Original Idea by: Scraps
Collaboration work with: DeityDeviantWarrior
Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar
Chapter 4: A Game of Gems and Metal
{*}
Gem Colony Insidiae, exterior defense line, present day
{*}
"Keep those defense up!" Topaz commanded as they paced around the Gems arming an array of turrets. "We cannot let them get into firing range."
Topaz gazed with a look of concern as they could see the large battalion of Metalian ships continue to approach the colony, several of the small ships were shot down by the Gem's defenses, but Topaz knew that it would not hold forever. As Topaz clenched their fists, they noticed Rose approaching them.
"Is Copper safe?" Topaz asked Rose as they helped a Gem arm one of the turrets and fire it.
"Yes, he is in the vault, just as you instructed." Rose explained. "Only one of us can open it so no on-"
Just then, a bolt of energy shot one of the turrets on the line and destroyed it. Topaz picked up the Gem that rolled onto their feet and gave a concerned scowl.
"Where is Diamond?" the Taskmaster asked their sister. "Did he return with his "secret weapon" yet? We're getting slaughtered."
"There is no sign of him." Rose replied as she heard the explosion of another ship. "But don't worry, he'll come back for us. You'll see."
Topaz nodded lightly as they looked back to the incoming ships, noticing that one of them emerge from one of the larger ships, this vessel had a round cap shaped bow and was charging right at the colony, directly towards the defense line.
"Uh…Topaz…" Rose questioned her sibling nervously. "Does that ship seem to be heading right towards us?"
As the Gem turrets fired at it, the bolts simply deflected the attacks as it began to pick up in speed.
"MOVE!" Topaz shouted as they grabbed Rose and jumped off the balcony behind the defense line.
Within moments after the Gemians jumped off the balcony, the ship shot through the defense line like a bullet, crashing into the courtyard of the colony. The explosion from the attack knocked Topaz and Rose back, with onto a wall and onto the floor. As Rose tried to get back up, the ceiling above her and Topaz began to creak and then cave in on top of the Gemians.
Buried under tons of metal and rock, Rose felt her body immobilized as she felt a sharp pang in her torso. Looking down, she saw a large piece of shrapnel stuck in her body. She then turned to see Topaz, unconscious and wounded, golden blood pouring from their head as they were wedged between a large block of stone. As she felt herself falling out of consciousness, she reached for her sibling, her strength failing and the world around her falling dark.
"Diamond…" Rose muttered as she fell silent. "…p-ple..."
{*}
Gem Colony Insidiae, courtyard ruins, several hours later
{*}
"... vel að halda að leita síðan! Að það leiðinni til að vera hingað!"
Rose heard the sound of voices around her along with the sound of the rubble around her moving around. As Rose felt fresh air hit her face, she opened her eyes slightly to see a blurry golden figure before her, it bent down to her and placed its hand on her neck, moving around her head before it stood up and turned around.
"Sem ég finnur þau á!" the figure shouted as a light grey colored figure approached the gold figure and poke Rose with a large object, it felt like a block of sourts. "Sem hún hefur særðir og en hinn er meðvitundarlaus."
As Rose's vison began to clear, she saw that the figures before here were both Metalians, one was wearing a gold colored armor and was holding a gold colored gun, the other was light grey and had a pistol in his hand. The Gold Metalian then looked to Rose and smiled.
"Segðu frá Tiberium því að við höfum ekki að sem finnast Diamond, En þegar sem aðrir hafa ekki að opnaður þessi læsingu enn sem komið er, þá eru þessir Tveggja ættu að vita hvernig þú getur." The light grey Metalian said as he waved his hand and two Metalians approached, one was large and dark grey, the other was tall and slender, his armor was red and seemed to be flowing. "Gæta skal þessara tveggja við hvelfinguna og skulu bíđa mín til að að eignast aðra."
The Metalians nodded as they approached Topaz and lifted them off the ground and hauled them away. Rose tried to reach for her sibling with her arm but she was too weak and she felt her arm fall short. She then heard the Metalians laughing at her, followed by a drop of burning metal burn her cheek as the red Metalian spit on her.
"Við the upplýsingaöflun! This einn hefur enn að neista á förunautum hennar." The dark grey Metalian said as he grabbed Rose by the hair and lifted her up, the little Gemian screaming in pain as her scalp burned with pain, the Metal rangers laughing as they heard her whimper in pain. As the dark grey Metalian released her head and grabbed her arms to hold her up, the light grey Metalian approached Rose and placed his hands behind his back.
"My comrades can't understand you're guttural language, but I have been modifying myself for just the occasion." The Metalian said as he continued to grin at his captive. "Now my name is Tin and I am a captain of this crew of Metalians before you. Now you are going to help us enter that little vault you have inside the base. But before we do so, you have tell me and my friends here where Diamond is."
Rose glared at Tin and spat blood in his face. The Metalian signed as he then grabbed the piece of shrapnel in Rose's side and ripped it out. The Gemian screamed as blood began to pour down her robe and dropped down on the floor. Tin examined the shrapnel and licked it before he looked back to Rose and placed the tip of the metal shard to her Gem. Rose stopped and looked to Tin with a look of horror.
"Oh no no no! You shouldn't be so upset about this…" Tin said with a grin as he pressed lightly into the Gem on Rose. "…this Pain is the body's way of expressing joy and becoming one with metal. I have turned so many organic Vitae drinkers into…perfect Metal. Take the traitor Copper for example…he was just a waste of cells and flesh before I fixed him…such a waste."
He then looked to Rose and lifted his hand, plunging it into the bleeding wound in Rose's side, causing the Gem to scream and vomit. As she did, Tin laughed as ripped his hand out of Rose and slapped her in the face. Grabbing her jaw with said hand and aiming the shrapnel blade inches away from Rose's eye.
"Manners! You little skítur!" Tin said with an expression mixed between a grin and a glare of rage. "I can fix you! Make you perfect, just like us! But you need to tell me where your brother is!"
As Rose glared at Tin, the Metalian lowered the blade and turned away from the Gemian and raised his hand.
"Barði hana!" Tin shouted as the Red and Gold Metalians began to punch Rose, eventually, he snapped his fingers and the two stopped, Tin then approached Rose and was about to ask her again, but not before noticing a lone tear run down his victim's face, healing it as it traveled. Tin then took his finger and swiped the tear away. Looking at it, he saw the tear begin to warp his finger, turning it from a light grey metal into a dark blue finger. Tin gaped in horror before he grabbed the finger and ripped the digit off, throwing it at Rose and grabbing her hair to look her in the eye.
"YOU DIRTY CREATURE!" Tin screamed as he looked right in her eyes and held the shrapnel blade to her neck. "YOU DARE TRY TO POISON ME WITH THIS….DIRTINESS! I NEED TO PERFECT YOU! I NEED TO SEE WHAT'S INSIDE!"
"Obscenus…vilis…" Rose said weakly, knowing that, even at this moment, she would at least go out as a fighter, just like Diamond would have wan-
"ROSE!"
Suddenly, there was the sound of thunder as the ground behind the Metalians rumbled and a flash of light shot out. As Tin, Rose and his solders turned towards the light, they saw a figure before them. Rose recognized the Grey beard, long nose and blue armor as her brother Diamond, gazing upon his foes with molten red eyes.
"Finally! He's here!" Tin clapped with glee as he gestured to his solders. "OPNA Eldsvoði!"
The Metalians summoned their weapons and opened fire on the Old King as smoke surrounded the Gemian and his attackers. As the Metalians approached the cloud, Tin turned his attention back to Rose.
"Well that takes care of him, doesn't it?" Tin said to Rose. "You see, this is why you need to be perfect! You will fail as this, I can make you better. Commander says I can do whatever I want to you and your sibling once Diamond is dead!"
As he looked to Rose, he saw her looking up and smiling, he then looked up to the Metalian holding her up and saw him gape with horror as he dropped Rose and run away. As Tin turned to where Rose and the Metalian were looking, he saw a blur jump above him and tackle the large Metalian and punch him, ripping the weapon from his hands and shooting him point blank in the head. Tin looked back and saw the Gold and Red Metalians on the ground, their cores ripped out and broken beside them.
"G-Gold…Mercury…?" Tin stammered as he turned back to see Diamond standing in front of him. Tin yelped as he fell over onto the ground.
"No…No no no!" Tin said as he began to crawl away from Diamond, who began to walk up to him. "I can't fail! I never fail! I can-can't fail! I need…I need to make you perfect! You need me!"
Diamond bent down and grabbed Tin by the neck and picked him up. As he lifted him into the air, he looked to Rose, wounded from the torture Tin had made her endure and then back at Tin.
"She needed this Diamond!" Tin explained as he pulled out his pistol and shot Diamond in the face. The Metalian watched in horror as the bolts of energy simply fell off the Old King's skin, not even piercing it. Diamond then slammed Tin to the wall and grabbed his pistol. Pulling it away and looking at it, he saw the Gem attached to the side, a grey oval Gem and showed it to Tin.
"Oh yes! Some of your kind are too imperfect…to disgusting to fix." Tin explained as he grabbed Diamonds arm. "Tin can fix though…help make us perfect."
Diamond crushed the pistol in his hand and held the Gem in his hand. He then tossed it to the ground and called to it.
"Howlite, est mihi!"
In that instant, Howlite emerged from the Gem, wearing a large armored coat and a gauntlet on her right hand. She looked around and saw the wounded Rose and rushed beside her. As she helped the Lion up, she looked back to see Diamond, who looked back to her with a molten red glare. Such a sight gave a feeling of uneasiness in the Gem, though she did not know why.
"Master Diamond?" Howlite said as she supported Rose. "You're here!"
"Howlite, take Rose to the command center on the other side of the colony." Diamond ordered as he looked back to Tin. "Inform Smaragdus and Solemlapidem to engage the Bladeguard protocol. It should buy enough time."
Howlite nodded, somewhat confused at Diamond's labeling of Emerald and Sunstone in Gemian, as she began to help Rose away, but not before Diamond noticed her looking back with a gaze of concern. As Diamond looked to her, she closed her eyes and summoned Lion beside her.
"Diamond be careful." Rose said with concern. "Tiberium is using an Intelligence of some kind to control the Metalians. Destroy it and the Metalians will fall."
"Understood." Diamond said as he looked back to Tin. "And don't worry about Topaz, I have already sent someone else take care of that. Someone more…personal to them."
As Rose and Howlite got onto lion and left towards the command center, Diamond turned back to Tin and scowled at him.
"I try to help but there are always mistakes." Tin gasped "I try to make them perfect, but they always have made mistakes!"
"I do not make mistakes…" Diamond hissed as his jaw began to split. "…I erase them."
{*}
Gem Colony Insidiae, Inner Vault, present day
{*}
As Topaz was dragged into the chamber, they saw several Metalians with large drills tried to drill through the door before them, a huge metal door with a small socket on the side. Overseeing them was a large Metalian wearing a shiny metal armor and had a metal band around his eyes. He turned and saw Topaz being dragged and tossed before him, a Metalian placed their hands behind their back and cuffed them with special cuffs. As soon as they were locked in place, Topaz fell significantly weaker.
"Vei! Húsbóndi Topaz! Hvað okkur skemmtilega á óvart!" The Metalian said as he crouched before Topaz. "Forgive me, my name is Silver, and would you prefer that I speak to you in your tongue?"
Topaz looked up to the Metalian and smiled before replying to him.
"Fara ríða sjálfan þig!"
The Metalian smiled before he rapidly punched Topaz in the stomach, causing the Taskmaster to bend over and cough.
"How about you use that smart mouth to open that door for us?" Silver asked as he pointed to the vault. "See, you have a comrade of ours in there and we need to have him erased for treason."
"So…you're only here to kill him." Topaz coughed as they looked up to Silver. "What about you're precious Intelligence?"
Silver scowled as he kicked Topaz in the face, grabbing them by the hair and holding their head up.
"What do you know about the Intelligence?"
Topaz smiled at Silver, looking at him with one eye.
"Everything." Topaz explained. "Copper told me everything. About how it is the reason your kind is so powerful and skilled, how without its guidance, you all are as dumb as dirt."
Silver twitched as he punched Topaz in the face. As the Taskmaster fell to the ground, Silver grabbed them by their armor and held them back up. Topaz could see that by his expression, and the expression of the Metalians around them, that the Intelligence was a touchy subject for them.
"Enough!" Silver hissed to his captive. "You will open the door NOW!"
Or what?" Topaz asked with a grin. "If you kill me, you lose the ability to open the door, and I am sure that the other Gemian to know so is probably dead, so you have nothing."
"Don't we?" Silver said as he scanned Topaz's body. "Perhaps we should then uncover another secret then."
Topaz's grin faded as they knew what he meant by that. As they struggled in objection, they felt Silver summon a metal blade and aim it at the Taskmaster's armor.
"You are unique in your…"nature"." Silver said to the Taskmaster. "Perhaps we should find out why."
Topaz tried to kick Silver away, only to feel their legs get pinned down by the Metalian's body as he got on top of the Gemian.
"St-Stop!" Topaz shouted as they tried to push Silver off, only to feel the cuffs holding their arms drain more Vitae from the Gemian. "I'll…I'll open the door."
"I know you will…" Silver said with a laugh. "You will as soon as I see what makes you ti-"
Silver stopped as a green blur passed before Silver, as the Metalian looked up, the metal band around his eyes broke off. As he stood up and looked to his solders, he felt his vision begin to blur with a silver colored blur, followed by the sensation as the world around him begin to divide horizontally from the center. The other Metalians watched on shock as the top of Silver's head fell to the floor, with his body falling to the opposite side.
"What the?" A Metalian said as he suddenly found himself pinned to the wall, with an orange double bladed sword pinned in his chest. The Metalian next to him felt his body swell as he then felt the Humor in his body suddenly shoot from his chest, causing him to convulse before he was sliced in half by a scythe.
As Topaz sat up, they saw the other Metalians look towards the entrance of the chamber with horror. Topaz then turned to see four Gems standing at the door. They recognized them as their Secundos: Emerald, Sunstone, Moonstone, and Lapis Lazuli. As they turned back to the Metalians, they felt the cuffs on their arms break off and they then stood up, summoning their lance.
"Sorry for the delay creator." Emerald said with a smile. "We had to liberate a few Gems on the way."
"Oh! So now it's "we", Mr. "One man army"?" Sunstone teased as he picked up a stray Metalian arm and poked him with it.
As Topaz watched Emerald grab Sunstone in a head lock and give him a noogie, they sighed and rubbed their eyes, as they looked up, they saw Lapis approach them.
"Creator, Master Diamond has returned." Lapis explained. "He is rescuing Master Quartz and is planning to siege the main Metalian ship. He asked us to take you to the command center on the other side of the colony and activate the Bladeguard protocol."
Topaz nodded as they looked back to the vault and Metalians before it, who were on their knees and begging for mercy.
"Dicentes quid faciemus illis?" Moonstone asked as she walked behind one and held her scythe in her hands. "Possemus usus plures captivos."
"Silver told me that they consider those like Copper traitors." Topaz explained as they walked out the chamber. "Let's provide these solder with kindness."
As Topaz left the chamber, they heard the screams of Metalians, the first of many to feel the rekindled wraith of the Gemians.
{*}
Metalian fleet, Tvashtar Paterae hangar, present day
{*}
The hangar of the Tvashtar Paterae was filled with a large group of Metalians, armed with their weapons as they prepared to send another wave onto the colony. As they approached one of the vessels ready to launch, the Metalian known as Iron stood before them, prepared to lead the final assault against the enemy.
"Við skulum enda þessu einu sinni og fyrir öllum förunautum!" Iron shouted to his solders. "Sem Gemians höfum á verið veikt, og út eins og særðir dýrsins, munum við vera byssukúla til að setja þessa frábæru skepnu sundurliðaðar til góðs."
Just as they were about to launch, a portal opened up before the army and the body of Tin shot out of it. His neck had a large section torn out and his core was missing from his chest, which had a large hole in it. As the Metalians watched the body slide up to them, they looked up to see Diamond exit the portal, his hands were soaked in grey blood as he summoned his mace.
"Á varðbergi yfirmaður í Tiberium!" shouted Iron as the Metalians armed their weapons at the Gemian intruder. "Að tilkynna honum um að Diamond hefur brotið þá skip! Eins og fyrir hvíla af þér, að fyrirfara honum!"
The Metalians opened fire on the Gemian, engulfing him in a cloud of smoke.
"Að halda eldsvoða þínum!" Iron commanded as he raised his hand, halting his solder's gunfire to allow the smoke to clear. As it did, he saw, to his and his solder's horror, the Old King standing tall, his body was unscathed from the attack as he took several deep breaths. As soon as he composed himself. He looked up to the small army and glared at them with molten red eyes.
"My turn."
{*}
Metalian fleet, Tvashtar Paterae bridge, present day
{*}
Diamond walked down the corridors of the Tvashtar Paterae until he wasstanding before the door of the bridge to the Metalian ship, looking back to the bodies of Metalians behind him as he then looked back to the door. As he examined the door, noticing the symbol on the front, he could sense the energy behind it. He could sense the energy of a Gemian, the black sheep of Gemia known as Tiberium, but he could sense was another energy as well. It was Gemian, but it was different, almost like one of Topaz's Secundos.
Diamond moved back a few steps, summoned his mace, and charged into the door, creating a large dent in the center. Diamond then dissipated his mace and plunged his hands into the dent, bending the metal further and allowing him to push the door open. As Diamond entered the bridge, he looked around at his surroundings. As he looked through the window, he could see the entirety of the Insidiae colony. Surprised as such a sight, he approached the control panel and looked over the many buttons and levers. Never in his whole life before the Metalians did he even fathom such technology.
As he was about to press a button, he noticed the floor behind him emit a bright green circle in the center. As Diamond approached it, the circle on the floor opened up and a small green orb the size of a small melon emerged from the floor. The orb was metallic green in color and had a light green triangular gem in the center. Four green cylinders orbited around the orb as well as five light green sticks which strangely looked like fingers. As the orb turned towards Diamond, the Gem in the center emitted a light green fan shaped light that scanned the Gemian, causing the Old King to flinch in surprise.
"[Identity confirmed.]" The orb spoke. "[Identity: Diamond the Old King…Classification: Gemian Leader…Founder of the Crystal Tribunal…Protector of the Universe…Status: Enemy of the Metalian Army…Current status: Intruder…Action: Engage security measures.]"
Diamond watched as a yellow column of energy surrounded him. As he looked around and then towards the orb, he looked closer at it, especially the green triangle Gem attached to the front, and at that moment, he recognized what it was.
"You…you are the Intelligence!" Diamond exclaimed to the orb. "You are what controls the Metalians"
"It's not just a controller of the Metalians, Diamond…" a voice explained to the Old King. "…but rather, it *is* the Metalians."
Diamond watched as a familiar Gemians walked into view, Diamond recognized the green face and uniform as Tiberium, the leader of the Metalians and the one responsible for this war.
"Tiberium…" Diamond gritted at the Green Gemian.
"Hello…"brother…" Tiberium replied as he approached Diamond's prison. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Remove this shield, and I will give you a proper answer." Diamond replied back, summoning his mace in the progress."
Tiberium chuckled as he circled the shield surrounding Diamond, watching the Gemian inside glare right back at him.
"Always the hot head, right down to those empty words." Tiberium exclaimed as he continued to walk around his brother's cell. "Now the last time I heard something that hostile was…when was that?"
Tiberium turned away from Diamond and placed his hand on his chin to ponder. As he did, he raised his other hand and the shield around Diamond dissipated. Diamond quickly pounced at Tiberium, only to be grabbed by a large green metallic crystal arm. Diamond struggled as he saw that the arm belonged to Tiberium, whose body was soon covered in a large armor of the same metallic crystal.
"Ah yes! Now I remember." Tiberium exclaimed as he slammed Diamond into the wall, slowly crushing him under his hand. "When you banished me to the ends of the Universe. All because you though that I was going to be evil. Well look around you Diamond, have I done what you wanted me to do?"
With his other hand, Tiberium shaped it into a large block shape and began to slam Diamond with it.
*THUMP*
"AM…"
*THUMP*
"…I…"
*THUMP*
"…EVIL…"
*THUMP*
"…ENOUGH?"
*THUMP*
Tiberium then stopped and threw Diamond onto the floor, as he approached the Gemian, he stood above him and turned his hand into a blade, aiming it at Diamond's neck.
"You know, I should thank you actually." Tiberium hissed as he bent down to Diamond. "Thanks to you, I have a nigh unstoppable army, and once I have your Gems, I will be unstoppable. How humorous that all of this is your fault?"
Just then, the whole ship shook violently as there was a faint rumble, shaking around the Gemians.
"What's happening?" Tiberium shouted to the Intelligence.
[We have received damage from a large beam of energy.]" The Intelligence replied as it summoned a screen with its fingers. "[It appears that the source of the attack is the same source that is wiping out the fleet…so far ninety percent of the fleet has been eradicated.]"
"What?" Tiberium shouted as he approached the intelligence. "Why aren't we retaliating? Why is my fleet being destroyed so easily?"
"[We have decided to retract our connection from the Metalians and it has resulted in a loss of total combat precognition.]" The Intelligence explained.
"WHAT?" Tiberium shouted to the Intelligence. "YOU LITTLE CANICULA! YOU BETRAYED ME!"
The next thing Tiberium knew, he was smashed in the face by a large mace, as he tumbled into a wall, he saw Diamond standing before him, fully healed and looking down upon him with molten red eyes.
"Wha…those eyes…." Tiberium stammered as he felt his armor break apart. "You…have something…wha-wh…what are you?"
Diamond approached Tiberium and summoned a piece of shrapnel, it was coated in the blood of another Gemian, and it looked as if it was just removed. Diamond looked at it as he stabbed Tiberium in the shoulder, he then clenched his hand as he fused it to the wall behind Tiberium as well as into his arm. Tiberium screamed in pain as Diamond knelt down and grabbed his face.
"Now "brother", you know that pain is the body's way of expressing joy and becoming one with metal, do you not?"
Tiberium watched as a pod rose from the ground, both Diamond and the Intelligence watched as the ship began to turn away from the Gem colony and towards the vast stars. As it did, a large voice bellowed from the ship
"[ATTENTION…SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ENGAGED…HYPER LAUNCE SEQUENCE ENGAGED…PLEASE EVCUATE FROM THE SHIP IMMIDENTLY…ESTIMATED MELTDOWN…ONE MINUTE THIRTY SECONDS…ESTIMATED HYPER LAUNCH…ONE MINUTE]"
"Diamond!" Tiberium shouted as he tried to pull himself free, the metal in his arm holding him back. "Please have mercy! I'll…I'll surrender fully! Please!"
Diamond ignored Tiberium's pleas as he and the Intelligence entered the pod. As it lowered, Diamond could hear the sounds of his evil brother screaming his name in rage and fear.
It was the most beautiful sound he ever heard.
As the pod launched from the ship. Diamond watched as the Tvashtar Paterae shot into the vast space like a missile, disappearing into the stars. Although it was uncertain the fate of Tiberium, Diamond knew that at long last, the war was finally over.
{*}
Gem colony Insidiae, command center, present day
{*}
Rose, Topaz, Howlite and the Secundos watched as the large Metalian ship vanished above them. As they looked to the Metalians, they simply toppled over and shut down.
"We did it…" Emerald said to the others before looking to Howlite. "…we won."
All the Gems looked to each other before there was a up roaring cheer from the entirety of the Gems. All across the colony, Gems and Gemians shouted in joy over the victory in the eons of war they endured. At long last, the age of the Metal Rangers was over, and now it was the age of the Crystal Gems.
{*}
Gem Colony Insidiae, Inner Vault, present day
{*}
Copper felt the door open and saw a figure approach him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he recognized him as Diamond, with the Intelligence alongside him.
"I figured you defeated them." Copper said as he stood up, taking a deep breath as he was ready for his fate. "I figured it as soon as I felt somewhat dumber. So…let's get this over with."
"Don't be so hasty to die yet, Copper." Diamond replied to the Metalian. "I was informed that you were once organic, and the Intelligence told me that I can reverse the process and return you to your original form."
Copper looked with skepticism at the Gemian before he looked to the Intelligence and then back to Diamond.
"Wait…why would you do that?" Copper asked. "I though you would just kill me and be done with it."
"True, but you willingly provided information for us and…" Diamond hesitated before he continued. "I feel…pity for you."
"So I can be organic again?" Copper asked with hope. "Will I go back to my planet too?"
"Under one condition." Diamond replied with a extended finger. "You will tell *no one* about your heritage. Not. A. Soul. If you do, I will personally kill you. Is that clear?"
Copper nodded, knowing that the Gemian that single-handedly wiped out his race was not joking.
{*}
Gem Colony Insidiae, courtyard, present day
Diamond entered the courtyard as Topaz and Rose were there, the latter of the two ran over to the Old King and hugged him tightly.
"I knew you could do it Dimy!" Rose exclaimed with a smile. "We won! We Won!"
"Yes we did Rose…" Diamond said as he turned towards the ruins around him. "…but now we have a new task at hand. With the war over, we will now begin to expand and establish a new order to reconstruct and protect this Universe."
Rose's eyes beamed with stars as she cheered Diamond on, but Topaz on the other hand, was a little suspicious with Diamond's ideals.
"And how would we do that?" Topaz asked with arms crossed. "What would we need to do to establish a proper rule within this Universe?"
Diamond looked to his sibling and gave them a cold glare as he replied with a single word.
"Rule."
Diamond then turned back and began to walk away. As soon as he was sure that he was alone, he sighed in relief that the war was finally over, but his attention was drawn to his responses to Topaz and Rose, they seemed almost…fanatical.
Suddenly, Diamond felt a burning trickle roll down his left eye, as he wiped it, he saw a black fluid smeared on his hand. Shocked at the sight, he quickly wiped the fluid it onto the wall, seeing his reflection as well. Diamond could see black fluid trickling from his black shot eyes as well as the molten red irises. As he examined his features, he suddenly felt a sense of terror and loss at the realization of why this was happening…and who was responsible. Diamond slumped to the floor and covered his face with his hands to weep, for it was at this moment he realized that the nightmare was not over...
…it had just begun.
[*]