and further away from the insanity that was unfolding, the other Crystal Gems kept up their defense against the torrent of locals looking to turn in their gemstones for a hefty bounty.
Connie's arms were aching from how many times she swung her swords, be it through shapeshifting or forming blades from her body. Priyanka's whole body felt oddly numb from shooting crystals from nearly every point at wave after wave of targets. And Greg was immensely grateful he had been getting in shape before he left Earth since he was already feeling like raw meat from how long he had been swinging, blasting and slicing. Thankfully, all three were running on the burning desire to protect Steven and their family.
Even the other gems, despite having no organs or muscles, felt worn down themselves. Bismuth's elastic limbs somehow felt stiffer by the minute. Lapis was officially sick of hosing down rubies that kept trying to set someone on fire. Even Topaz had begun to tire of fusing and splitting over and over again to trip up her opponents. Much like their human comrades, however, none of them buckled under the pressure. Many of the team had been waiting hundreds of years to end this conflict and they were dead set on seeing this through.
They did realize, however, that they needed to amscray as soon as someone was able to hand off Pink Diamond. Little by little, Bismuth tried to guide the team back towards the Crystal Beacon where Fluorite was still guarding the saucer around a litany of crashed enemy fighters surrounding their ticket home. Between weaving through buildings, rubble from the clash of the titans and thousands of belligerent aliens, it would still be a long trek even if it was only a few miles away.
Oblivious to their gradual escape, White Diamond and her cronies were now dealing with the maximum twelve copies of Obsidian. Yellow and Blue were being held down by the three copies each, which was rather easy with four dozen arms to use on one, while the mastermind had half a dozen to contend with for herself. Now with so many targets, she was actually getting staggered and caught off-guard multiple times. What was really driving her up the wall, however, was how Obsidian would immediately summon another clone the instant after she managed to destroy one.
After one of them managed to wrap six arms around her neck and tried to throttle her, the grand monarch snapped completely. Any and all sense of regality and poise were gone as White sent a pair of blasts from her eyes through the one who just tried manhandling her. The others, who were all brandishing their weapons, suddenly stepped back at the animalistic rage on her face. Two of them were suddenly gone in an instant as punches so fast they were neutral-colored blurs lashed out through their heads.
The remaining three were already trying to make replacements, but White let out a blood-curdling scream that the entire planet heard. Her entire body suddenly erupted like a bomb causing all of the Obsidians to be annihilated without a trace. The copies still trying to fight Yellow and Blue were blinded by the carnage, giving the brain-washed diamonds enough time to suddenly lash out with energies of their own to destroy them all save for two.
Realizing they were losing ground fast, the last two charcoal giantesses decided to cut their losses and regroup later but White was far from ready to let them go. She sprinted ahead quick enough to keep up with their superhuman speed and cut them off as they tried running back to the Beacon. The copy on the right tried to blindside White with a blast of fire from her mouth but the diamond barreled through the flames to snap her neck like a twig leaving just one now terrified fighter to back away from White before turning to see Yellow and Blue looking as serene as ever boxing her in.
The only Obsidian left kept her fists up, ready to try and defend against whatever the three monochrome monoliths would throw at her, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain in her back. She turned to face Yellow only for another shot to pierce through her leg. She tried facing Blue only for some blow to send her to her knees. She realized all too late that all three diamonds took potshots at her just so they could throw off her guard and then wail on her as soon as they had the chance.
Obsidian tried summoning a shield, a bubble, some kind of defense but the utter barrage of fists, feet and point-blank energy bursts never stopped for even a second. Soon, the mighty fiery goliath felt like one six-story tall bruise while the three tyrants all shared the same hateful grimace on their faces.
"I was going to shatter you," Blue said in White's voice, "But I don't think that's fitting for you anymore."
"No, you need to be thoroughly broken internally first," Yellow growled in the same malicious tone, "I think it's only fair that the forces of Homeworld get some comeuppance for the torment you've rained down on them."
"But what to do about a few particular members of your team?" White herself thought aloud, "Organics such as them tend to be very… fragile."
Obsidian's eyes snapped open at the threat, but the diamonds paid it no mind. Instead, their eyes lifted from their downed foe and turned to the slowly retreating circle of Crystal Gems carving a path back to their escape.
"And since you've proven such a pitiful protector, I think it's time that they finally get their comeuppance."
Obsidian started trembling in anger but Yellow and Blue moved to plant a foot on her torso to keep her pinned down while White examined the others.
"Let's see, we have the topaz responsible for shattering her superior, three gems guilty of invading the generators to Homeworld's foremost defensive system, a band of Off-Colors who stole our more advanced spaceship and led that Emerald on a galaxy-crossing pursuit and then there's another of Rose Quartz's old guard… Which one should be displayed for capital punishment first?"
White brought a hand up to her chin and pondered, enjoying the sounds of Obsidian struggling and failing to get up. "Oh, wait a minute! If my recollections of your actions are correct, then there's a female organic that Steven just adores, isn't there? I'm sorry for misleading you, but she just slipped my mind! Now then, I think she should be first followed by-"
And any further ramblings were cut off by the demonic roar that suddenly caught White off-guard and caused the ground to shudder for miles around. Yellow and Blue suddenly had to push their feet down to keep Obsidian pinned but the screaming only escalated. The metal beneath her started to crack and buckle as the sheer force of her voice rang out and brought the fight miles away to a literal screeching halt.
And then, for the first time since her appearance, Obsidian spoke. Or rather, she howled with so much fury that it sounded as if Armageddon found a voice.
"YOU WON'T TOUCH HER! YOU WON'T HURT ANY OF THEM, DIAMOOOOOOOND!"
Before any of them could retort, the diamonds were all blinded by a pink light emerging from her naval and soon enveloping the fusion's body. Yellow and Blue's feet were forced off as pure energy scorched their limbs and Obsidian's obscured body began to grow before their eyes. When the light show faded, a fully rejuvenated fusion stood just as tall as White. All of the orange on her body was now a fluorescent pink, but the more drastic change was the barely restrained malice on both her faces.
"Oh, great," White drawled, "Now what-?"
Any sarcasm was cut off by a pair of black fists smashing into the queen's face before she could react. Two more fists than rammed into her arms, whipping them back with little effort. A third pair of blows suddenly struck White's gut causing her to lurch forward right before a final pair of fisticuffs grabbed her by the upper legs and suddenly twisted causing her to fall on her side with a deafening thud.
The now fully-gem Obsidian then turned to face Yellow and Blue, now keeping their distance without backing down. The two moved to do something to the fusion, but they never got the chance. All of Obsidian's hands suddenly lashed out in spearpoint strikes, effortlessly punching through each of the brainwashed fighters with four blows each.
Even White's jaw dropped along with everyone else watching as two five-foot tall gemstones suddenly clattered to the ground before being carelessly kicked over the horizon by Obsidian.
The fight with the other Crystal Gems suddenly ground to a halt as every single gem defending Homeworld lost all of their fight immediately. Not one but two diamonds defeated in the blink of an eye after watching the greatest of them get socked and shoved to the ground like she was nothing. Thankfully, the other Crystal Gems quickly picked up on the opportunity and rushed back to their ship as fast as their legs or wings could carry them while White shakily stood up to face the enraged deity in front of her.
To White's credit, she tried nearly everything she could to hold off Obsidian. Grapples, dirty blows, misdirection, trying to force her influence into her no matter how disgusting it felt but it was all in vain. Every single tactic she tried throwing at her was rebuffed and met with fierce retribution.
Trying to force into a hold? White either got set on fire or flash frozen before she could blink. Sneak attacks? Whatever damage she inflicted paled compared to the rapid-fire onslaught of attacks from her hands and feet moving with utterly inhuman skills. And that was if she did not feel like bringing out whips, gauntlets, spears, hammers, flails, and shields to spice things up. The point-blank blasts? A wall of pink barriers comparable to skyscrapers back in Empire City would suddenly arise before they broke into tens of thousands of projectiles that would rain hellfire on White.
And the one time she was desperate enough to try taking control of Obsidian? The titaness suddenly lurched, giving her false hope that her power was working before she tossed a myriad of weapons into the air. Her second mouth then opened to let the newly formed hilt land before a sword made of pink molten magma was in hand. And with one clean swing, White suddenly found herself with no arms and in the most excruciating pain in her life.
The limbs might have reformed seconds later, but the impact was not. White had finally found a wall she could not overcome with brain or brawn. As shameful as it was, she finally tried escaping back to her palace. Even with the others, she could still operate the combat mecha somewhat-
And that hope was dashed before it even started as Obsidian simply flew up to meet her before a sudden double-footed kick sent her smashing into the side of her own headquarters. Followed by Obsidian somehow getting top of her a second later and forcing her head to drive a rut along her own palace before crashing into the ground face first.
After the world stopped spinning, White stood up to see just how Obsidian moved so fast. There were two of them standing back to back and smirking at her. She was about to say something to try and break the fusion's confidence when each of the colossi in front of her spawned a duplicate making for four sneering black behemoths facing her. She opened her mouth only for another round of spawning to bring the total up to eight.
"Oh, will you stop it already?!" White snapped, "Now you're just showing off! Besides, I know you're near your maximum of twelve so-"
Any further comments died when all of the Obsidians generated a twin pushing the total to sixteen. Now the infallible mastermind started to sweat though she tried to control her fear until the copies just started appearing at random at this point. By the time the gems either hit their limit or simply decided there was enough, fifty Obsidians were now lined up all readying weapons.
"Okay…" White said, her voice shakier than it ever had been in her millennia of life, "Perhaps we should consider some other form of resolution…"
The small army of superpowered giants practically laughed that statement off. Of course, she wanted to talk now. But they were beyond that point as soon as she threatened the others. The Obsidians all took a step towards White, the ground quaking underneath them, and raised their hundreds of hands to bring down a literal storm of attacks…
…Before a massive rush of air and plumes of smoke consumed the all nearly blowing White down along with several of the remaining structures surrounding the devastated promenade. When the rushing wind died down and the plume cleared, all of the Obsidians were gone. All that was left was her four components slowly rising to their feet.
"Oof, my head…" moaned Amethyst, "What just happened…?"
"We pushed Obsidian too far, that's what," mumbled Garnet before she shook the exhaustion out of her, "Quick, everyone back up! We need to cut out losses and run!"
"Agreed," Pearl said before moving down to Steven, "We'll just leave Pink and run as fast as we can!"
She turned Steven over from his stomach only to find his eyes were closed and even his breathing sounded labored. The Gems' hearts dropped as they realized not only was Steven unconscious, he was entirely drained.
"Well crud," Garnet muttered, "If we can't get Pink out now, we're completely ruined…"
"Steven, WAKE UP!" Amethyst shouted in his face, shaking up at super speed, "We need you now, buddy! No more fighting, no super-mode, just open up your gem!"
"Stop that, you're only agitating him!" Pearl scolded, forcing the purple gem to lose her grip but that only made Amethyst enraged.
"You got a better idea, huh?!"
"Not the time, you two!" Garnet shut them both up, "If we can't do that, then we need to just leave before-"
"Before what exactly?" White said, looming above the Crystal Gems with the same trnaquil expression as always. Despite her calm tone, all three of the rebels suddenly felt a wave of pure killing intent wash over them. If any of them had stomachs, they would be sorely tempted to empty them.
"Oh, I certainly hope your precious Steven hasn't fallen!" the diamond lamented, "That would be just tragic!"
Pearl tried lifting Steven into her arms while the other two sidled away only for the monarch's foot to suddenly cut off their escape. Now they looked up at the radiant diamond and the shimmering black shawl draped over her back as her face suddenly switched again from matronly concern to deranged incense.
"Because I want him to see every. Last. Moment. Of torture I have in mind for you horrors..."
As their legs started trembling, White slowly knelt down to reach her arms down and picked up all four of them like they were toys. She brought them up to just beneath her once again poised smile before her hand ignited with pure power that coursed through them and made them scream their throats out. The only positive was that the shock was enough to wake Steven up from his near-coma state only for him to start panicking.
"Guys, what's going on?! What happened to Obsidian?!"
"Too much power, that's what…" Garnet wheezed, "You said that form exhausted you… And doing it while fused must have been-" Her explanation was cut off by another round of blistering agony threatening to rip apart her body from the inside out.
"Oh splendid, you've decided to join us!" White cheered, "Now then, I'll be gracious and let you decide."
"D-D-Decide?" Steven stammered as White plucked him out of her palm and held him by two fingers while the other Crystal Gems were struggling to stay conscious.
"Pick which one gets shattered first, of course!"
"Wait, WHAT?! NO!"
"Consider it a last mercy. I must admit, disgusting as it may feel, that your rebellion has proven quite formidable. And considering another one will never happen again, it feels only right to mark such a momentous occasion! Now then, Steven, I'll ask again: which one gets shattered first?"
"S-Stop, please! Just let them go!"
"Hm, that wasn't one of the options I gave you now was it? I'll reiterate it then - Garnet, Amethyst or Pearl. Pick one. Now."
"ME!" he suddenly blurted out, crying his eyes out, "Just do it, then! Just leave them alone…"
"Steven, don't!"
"Man, get a grip! Don't play her game!"
"Steven, I absolutely forbid you to-"
"SILENCE!" White roared, inflicting the protesting Crystal Gems with a third round of her energy causing them all to black out from the pain before turning back to the hysterical Steven with a kindly smile.
"Now, Steven, I'm afraid that's no longer an option," she said like she was lecturing a small child, "Our subordinates, Yellow, Blue and I gave you chance after chance to turn yourself in for your crimes and you refused to listen. I find it pathetic that only now can you accept the blame but it's quite obvious you need to be taught a lesson. Once you've lost all the will to fight and resist, then I'll have you shattered but you need to understand the principle."
"W-W-What… p-prin-pr…" he stuttered, too busy hyperventilating and crying to eke out a proper response but White got the message.
"It's quite simple: Your defiance will not be tolerated, and you must suffer for it."
The matriarch then turned her gaze to the other gems who were just starting to reawaken, fully prepared to strike one of them down since Steven was long past talking straight at this point.
"Well, if you're not going to make a decision then I suppose there's nothing for it. Personally, I feel the Pearl should go first and since it's now my decision, the lowly servant it is!"
She then sent a bolt of energy specifically into the swordswoman, causing her to shout louder than ever before while Garnet and Amethyst were in no position to stop her. Steven pled for her to stop, but she was clearly more intent on watching Pearl writhe and cry.
That changed, however, when a sudden whooshing caught the diamond's attention. She looked up just in time to see Lapis Lazuli fly past spraying a small torrent of water in the matriarch's face. Everyone, even White herself froze, while the aquakinetic gem floated above the skyscraping queen staring her in the eye.
"Before I destroy you, answer me this," White ground out, "What exactly were you trying to accomplish?"
"A distraction," Lapis smirked, "Worked, didn't it?"
White was completely lost until a painful burning enveloped her back causing her to turn around to see the Crystal Beacon, twirling as it flew just above her own palace, before it suddenly kicked into action to ram right at her. Powerful as she might have been, a ship the size of a city block hurtling itself at her was enough to make her dodge. This, however, also made her lose her grip on the Crystal Gems who all fell to the ground until Lapis crated a bubble to catch them all.
"Thanks, Lapis," Garnet sighed, slowly regaining her movement.
"Steven, just drop Pink now," Pearl said to him as gently as possible, "We won't let her do that again."
"I-I'm sorry," the boy suddenly blurted, "W-When we were fused, I just got so carried away and then-"
"Steven, chill! Nobody blames you," Amethyst patted him on the back, "We all kinda went nuts there. I mean, that was pretty awesome…"
"And if you think we're gonna let any of you behind," Bismuth said from the gangplank, "You're just crazy! Now come on, drop the diamond and let's beat it!"
"Oh, I'll beat you alright!" White fumed, standing behind the ship and summoned a metric ton of power, "I'll turn you all into atoms and scatter you in the nearest nebula!"
Finally snapping back to attention, Steven reached down to his gem only for White's hand to snatch him up leaving only his head exposed. The others all looked up in horror, the main three preparing their weapons while Bismuth ran inside to get the others.
"Whatever little trick you have in there is not going to help you now," the diamond hissed, "And since you're so opposed to having any of your subordinates shattered, allow me to propose an alternative."
In the blink of an eye, White's other hand unleashed a blinding wave of energy that consumed the three. Unlike the last time, however, the color started to be washed out of their forms as they yelled in protest.
"NO!" Steven shouted, "Not that!"
"Goodness, you are hard to please!" White chastised, squeezing the hand holding him which nearly buckled all of his bones but never losing her smile, "I said already that punishment is still in order and I thought this would be preferable!"
Slowly, the three bleached Crystal Gems stood up. Their heads hung low, their faces unreadable, until they all snapped to attention with the same forced grins and outstretching their arms.
"Ah, much better!" "Garnet" said, her signature visor gone to reveal three glossed-over white eyes.
"We feel so relieved, Steven!" "Pearl" agreed, performing a standing backflip for good measure.
"Why didn't you surrender to White Diamond earlier?" "Amethyst" asked him, making Steven all but puke as he heard the same voice for the third time.
"How do you do that?!" he shrieked, "Why?! What do you gain from this?!"
"Because, Steven, you've corrupted them," she answered plainly, "And my job is to purify. True, it's a touch strenuous, but I feel this is a mercy they've deserved for far too long."
"Mercy my foot!" Lapis rebutted, "All you are is a pompous windbag who needs-AAAH!"
Her ranting was cut short from the twin beams piercing through her body causing the gem to go slack until her wings gave out. As she fell, her body changed from blues to neutral colors until she stood up with the same expression as the others.
"Now then," White cooed, "Subdue the others and bring them out here."
"Yes, My Diamond!" all four complied. Seconds later, they all turned to march up the gangplank even as Bismuth tried closing it. Unfortunately, Amethyst's super speed meant she made it up with time to spare and the entryway was soon lowered. Steven closed his eyes and sobbed only for White to threaten to crush him in her grip again with another squeeze.
"Watch," she ordered, holding him out towards the ship, "Or else I make this even worse."
Having no other choice, the boy complied and heard chaos echo through the ship. Confused yells and the thuds of blows being traded. He prayed that the others managed to fight back only for his hopes to be swiftly dashed when Peridot was forced out of the ship's hull somehow and splatted onto Homeworld's surface. Topaz and Greg were soon thrown out of the cockpit window while everyone else was chucked off of the gangway like bags of trash. The only exception was Bismuth who was frozen solid save for her face.
"You're gonna pay for this, ya hear me?!" she shouted even now, "Steven, don't listen to her! You gotta find a way out of the and bring her down a thousand pegs!"
"Oh, you're definitely going next," White relished before unleashing her purifying pulse that broke Bismuth free but also left her incapable of fighting back before she was assimilated as well.
"STOP!" Steven begged, "I'll do anything! J-Just…"
"I told you," she growled, punctuated by another crushing grip, "That's not you call anymore. We're done when I say we're done."
Cowed into obedience again, Steven was forced to watch each and everyone of the gems get subsumed by White. The only three non-gems of the team tried fighting back, but they were quickly brought down. Greg's suit was shorted out by Peridot once she was taken over, electrocuting him into unconsciousness. Priyanka was forced into the ship's wall and held there by a possessed Rutile. And Connie was dogpiled by a dozen copies of her own master when she tried fighting back.
The only one happy about the situation was White, looking over the black and white cronies she created with pride. "Ah, such an improvement. Don't you think so, Steven."
The only response she got was a muted sobbing, the teen's breath completely gone and too busy grieving to respond.
"So, it sounds like you've finally understood what you've done. Now then, are we ready to finally admit defeat."
She slowly brought her hand down to the ground and released the boy. As soon as he was free, he promptly fell to his knees and let out ragged wheezes as he was past panicking to being utterly overwrought.
"I see, take some time. I've waited several thousand years for the Crystal Gems to surrender, so a few more minutes won't bother me."
Steven moved at the speed of a glacier as his tears finally ran out and he became deathly quiet. Bit by bit, however, he got to his knees and looked up White. He then gazed into the lifeless eyes of what was once his family and friends before he opened his mouth.
"Don't say it!"
He looked around languidly before spotting Connie, still struggling underneath the mass of Pearl clones.
"Steven, listen to me: I know this looks bad. I know you're in a lot of pain and you're freaking. Trust me, I am too!"
"You shouldn't say such things, you know?" one of her captors said, "If you irritate White Diamond, she might-"
"But I don't care! We came here to finally put this to rest, right? Are you going to just give up when you're so close?!"
"I…" Steven gaped, "I can't…"
"Yes. You! CAN!" Connie rang out, a spire of crystal bursting trough her back and poofing five of the twelve holding her down. Before the others could regroup, she started slashing like mad and cutting down any Pearl in sight even as more were spawned in. Even after all of the fighting, including the beating she took from the Pearls inside when they ganged up on her, she still summoned her blades and shapeshifted her limbs.
Steven's eyes slowly lit up as she moved, amazed yet also realizing that her movements were getting sloppier by the second. And even still, she spoke to him.
"We are the Crystal Gems, remember? The Diamonds are the ones who started this whole mess! We aren't the bad guys! We're just a bunch of Earthlings who want to be left alone! Are you finally gonna accept this psycho's rambling and pay for something you didn't do? Or for defending yourself?!"
"Alright, you know what?" White sighed, all pretenses gone, "I refuse to assimilate an organic, especially one as unnatural as you, so I'm simply going to give you an ultimatum: Still your tongue or-"
"BITE ME!" Connie yelled back before shifting her focus back to the fight, leaving White and the enthralled gems stunned silent. The only noise was from Priyanka who actually laughed even if a tiny part of her hated the language. She took solace in that her daughter definitely knew when to use it.
"Okay, that settles it. However you shatter a human, do it."
The other Crystal Gems suddenly circled her as the Pearls fought harder than ever, quickly working in tandem to slip past her guard and accumulate scratches on the girl's gleaming body. While they healed quickly, the exhaustion was rapidly catching up to her by the time an armored fist to the back of the head sent her sprawling.
Connie cracked open her eyes to see Lapis and Cinnabar ready to unleash their elements on her with the same demented grin. She tried to stand again only for a pair of gray elastic limbs to suddenly pin her to the ground. Even with the danger right in front of her, however, she refused to flinch even as the black flames and water came towards her.
And her confidence was proven right when a pink bubble surrounded her head. Steven, back in his full gem form once again, glared at the ring of his loved ones turned into White's puppets.
"And just when you were finally being reasonable," the diamond grimaced, looking down on them with a regretful frown, "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Connie said it first: Bite me."
The two took some enjoyment in seeing White's eye twitch for a moment before she snapped her fingers. The last two Crystal Gems standing rushed towards each other while the possessed throng encroached on them. Connie quickly escaped from Bismuth's grasp and Steven rose a ring of barriers around them just long enough for their two to join hands.
And then everyone, including White, had to avert their eyes as the pink-haired half-gem and crystalline human girl were suddenly surrounded by a flash of white light which quickly shifted to gold as hurricane-force winds kept everyone at bay. When the storm finally cleared, everyone, even the children's own parents, were stupefied.
They stood ten feet tall with a massive head of black hair but with a golden sheen when caught in the right light. Their body was a lithe yet very well-built with a subtle layer of muscle hidden under tanned skin that shimmered with every movement. The gem in their naval, sitting beneath a too-small familiar pink t-shirt was a rich golden color like a massive ingot above a pair of jean shorts. When their eyes opened, yellow irises surrounded a pupil shaped like an eight-point star.
And beyond any of that, Stevonnie looked upwards at White Diamond with an unreadable expression while her and her new entourage just gaped. The stalemate was stopped by Dr. Mahesweran who, while still trapped, now had one very important question on her mind.
"WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!"
"Oh, yeah," Stevonnie chuckled, turning towards their mother with a sheepish grin, "I guess we never got properly introduced, did we?"
"A-And just how long have you two been... Well…"
"Fusing? Eh, this is maybe the fourth time? Look, I'm really sorry you had to find out this way but-"
"HELLO!?" White roared indignantly, "Are you completely forgetting that you're supposed to be shattered?"
All at once, the good humor drained out of the young fusion's face as she glowered up at the monarch. "And don't you realize maybe we're sick of hearing you run your mouth?"
"You insolent little mutant! I will not tolerate-"
Whatever command was about to come out came to a screeching halt when Stevonnie, somehow standing on air, met her furious expression with an annoyed one. The diamond actually took a step back and had to resist checking the crater made from their arrival that yes, they were on the ground less than a second ago.
"Okay? You want a fight so badly? To prove your superiority or some garbage like that?" the fusion asked.
"YES!"
"Okay then…" The diamond then got a double punch to the face with enough force to make her head, still being several times larger than Stevonnie's entire body, snap backwards. When she locked eyes with the gold-tinted fusion again, their arms had seamlessly transitioned into blades made of gleaming golden crystal from the shoulder down.
"Bring it on."
I was planning on two chapters to wrap up the fight, but I'm tired of waiting for the climax. Next time: The Mission Ends.
Thank you all so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review!