Shimmering Blood

Chapter 5- Fight continues

Steven Universe doesn't belong to me but Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network. I only own OCs

Three weeks. Three relentless weeks of constant fighting and defending the canyon. By the end of the first week, Moonstone had already had enough. He was ready to request an orbital bombardment from the Diamonds, anything to end the stalemate. But Emerald had stopped him.

“It wouldn’t help the situation. It would only make it worse,” she’d argued, her tone firm but respectful. Reluctantly, after breaking several tables in frustration, Moonstone had agreed. She was right, as much as he hated to admit it.

Somehow, the rebels always knew when to strike. True, each time they were repelled and forced to retreat, but they returned—stronger, in greater numbers, and with renewed determination.

“Emerald, send probes across the globe. I want those rebels found. I want every detail about them.” Moonstone hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on the holo-map projected in the center of the room. Dozens of red crosses marked the canyon walls and edges—places where the rebels had launched their attacks.

Moonstone and Emerald both agreed: constant patrols were necessary. Every corner of the canyon, every cliff, and ridge needed to be secured.

“Yes, General. It will be a difficult task, but I will do my best.” Emerald saluted sharply before marching out of the room, leaving Moonstone alone with his thoughts.

“Just who is your leader, huh?” Moonstone muttered darkly as he grabbed a holo-pad and collapsed into the grand chair at the head of the room. The wide window panes gave him a panoramic view of the entire Kindergarten, though it felt more like a cage than a command center.

He began skimming through the reports. The injectors were functioning as expected, steadily planting Gems into the earth. Peridots, under Bismuth’s supervision, were building new defenses around the canyon, fortifying it as best they could. Lapis Lazulis waited in reserve, ready to flood the battlefield when needed.

On paper, everything appeared normal, as if the constant skirmishes with the rebels were nothing but a minor inconvenience. But Moonstone knew better. He sighed and tossed the holo-pad onto the table, then turned his gaze out the window, observing the Gems hard at work below.

Each of them was special in their own way, each with a clear purpose, a task to perform. That was the order of things. It was how they were designed—how they were made.

So why rebel against Homeworld?

Moonstone couldn’t understand it. The Diamonds were perfect. They were everything a Gem should aspire to be, the embodiment of power and authority. To rebel against them was madness, an affront to everything Moonstone believed in.

“Goddamn rebels,” he snarled, his fists clenching as he stared down at the canyon. “I swear on all the Diamond Authority, I will shatter every last one of you and decorate the walls with your shards.”

What he had thought would be a swift conquest had turned into an exhausting, drawn-out conflict. The longer it dragged on, the more it ate at him. But he wouldn’t give up. He would shatter himself before he ever considered surrender.

The silence in the command room was thick, only broken by the distant hum of machinery from the injectors outside. Moonstone’s mind swirled with thoughts of the rebels, the constant battles, and the nagging frustration of it all. He was built for war, but this was not the war he had anticipated. Guerrilla tactics, hit-and-run strikes—it was beneath him. He longed for a decisive battle, one where he could crush the opposition once and for all.

As the minutes ticked by, the door hissed open, and Emerald re-entered the room, holo-pad in hand. “The probes have been launched, General. We should have preliminary data in the next cycle.”