A Diamond That Doesn't Shine

The Attack *rewrite*

Several minutes before the accident.
~~~~

I warp abruptly on the beach with Theia beside me, the other Gems rushing to evacuate our small territory.

"Stay back here, okay? I can't risk you getting hurt," I tell Theia, sensing their hurt but knowing it's necessary as I sprint toward the other Gems.

Opal (a fusion of Pearl and Amethyst) and Garnet watch helplessly as a warship increases speed in its descent.

"At least Steven is safe..." Garnet mutters, but I know Steven can't handle this.

"Hey, guys!" I call out, but I hear Steven's voice join mine.

"Steven! Y/N!" Steven's sudden appearance startles Opal, causing them to split back into their individual Gems, who fall onto the sand.

"You came back!" Amethyst exclaims.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here!" Pearl orders, but Steven hesitates.

"But-" Steven begins.

"It's too late! Just... stay behind us! Both of you," Garnet commands.

I'm surprised by Garnet's protective stance as she pushes Steven and me back. The Crystal Gems position themselves just as the warship lands on the beach, kicking up dust clouds around their feet.

Steven and I shield our eyes, and a green bubble emerges from the warship's palm, rolling onto its finger and opening to reveal Lapis and two new Gems-a Peridot and a burly figure resembling a truck.

"That's them, alright. They keep breaking my machines," Peridot complains.

"This is it?" the truck-like Gem, Jasper, grumbles. "They keep interfering with my work!"

"Looks like another waste of my time... Hey, get over here!" Jasper drags Lapis from behind her, but Lapis breaks free and gasps upon seeing Steven. Steven yells, but Jasper ignores him.

"This is their base?"

"Yes..." lapis responds firmly, but the other Gems remain silent.

"And neither of you saw Rose Quartz? Oh, what a shame. I'd hoped to meet her. I was looking forward to beating her into the ground! But this is all that's left of her army? Some lost, defective Pearl, a puny overcooked runt, and 'his shameless display? Hmm? What are those?" Jasper eyes the Crystal Gems, who brandish their weapons in preparation.

"It calls itself 'the Steven.' I don't know about the other one," Peridot replies.

"He's just a human! He isn't a threat at all! He's not one of them! Neither is the other," lapis screams.

"I know what a human is. You don't need me for this." Jasper groans

"Just blast them with the ship," period suggests.

"Ugh, fine," Jasper agrees. The warship lifts up, aiming its energy at the Crystal Gems. Peridot draws a wide circle on her finger screen and taps it, charging the ship's fingertip with energy.

"Steven, Y/n, get out of here!" Garnet shouts.

"No!" Steven protests.

"I won't let you risk your life!" Pearl insists.

"But this is my home! And you're all my family!" Steven's gem begins to glow, and a beam fires from the ship. "I- I'm a Crystal Gem too!" Steven leaps toward the beam, seemingly getting hit by it. Jasper turns around in shock, noticing a giant Rose's shield summoned in front of the Crystal Gems, protecting them from the blast.

"That shield! That symbol!" Steven groans as his shield dissipates, collapsing onto the ground. "You! You have the power of Rose Quartz!" Jasper screams as Garnet pushes Steven out of the way as the warship cuts a line across the beach, causing an explosion that catches Pearl and Amethyst.

Steven lands safely away from the blast, and as the smoke clears, he's safe. "Rose, why do you look like that? Why are you so weak?"

"Don't hurt him!" Lapis pleads.

"You knew about this!" Jasper accuses Lapis.

"It wasn't relevant to the mission!" Lapis defends herself.

"Forget about the mission!" Jasper orders.

"What!?" Peridot exclaims.

"Yellow Diamond needs to see this... thing," Jasper decides.

Garnet emerges from the sand behind Steven and charges at Jasper. "Good!" Jasper summons her weapon, a crash helmet, and blocks Garnet's punch, creating a powerful draft that pushes back both Garnet and Steven.

Garnet quickly recovers and charges at Jasper again, shouting, "Steven, run!!"

Everything changes in 17 seconds.

1... Garnet falls backward toward Steven, their eyes locking one last time before poofing away. Two gemstones, one red and one blue, fall onto the sand.

2... Jasper dispels her helmet and headbutts Steven, knocking him out.

3-7... Pearl and Amethyst scream and attack, meeting the same fate as Garnet. Jasper sighs and turns to me, muttering, "Pathetic organic," as the warship's door closes.

8-9... A rock flies through the air.

10-11... I'm frozen as the ship takes off into the sky.

12-14... I finally muster the courage to search where the rock landed and find my best friend's spot now empty, covered by a large rock.

15-17... My best friend takes their last breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I dashed over to the rocks, summoning strength I didn't realize I possessed, and hurled the huge rock aside. Desperately, I tore through the debris, searching for my best friend, though part of me dreaded what I might find. When I find them there is little left intact. Seeing them in such a broken state ignited something within me. Heat surged through my gems, my hair lifting as my eyes turned black. An overwhelming urge to destroy everything consumed me, tears streaming down my face. I glanced up at the sky, then back at Theia's battered form.

My chest burned with intense heat, prompting me to shed my jacket. As I removed it, I noticed my fingertips smoldering, scorching the fabric as I cast it aside.I collapsed to my knees in defeat.

"Please... come back..." I pleaded, feeling utterly defeated and on the brink of losing everyone else. Jasper's words echoed in my mind: "Pathetic organic."

Organic... I've been called many names, some hurtful, some belonging to my mothers...

My mothers...

I lowered my head and spotted a gem I had never seen before.

"A Diamond?"
.
.
.
Weeks earlier

"Now, Y/N, for today's lesson, we're going to discuss THE DIAMOND AUTHORITY. As I've mentioned before, your... parents... served under the strongest Diamond of all, Black Diamond. Each Diamond possessed unique powers and personalities. Black Diamond was renowned for having the keenest intellect on all of Homeworld." Perry paused, muttering something about lost knowledge.

"As for her powers, Black Diamond had the ability to drain light from a gem and manipulate them with their own darkness. The longer a gem was under this control, the more damaged they became. Most gems shattered once the power was deactivated."

I'd never understood why Perry emphasized Black Diamond more than the others. I'd assumed it was due to her immense power, but could it be...

Wait... does that mean that lesson was also...

"Your mother always told me that to fully harness one's power, one must relinquish attachments to the mortal world. But she also said fusion is like a light switch. 'The more switches, the more light. Remove one switch, and there's still light.' So who knows if the first one is true or if she was just crazy." Andesine burst out into laughter and Spinel pounces on them in raged.

Andesine, you genius.

My focus shifted to the smaller gem, the Pearl, left behind by one of my moms.

I needed to find Perry.