This chapter is about to earn this story its rating. Reader discretion advised.
Ten sat roughly against a tree, exhausted. It was a miracle that she and Pearl were still alive after Emerald sprung her trap. While the fact that Onyxes were universally corrupted was a surprise, it ended up being their saving grace as the vicious, stupid brutes were far more concerned with savaging the near-helpless clusters than facing a real challenge in the two remaining Crystal Gems. Even better, because they seemed completely incapable of locating their actual gems, even after the cluster had been poofed, not a single gem in the bunch had been shattered. If the fight could have gone any better, Ten wasn't sure how.
Pearl bubbled the fortieth and final gem, then hobbled over, leaning on her spear. Sweat beaded her entire body, half her hair plastered to her scalp, the other half sticking out in wild directions. Her clothes were shabby, being torn and shredded in places during battle, and she was caked with dirt and mud. Ten wanted to laugh at her appearance, but she doubted she looked much better at this point. Ten's side was tender where she had been clawed and her left foot was practically mangled from when an Onyx had collapsed on top of it. All in all, it could have been a lot worse.
"Well," said Ten, "that was more excitement than I would have liked."
"You and me both," said Pearl, sinking to her knees.
"I hate to say it, but we should start heading to the barn. I just don't think I can. I can barely move." Ten tried to stand but her body wasn't budging. She sat back down and rested her head against the tree. "I just want to slip back inside my gem and recover."
"That sounds lovely. Unfortunately, Garnet's waiting for us." With a display of remarkable resilience, Pearl pushed herself off the ground and started moving out of the forest the way they had come. Ten sighed; she couldn't let herself be outdone by this thin little Pearl. With a groan and a monumental effort, she lifted herself off the ground, clutching the tree to keep her steady, and stumbled after Pearl.
They had gone barely a dozen paces when Ten heard a jaunty tune spill from out of her armor. She shuffled to a halt, momentarily confused, then remembered the phone that Steven had given her. With clumsy hands, she pulled it out and swiped the call. She jabbed speakerphone. "What?"
"Ten?!" said a puffing voice. "Are you and Pearl on your way?"
"We're fine, thanks for asking," said Ten grouchily. "Why does your voice sound weird?"
"That's Stevonnie," said Pearl. "What's happened? It sounds like you're running."
"We lost Peridot and Lapis. We had to bubble them and send them to the temple to keep them safe."
"Even Lapis?" said Pearl, surprised.
"Yeah. Hold on." There was a sudden thump as if the phone had been dropped and a hurried scuffling, followed by a yelp and a blast of air. "Sorry. Emerald split Garnet and me up. I don't know where she is. I need help!"
"What about Amethyst?"
"She's under Emerald's control. Turns out this one is the Amethyst Emerald."
"Ah, geez," said Ten. "Any sign of the other one? I don't want to run in and get mind-controlled."
"We didn't see her, but we need you here either way. I've got Emerald and Amethyst after me, plus a half dozen Onyxes. Garnet's got the rest after her. I'm sure she can outrun them easily, but they keep catching up to me. I don't know how long I can keep going."
"I'm sorry," said Pearl, "we're coming, but we're exhausted. Try moving to the northwest and we'll meet up with you. Please stay safe."
"I'm definitely trying. See you soon." Stevonnie hung up the phone.
The pair found a renewed sense of strength, returning back through the forest towards where Steven would be coming. They moved at a light jog, completely incapable of going faster. As they ran, a look passed between them; both believed it impossible that the two of them would be able to handle six Onyxes, Amethyst, and Emerald even in the best of conditions, but as they were now, what else could they do? Leave Steven and Connie to fend for themselves? Leave Amethyst under Emerald's control? They moved with a grim certainty that they would not be able to save both themselves and Stevonnie.
"When it comes to it—" began Pearl.
"I know," said Ten. "You won't run?"
"Of course not."
"Steven might not want to leave."
Pearl nearly growled as she said, "Then you'll make him."
"Nonsense. I can hold them off longer than you can," said Ten.
"But you can also protect the children if they catch up again. Two shields will be better than one."
"I don't want any more of my friends to be shattered. Ever."
"We don't want you to be shattered either."
Ten sighed. "I really wish One was here."
"And Rose. But they're not." They continued in silence until they reached the edge of the trees. Far, far in the distance, a bare speck on the horizon, they could see a group running towards them, Stevonnie in the lead and a hungry pack behind. Pearl and Ten prepped themselves. "It was nice meeting you, Ten. Tell Steven I love him."
"I will." Ten swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry. She couldn't afford to let her vision blur.
They stayed at the edge of the tree line, waiting for Stevonnie, recovering what little energy they could. They both understood the plan without having to say anything: while their foes were distracted, Ten would take Stevonnie and lose them in the woods. It was simple and, they hoped, effective, for there was no other plan to be had.
Stevonnie approached, stumbling and tired, but surprisingly well ahead of their pursuers, shield and sword ready should they need to turn at a moment's notice. They saw Pearl and Ten ahead, looking on the verge of tears in relief. They turned to look behind them for a moment, then suddenly they screamed, stumbling to their knees and clutching their stomach.
"Stevonnie!" The two Gems both shouted. They hesitated only a moment, hoping Stevonnie would rise again, but it was immediately clear they were in intense pain. Their own fatigue forgotten, the Gems raced out to retrieve Stevonnie. Stevonnie was well past the midpoint between their pursuers and rescuers, but the Onyxes were moving faster than Ten and Pearl could manage. It would be a close thing.
Stevonnie screamed again, teeth clenched as they rolled in the grass, not understanding where the pain was coming from. It felt like their stomach was bulging outward, like the very skin of the abdomen was ready to burst, like their gem was ripping itself from their body. They could feel themselves desynchronizing, but they couldn't find the willpower to cease it. With a sudden blast of light and velocity, Steven and Connie shot apart, bouncing away from one another in the grass.
Connie rolled to her knees, one hand on her stomach. The memory of the pain was there like a dull heat, but the pain itself was gone. She was able to stand, looking over her shoulder at the approaching Onyxes. In a panic, she dashed over to Steven. "We have to go!" she cried.
Steven's breathing was uneven. His face was red and he was sweating profusely and, worst of all, he was still clutching his stomach. "Connie," he gasped, "it hurts."
"Oh no," she moaned. The enemy was closing faster than their friends. She pulled Steven's arm away from his stomach and threw it over her shoulder. She tried to lift, but it was useless. She suddenly wished she wasn't so petite. "You have to stand up and walk with me, Steven. There is no way I can carry you."
"I-I'll try." He reached over and put his other hand on her shoulder, pulling himself off the ground, his feet dragging like he could barely lift them. They began to move, Connie using one arm to support him and the other to drag Rose's sword behind them. Steven blinked, trying to clear his head. The pain seemed to recede as suddenly as it had come, falling to a persistent throb that still hurt immensely, but at least allowed him to walk with Connie's aid.
"Please be fast enough," Connie said to herself. "Please be fast enough, please be fast enough, please be fast enough!" She didn't want to look back any more, but the low thunder behind them began to resolve itself into individual footfalls and she knew they were getting close. Instead, she kept her eyes on Pearl, half walking, half dragging Steven towards her sword fighting instructor.
"Down!" Ten yelled suddenly. Connie dropped immediately, Steven going down with her, as Ten threw her shield. Steven and Connie rolled onto their backs, looking up just in time to see an Onyx coming down toward them. Instinctively, Steven summoned his shield. The Onyx landed on the shield, the weight of the thing jamming Steven's arm into his and Connie's faces as they both screamed in terror. A split-second later, Ten's shield smacked the monster in the face, causing it to fall backwards and away from the kids.
"Sword!" said Ten, so close that she didn't have to raise her voice. Connie flung her arm upward with all her might, tossing the sword through the air. Ten leapt forward, reached out, and caught the blade by the hilt. With a fighter's expert grace, she landed, turned, and thrust the blade with all her might.
Pearl came to a sharp halt. She and Ten's gazes met as they exchanged a look of surprise, their eyes widening. They both looked down, Rose's sword firmly held in Ten's hand, the blade running clean through Pearl's torso. Pearl's jaw shook and tears came to her eyes.
"How?" Ten said.
"No!" cried Amethyst. Steven and Connie were too stunned to react.
Emerald began to laugh. She wriggled her left hand with it's large, green gem, forcing Amethyst to approach her. Then she pulled her right hand out from behind her back, cackling with purest joy as she opened her fingers to reveal another gem. Amethyst's mouth fell open. "They're fused," she whispered in horror.
A tear slid down Pearl's cheek. "No," she managed to say. She looked down at the children as her body began to lose its substance. "Run."
Then she burst into dust, her gem landing softly in the grass.
Emerald seemed unable to contain her mirth. "Oh, it's just one glorious turn after another," she said as her Onyxes formed a large perimeter around herself and the Crystal Gems. "I love it. You fools keep thinking you stand a chance against me, then with a wave of my hand, I brush aside your delusions. The look on your faces every time I crush your dream is priceless!" Her laughter redoubled, and soon she could barely stand. "I am so happy that I was given this assignment!"
She stepped forward, gesturing to Ten. Ten walked over, saluting with her sword. "So good to see you again, my dear Ten. How have you been? I thought you dead, frankly. We have to talk; tell me what you've been up to, explain how you survived, all the happenings in your life. We have so much catching up to do." She pinched Ten's cheek.
"What is wrong with you?" shouted Amethyst. "You're sick! You're a twisted person!"
"Sick?" Emerald dabbed at her eyes, still teary from all the laughter. "Twisted? Please. I am so far above you that you cannot even comprehend the magnitude of my brilliance and power. Time and time again I could have wiped you from the planet, but it wasn't my goal. It was to eliminate that disgusting abomination." She pointed toward Steven. "That you all have allowed this should be punishable by death, but you are not important enough for the Diamonds to consider worth shattering. That's fine with me. I could always use more servants on my ship." She gestured with both of her hands, and Amethyst and Ten bowed to her, causing her to again burst into laughter.
"That being said," she continued, a cold expression crossing her face, "I have no use for a servant who doesn't know how to obey. What use is a Pearl that doesn't know it is only meant to be owned?"
Amethyst's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't."
"Oh, I certainly would. Ten, be a dear a destroy that Pearl for me."
"Please, no," Ten mewled, her body already turning around and marching toward the fallen gem. "Please. I'll do anything, please. Don't make me."
"Mmm, that familiar begging. How I've missed you, Ten. Don't worry, once I'm done with the little monster, I have an execution order on you to follow through with so you won't have to suffer long knowing you've killed another of your allies. I really need to stop you before it becomes a habit."
"No!" shouted Steven, running to put himself between Pearl and Ten. Emerald turned her hand toward Steven, and Ten stopped marching for a moment. Steven let loose another cry of pain, clutching at his stomach.
"Why must you make me do this?" spat Emerald. "Being inside of your mind is disgusting. It is a vile, half-breed swamp of ignorance and waste."
"Wha…?" Ten shook her head, sensing she was somehow free. She began to turn around, but Emerald pointed her hand again at Ten, and she was instantly back under Emerald's control. Her march resumed. She reached Pearl's gem and picked it off the ground.
"Don't do it!" yelled Amethyst. "You don't have to! It's not even part of your mission!"
"You know what? You're right," Emerald admitted. "I certainly don't have to." Then she smiled. "But I want to."
She waved her hand. Ten tossed Pearl's gem in the air, raised her sword, and swung, striking the gem down the center. The gem hovered there, seemingly completely fine for a brief moment in time. Slowly it split, the two halves pushing apart and falling separately to the ground with a sickening thump of finality. Steven staggered, suddenly dizzy, somehow both numb and nauseous. Connie stood behind him, both hands clasped over her mouth in mute horror.
"PEARL!" Amethyst howled at the top of her lungs. Her head whipped about while her body remained motionless, like a creature chained to a post, tears falling from her eyes and a vicious, snarling voice emanating from her throat. "Emerald! I'll kill you! I'll rip you to shreds! I'll stop your gems into dust! There will be nothing left! I'll do it with my teeth if I have to!"
Emerald rolled her eyes. "I've broken gems who've made much bigger threats than you. Half my ship's crew used to be as defiant. You'll learn that I am your master in time."
She watched with disinterest as Steven hobbled over to where Pearl's gem halves had fallen. He knelt down and collected them. "Pearl?" he whimpered, placing the two halves together. "Pearl, please don't be gone." He held the two halves together with one hand and licked his palm, rubbing it along the seam where the two halves met. He waited. Seconds passed, and soon tears gathered in his eyes. "Come on, Pearl. You have to come back." He split the halves apart and ran his tongue along the inside, then pressed the halves together and likewise licked the seam.
"That's just vile," Emerald said with obvious disgust. "There is something deficient in this mistake's mind. It's kind of ruining the delicious irony of destroying her with her master's sword."
Steven clutched the gem halves. "Mom wasn't Pearl's master." He turned, fury in his tear-filled eyes. "She belonged to nobody!"
"Well, she certainly doesn't now." Emerald laughed loudly at that.
Connie sidled up to Steven. "We have to get out of here," she whispered.
"No," said Steven. "She shattered Pearl. She's controlling Ten and Amethyst. We have to take her down. We need Stevonnie."
"Steven…" She looked at the bisected gem that Steven was holding to his heart, her lip trembling. "Okay," she said. "Let's fuse." She reached out and grabbed his hand.
"Hold on there, precious," said Emerald, pointing her right hand at Steven. Again his body filled with pain, his hand nearly crushing Connie's as he reflexively gripped it hard. Emerald tsked. "You're so broken I can't even control you right," she muttered.
Ten realized she was free again. She understood suddenly what was happening. She formed her shield and chucked it at Emerald as quickly as she could. Emerald reacted just too slowly, moving her hand back toward Ten just as the shield left her fingers. It sailed through the air, heading right for Emerald's head. She jerked her left hand, and suddenly Amethyst dived in the way, taking the shield right across the face.
"Why, you cheeky little pebble," hissed Emerald.
"Can only control two people at a time, eh?" said Ten mockingly, though she wore no smile as she said it. Her eyes flashed murder.
Emerald scoffed. "You think you're clever, don't you?" She directed her left hand at Steven, and he once again began writhing on the ground, crying out. "At least I have a clear way to punish an upstart like you."
"Lay off the kid," shouted Ten. "Take your punishment out on me, you coward!"
"I am an Emerald. I am second only to the Diamonds themselves. I can do whatever it is I—" A whip snapped upward, catching Emerald around the wrist, and jerked downward. "What?!"
Amethyst lay at her feet, her whip tight in her hand. She spat at Emerald. "Forget about me, killer?" She yanked hard, pulling Emerald off her feet and on top of herself. "Get out of here, guys!" She shouted as she struggled with Emerald.
Ten immediately turned toward Steven, who was still recovering on the ground, and ran to scoop him and Connie up.
"Don't even think about it!" Emerald thrust one of her hands in Amethyst's face and their struggle immediately ended as Amethyst went limp under her command. She swiftly directed her other hand toward the retreating Ten, and she, too, stumbled to a halt. Steven and Connie scrambled away from her as best they could.
Emerald rolled off of Amethyst, looking furious. "How dare you assault my dignity, you insignificant, stunted piece of defective jewelry!" She raised her hand and Amethyst was lifted physically from the ground. Despite her anger, she lowered Amethyst to her feet, spinning the gem to face her. "Since you want to be the hero, I'll make sure you play the part properly."
Emerald placed her hands above one another. The gem on her left hand began to glow, as did Amethyst's. "Retrieve your weapon," she commanded.
Amethyst reached for her chest and gripped a handle, but her eyes went wide. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" As she pulled her weapon out, she gritted her teeth and fell to her knees. Rising out of her chest was not her whip, but the ugly blade that Emerald had revealed before. As the tip cleared Amethyst's gem, she fell to the ground, gasping.
"And another," said Emerald. Amethyst pulled a second out with her free hand, wailing in pain as she did so.
"And up you go," said Emerald, and Amethyst was forced to shaky feet. "Now go take care of that little abomination. That will teach you to strike at me."
Amethyst spit at her, but her body advanced on Steven and Connie. Steven moved in front of Connie and put his shield up. "Stay behind me," he said. "We can't run now. Sorry."
Connie wrapped her arms around his abdomen from behind. "It's okay. If you're going to fight, I want to be here with you."
"Hold Pearl for me," he said, handing the two pieces to Connie.
She took them, disappointed with herself that, lacking a sword and unable to fuse with Steven without inviting more pain, this was all she could do. They both braced themselves as Amethyst advanced.
"Please dodge, Steven," said Amethyst as she got within talking distance.
"I'll try," he said.
"Poof me if you have to."
"…I'll try."
She leapt forward and jabbed with one of the large, strange daggers. Steven took it on his shield, then hopped to the side as the other tried to sneak around his shield. She kicked out, striking the shield to no effect.
"At least your shield isn't some half-baked simulacrum," observed Emerald. She waved for Amethyst to continue the assault. Strike after strike, Amethyst came after him, but he was quick with his shield, taking each blow as they came and dodging those he couldn't. He and Connie moved backwards in unison, months of combat practice and a strong compatibility keeping them from tripping each other up. Slowly, they inched towards the forest.
Steven and Connie had the same thought: if they could reach the forest…
But no sooner had that thought occurred to them as they heard a growl and felt a nip at their back: one of the Onyxes on the perimeter wasn't liking how far they had moved from the center of the ring and was making its displeasure clear. Reluctantly, the children steered the battle back toward Emerald. Their options were quickly running out and they couldn't keep blocking forever. They would tire long before Amethyst did, especially with Steven being as sick as he was.
Soon they were right back where they started, fighting mere feet from where a frozen Ten stood, forced to watch and unable to help. Back and forth they went, Emerald observing while handling both Ten and Amethyst with such apparent ease that she didn't even look to be concentrating on the task at hand.
Amethyst struck high with her left hand, trying to get above Steven's shield. He raised it up, catching her on the forearm and forcing her arm upwards. Her right came in low. He dodged toward her attack, bringing his shield down on her wrist, strong enough to surprise her, but not hard enough to break her hand. He stomped on her right hand, pinning it to the ground, then raised his shield again to block the blow from her left as it came again. He now had her pinned. He met her eyes. "Sorry about this, Amethyst."
"Do it, dude."
Steven raised his shield, pushing her left hand away, ready to strike downwards on her right arm with all of his might, aiming to break, perhaps even sever her arm. He didn't want to and his bile rose at the thought, but the only way any of them were going to survive was if Steven beat Emerald. If Amethyst had to be poofed, then so be it. He struck downwards with his shield…
…and howled in pain once again, his stomach on fire. His shield went askew and slammed into the ground, glancing off Amethyst's wrist.
"Got to… hold… the shield…" Steven's face was a mask of concentration and pain, but despite his efforts, his shield split into shards and vanished.
"No!" cried Connie. "Emerald, you coward! At least let them have a fair fight!"
"No," Emerald said curtly. "Finish him."
"Like I'll let that happen!" shouted Ten, free once more. She raised her sword high overhead, bringing it down in a savage arc toward Amethyst's head.
"Yes!" shouted Amethyst.
Amethyst's body shifted and she brought one of the blades up, turning it around and catching Rose's sword in between two of the large teeth on the back of her dagger. Twisting it, the arc of the sword changed, being dragged off to Amethyst's left and landing harmlessly in the grass.
"No!"
With her other dagger, Amethyst struck, driving the point deep into Steven's unprotected stomach.
"STEVEN!" she shrieked.
"Ah!" cried Connie, falling backward, a small bloody tear in her nightgown where the dagger had passed completely through Steven and cut her as well. She looked at the cut, then back up at Steven in utter shock. He stood rigid, his face turned away from her, looking at Amethyst. "Sorry, Amethyst," she heard him mutter, then he slumped forward.
"No! Steven!" Strong hands wrapped around Amethyst's head and Ten dragged her backwards. "I didn't mean to!" Amethyst babbled. "I didn't want to! I didn't—I couldn't stop!"
"I know," said Ten, then squeezed, crushing her head.
Amethyst burst into mist, leaving one dagger to fall to the ground and the other to dangle from Steven's body as he slid to the ground.
"Finally!" cried an exasperated Emerald. "This whole thing has gotten quite boring. We need to finish this up and get off this crusty rock of a planet."
Ten shook her head dumbly. She turned to look at Emerald, to say something, but her eyes were out of focus. She couldn't even muster the willpower to try to attack Emerald right now, sinking instead to her knees.
"Now, Ten," said Emerald, raising a hand, "if you would be so kind—"
There was a sudden yelp, and suddenly an Onyx was hurtling right toward Emerald. Her eyes went wide and she dodged sideways through the air, the rocky gem scraping her arm as it went. She barely had time to register this shock when Garnet burst into the scene at obscene speeds. She reached down and scooped up the fallen Amethyst, jumped sideways to grab Connie and throw her over her shoulder, then put her arm carefully under the limp Steven and lifted him up.
"What? How?" Emerald was confused and angry, but not so much so that she didn't point her finger and shout to the Onyxes around her. "Destroy her! Shatter her! Get me that abomination!"
Garnet's hands were full with the two children and the gem. She looked at Ten and paused for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," said Ten. "Three for one is a good trade. Just get them out of here."
Garnet jumped away as the Onyxes converged. "No!" shouted Emerald over the cacophony of yelping Onyxes. "Seize her! Bring her back or I will shatter every last one of you useless idiots!"
The Onyxes scampered to obey, but Garnet was swiftly ahead of them and gaining distance. They would have no chance of catching up. All Ten could do was watch them go and wait for Emerald's control to seep back into her mind.
Garnet ran with Steven and Connie, not looking back. She heard Steven utter something and she looked down. He was very pale and blood was running down his face and body. "P-P-Pearl?"
"Here, Steven," said Connie, her voice a cracked and broken mess. "I have her."
Garnet reached over and took the two halves in her hand, gripping them next to Amethyst's stone. Tears began to slide down her cheeks from under her visor. "I should have been faster," she said. "I shouldn't have ordered this mission. I should have been patient."
"It's… okay," said Steven, putting a bloody hand on her cheek. "You tried."
"Steven, use your healing spit!" Garnet commanded. "Put it in your wound! Hurry!"
"Right," he said weakly. "My spit." His hand struggled toward his face, but he managed to get it to his mouth and run his tongue along his palm. The hand came away red and sticky, more blood than anything. He reached toward his stomach, paused, then shifted. His hand swept across Pearl's gem, smearing the spit and blood along the seam between the two halves.
"Steven, no! That won't work. It's too late. She's already shattered. You need to—" The gem halves began to give off a dull glow. "What?"
As she held the gem, the blood and spittle seeped into the crack between the halves, and soon the gem was afire with a brilliant white light. Before her eyes, the seam grew thinner and thinner, finally vanishing altogether after a few seconds. Garnet was so surprised that she stumbled to a stop.
"That's…" she sputtered. "Steven, even Rose couldn't…" She felt him sinking in her arm. "Steven! Steven, do not go to sleep! Steven, you need to heal your own wound!"
Garnet's voice was foggy to Steven, sounding a long way off. He tried to lift his hand to his mouth again, but it wasn't moving. "Is…" he croaked, "…is Pearl… okay?"
"She'll be fine, Steven," she said, not knowing if it was true. "You need to heal yourself!"
"Good," said Steven. His eyelids were growing heavy and the pain in his stomach was slowly receding. Suddenly, everything felt supremely peaceful and pleasant. He looked up at Garnet and Connie, both of whom were shouting at him, but they sounded like voices underwater a great distance away and he could understand nothing. He lay against Garnet's arm, surprised at its incredible warmth, and felt himself being pulled downwards into an inky blackness.