TRIGGER WARNING.
Please be advised this chapter contains depictions of abuse and non-consensual relationships.
The Alloy ship landed in the palace courtyard. The Alloy troops already on the ground stopped in their tracks, the massive metal forms frozen, awaiting a command.
White ignored Garnet's pleas for her to stop. The fusion clung to her shoe, drug along as White walked towards the courtyard. She didn't need any more reason to doubt herself. Her body already trembled in anticipation.
Though White didn't recall the memories the rejuvenator took from her, she knew Magnetar's name was enough to make her cower. He was a foe, one whom her old self had never figured out a means of defeating. She now had only moments to discover what her old self could not. She needed to defeat him somehow, or at least distract him long enough for her Gem's to escape.
She focused on her inner strength, pulling up enough energy for a direct corruption blast. Garnet had said the Alloy's metal skin would reflect her most devastating attack, but she would attempt it with only her in the way of a rebound. If the blast did bounce off him, and she got caught up in her own attack, then Magnetar would have to contend with whatever monster White would turn into once corrupted. She thought back when Steven's own inner pain corrupted his mind, and she and the other Diamonds couldn't stop the beastly form he took. She often wondered what would become of herself if she corrupted.
The ship door opened with a hiss and White clenched her fists. 'Whatever form my corruption takes, Magnetar will soon find out,' she thought.
Massive feet stepped down the ramp to the ground. White recognized the Alloy from Steven's description of the General Titanium. His focus landed on White. Before any words were exchanged, he stepped to the side.
The ground shook. Titanium bowed low to the Alloy that descended the ramp. White retreated a step. Staring up at the massive form that loomed over her, she felt what her smallest Gem subjects must have felt when at her feet during her oppressive reign.
Magnetar stepped down from his ship, his skin scales shimmered with the bright light of a neutron star, shifting colors from bright blue to indigo. His eyes, which were locked onto White across the courtyard, were alive like star fire. Multicolored irises swam in silver eyes.
"I can do this," White whispered despite her dwindling courage. She held onto her power, readying herself for a fight to her shattering.
Magnetar approached her. Careful and quiet for his size. White held up her hand, the light from her palm ready to blast him the moment he attacked. But he didn't attack.
White gasped when Magnetar took her by the waist and swooped her up into a desperate embrace. He hugged her as if the fate of the universe depended on their connection. She was to shocked to attack, and the power in her palm faded away.
"White Diamond," Magnetar whispered in her ear, his course voice making her shutter. "I thought you were lost to me. I thought my life's light was gone forever!" She was startled again when he pressed his lips to hers. Before she could protest the onslaught of unwanted affection, Magnetar pulled away, his once stoic face now smiling with relief. "I promise White, things will be different. I have changed in these long years. I have been told you have lost your memories of our life together… I promise I will do everything in my power to get your memories back."
White blinked at him, everything she had been expecting having gone up in smoke, 'Maybe this can work?' she thought.
"He's lying!" Garnet snapped from below. White broke out of her musing and looked down at the Gem fusion, "You need to run and get back to Earth!"
Magnetar rumbled a laugh that resonated in White's chest. She glanced back up at him, and saw the Alloy leader observing Garnet with amusement, "You have created so many Gems over the eons, I am amazed. Even at the cost of your original size and strength. You always loved to create… these Gems now are so much like you, a rebellious part." He said the last part with a forlorn sigh.
White pursed her lips at the comment, and noticed she was unable to pull out of his grip.
"Quick White!" Garnet shouted, "fuse with me so you can esca-" Magnetar shoved his foot towards her before she could finish the thought. Garnet managed to block the massive wave of energy, preventing her Gems from shattering, but she was still tossed across the courtyard and smashed into a distant spire.
"Stop!" White demanded and pounded a fist up on his metal chest, "These are my Gems, and you will leave them alone, that was our deal!" she reminded him.
Magnetar nodded, though seemed to already have forgotten about Garnet. He was far too busy gazing at White. She shrunk under his probing eyes, "Let's retire to my ship so we can talk."
"And my Gems?" White repeated.
Magnetar sighed as he looked out onto Homeworld. "I am sorry you have lost your memories, White. If you still remembered, you would know I hate to lie to you… But I know better," he turned to Titanium. "Round up every Gem on the planet and return them to the ships."
"No!" White summoned her strength and blasted an attack at his chest to break them apart. She jolted in his arms, which remained wrapped around her, locking her to his side. She went to try again, her palm shoved up at his face.
Magnetar snatched the offending hand and smiled at her, "everything will be alright, my love. I'll take care of everything. I'll have you back to your old self in no time," he promised, and picked her up with little effort to carry her back to his ship.
"Let me go!" White thrashed in his arms, clawing at his scaled armor without leaving a scratch. She caught the terrified eyes of Zircon, who watched helplessly as their former Diamond leader was drug away. "President Zircon! Get the Warps to activate and evacuate!"
"Quite pointless," Magnetar mused as he carried her up the ship's ramp. "My ship has a link to this planet's Warp Streams. They can't be reactivated unless that link is broken."
The light of Homeworld vanished when the ship ramp closed behind them, and Magnetar let White down, though didn't release his grasp on her arm. She spun around, taking in her dark surroundings. A control room, the panels and buttons giving off a faint hue, though White and Magnetar's own glow were the brightest source of light in the ship.
White spotted something familiar among the alien tech. One of her Warp Pads, in fact the same one she and Spinel had delivered to the outer world a week previous, was hardwired into the wall. Using this Galaxy Warp Pad was how Magnetar had gained control over all the others.
She went to rip it out of the wall to give her Gems a chance to flee, but Magnetar yanked her back to his side. She shoved at him despite knowing it was useless. "You lied to me! You say you care about me? I know that isn't true!"
"I know what's best love. Come, let's retire to my quarters so you can rest."
White growled as each beam of light she shot at him bounced off into the dark metal walls of the ship's hull. "Now I know why I can't remember you! You aren't worth remembering! My old self should have found an even farther planet to claim as my Homeworld so I would never have to deal with you again!"
All White's other fowl words she had for the Alloy shattered when his palm struck her across the face. The shock was more prominent than the sting on her cheek, and she was rendered speechless.
Magnetar's dark face lightened, and he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the same cheek he had struck, "Please, White. Don't make me so mad like before. We are together again. This should be a happy time. Here, I'll show you everything will be fine." He waved a hand at the control panel, and a view screen lit up.
White watched helpless as Gem's ran in all direction on the surface of Homeworld. Light cannons were blasted to shards. Gem ships crashed into high-rises, "Once my Alloys collect every Gem, I can use their energy to restore you. Not only will this give you back your original power, but I am willing to bet your memories will return as well. Then we can put this whole mess behind us and return to how things were."
Her face fell with the gravity of despair, and she gave a longing glance towards the Warp pad across the room. If she hadn't looked, she wouldn't have noticed the small figure sneaking along a control panel. White stared in utter disbelief, as somehow, impossibly, the organic Onion was on the Alloy ship. His careful movements were near silent, and his goal was clear. He was inching towards the Warp Pad.
White startled when she noticed Magnetar was looking at her curiously. His colorful eyes shifted to the side, where she had been gawking open mouthed at Onion. Before he could turn to investigate; she reached her hands up to touch his face. It brought his focus back onto her. She forced herself to be gentle, quiet despite her rage for the metal creature under her fingers. "I'm scared. I don't remember you, or anything. Do you really think I can remember what I've lost?"
She tried not to shutter in revulsion when she felt him wrap his hands around her waist. His face came closer to hers, and White could feel the immense power he wielded behind those fiery eyes. "I know you will get it back. You just have to trust in me again."
"Perhaps something else familiar will help me remember? How did we meet?" she asked with fake curiosity.
Her question brought a smile to his reflective lips. He took her by the hand, and she didn't fight it as she was led over to an empty seat. She wanted to risk a glance to see Onion's progress, but didn't break her gaze with Magnetar, lest he get suspicious.
He sat, then settled her on his lap. She fought the urge to squirm. "I found you, when I was searching for more stars to utilize in the creation of my troops," he explained softly, and set her hands to rest on his shoulders while his own fingers traced the small of her back. White forced a smile.
From her new vantage point, she saw Onion. He had paused, painfully close to his target, and stuck out his tongue in disgust in response to Magnetar's affection. White wished she could make a similar face.
She had to return her attention to Magnetar as he continued, "Unlike how you make your Gems, using up so much of your own essence, I use only the smallest fraction of my power. I combine it with the energy and metals of a star. This leaves my troops lacking emotion or any other drive but my own. The perfect soldiers. In my search for new territory, I found a dark portion of space, with a single white dwarf star emitting the most beautiful glow. I found your Gem in its center, and I was infatuated. You were the most curious creature I had ever seen, not insignificant like Organics but not metal like me. I knew from that moment I had to protect you, something so fragile. I knew you had to be mine…" His last statement was a whisper, his lips closing the distance and brushing against her neck.
White couldn't bring herself to pretend anymore. She cringed at his touch and strained to glance at Onion, just to see how much longer she would have to stall.
Onion stood on the Warp Pad, and from his backpack he retrieved a Gem weapon. He activated it and it was a light scythe twice his size. Before Magnetar could turn around in response to the weapon's noise, Onion slashed through the wires that controlled the Warp Pads. He put the Warp Whistle in his mouth, inhaled a deep breath, and blew a long, sustained note into the wall's com system. The Whistle's tune echoed through the com system of every Alloy ship on Homeworld, and all at once every Galaxy Warp across the planet came to life in a combined beam of light.
White squealed with delight as she watched her Gems on the view screen jump into the streams, Warping away to safety. Her victory was short lived as Magnetar rose to his feet. She was locked in his grasp; his dark glare had frozen her. "Very clever," he hissed, squeezing her wrists as his body suddenly shook with rage. White snapped out of her fearful state and again tried to break his grasp on her. Just as before, her attempts were fruitless.
The Gem weapon smacked against Magnetar's shoulder with a metallic thud. The distraction gave his growing anger pause, and Magnetar glanced over to see Onion had been the culprit. "Seriously?" Magnetar huffed a chuckle. "An organic pest is trying to hurt me?" He didn't interfere as Onion rifled through his bag for more weapons. Magnetar seemed to find the small assault endlessly amusing. As if to humor Onion, Magnetar even got closer to make himself an easier target.
Onion activated more weapons, a sword, daggers, a massive hammer, and threw each at Magnetar. Each bounced off. White shook her head, having no idea what Steven's organic friend was trying to accomplish. Why hadn't he fled with the Warp Whistle yet? Onion jumped up and down, his focus on White. "Mhe Mhe!" he huffed and motioned with a hand towards the Warp Pad.
White understood, and she was touched. Onion was trying to get Magnetar to release her so she could escape too. First, the organic snuck onto a hostile enemy ship to help a species that had once threatened his human race. Now, he was fighting to make sure the one responsible for Earth's near destruction returned to safety with him. How could so much courage fit into such a small form?
She shook her head, a sorrowful smile on her lips. "Just go," she mouthed.
Onion did not. He seemed to have run out of weapons. He pulled out a final item. He held a small glass bottle filled with foamy salt water and sand. Human letters were etched into its side which White recognized, having studied the human language to impress Steven. It said, 'Beach City in a bottle.'
"Out of things to throw?" Magnetar asked innocently, his face leaned down in front of Onion to deliver a smug smile. He hovered a hand over Onion, ready to squash him under his palm.
Onion glared at him, then he hurled the bottle at Magnitar's face. It shattered over one of his eyes with a splash.
Magnetar roared in pain, making both White and Onion jolt with surprise. The massive Alloy held his eye and rubbed to get the organic contents out. He released White.
She took the opportunity to rush for the Warp Pad, Onion holding out his hands towards her.
It felt like gravity had shifted. White's feet left the floor and she was dragged backwards. She spun around, and saw Magnetar still bent over in pain, but his hand was outstretched towards her. He was the source of the gravity shift and pulled her closer to him as if he had a small black hole in his palm.
White hesitated, gazing longingly at the Warp Pad and Onion. She pulled herself together and reached a hand forward. "Get out of here and warn Steven and the others!" she tapped the Warp Pad before Onion could protest. Her touch activated the Stream and it carried Onion off, flying back to Earth.
She was yanked away from the Warp Pad by Magnetar's power. She heard him stand and start towards the wall, most likely intending to reconnect the wires and deactivate the Homeworld Warps again. With a blast of energy, White shattered the Warp Pad before he could reach it.
By the time the Alloys gained control of another Warp Pad, all the Homeworld Gems would be gone and out of reach. She smiled, victorious as the pieces littered the room. A shadow loomed over her from her place on the floor. Magnetar yanked White up, crushing her against his chest. She didn't need to see his face to know he was furious. His body shook and the energy he radiated was suffocated. She watched his face, his one eye still closed from Onion's attack and the once silver colored scales around it had shifted to reddish brown. "Clever indeed my love. You always did have an infatuation with the Organic pests, using their worlds to make your Gems. I'll have to work harder than before to remedy that flaw once again."
He slammed a hand against the door panel to open a new passageway, then dragged White deeper into the dark metal ship.